Increasing postoperative steps may significantly reduce hospital stay and complications for surgical patients.

• Each additional 1,000 steps/day post-surgery is linked to a 6% shorter length of stay.
• This increase is associated with a 17% lower chance of 30-day complications and a 18% drop in 90-day readmissions.

Focus on monitoring step count post-surgery rather than relying on self-reported wellness or heart rate variability for discharge planning.

• No significant correlation was found between postoperative heart rate variability changes and recovery outcomes.