App, with smart knee sleeve, stores and shares key data points about a patient’s rehabilitation
A feasibility trial conducted at Cleveland Clinic validates a new remote patient monitoring (RPM) system for patients under 80 who were discharged home following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), according to a study published recently in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
New insights into rehabilitation
Approximately 90% of recovery from TKA occurs outside the clinic, when a patient’s activity level and exercise regimen play a significant role in the rehabilitation process. The proprietary RPM system from FocusMotion gives patients real-time motion feedback through an avatar, charting progress made each day, and sends users notifications reminding them to exercise or take the weekly self-assessment. This innovation may provide several benefits to patients, providers and payers, including increased patient engagement with rehabilitation, better insight into negative outcomes, and a cost-effective and user-friendly means to collect, store and share the information.
“Traditionally speaking, we receive very little objective data to indicate how our patients are recovering after discharge,” states Brendan Patterson, MD, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Insights into the patient experience of rehabilitation from TKA might help shape future therapies and interventions, and could give us a better handle on the ultimate value of TKA.”
Combined with the app, smart knee sleeve collects several important data points
In the trial, patients (N = 25) downloaded an RPM application to their personal iOS devices, wore a smart neoprene knee sleeve during unsupervised exercise once daily, and completed a semistructured interview at three months postop. The study, funded by the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation, sought to obtain information as to the number of interruptions in data transmission and patient acceptance of the RPM system.
Participants downloaded the app preoperatively, and baseline data was obtained. The knee sleeve was paired with the patient’s iOS device postoperatively—before discharge—and participants were instructed to perform daily rehabilitation exercises and to complete a weekly survey. Two sensors on the knee sleeve transmitted spatial orientation changes, reporting daily compliance with a home exercise program and range of motion (i.e., knee flexion). When combined with the app, the RPM system collected the following additional data points: mobility, defined by number of steps; weekly patient-reported outcomes (PROMs); and opioid consumption, defined as the number of pills consumed in the last week. The patient-facing application gave participants full access to their data, as well as an avatar illustrating the patient’s range of motion while performing the exercise sets.
Image Credit: Journal of Arthroplasty
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