Abstract
Background
The individual and socio-economic burden of delayed rehabilitation after a fracture
is high. Early identification of patients with critical healing processes and timely
intervention are key factors for successful treatment management. The aim of this
study was to demonstrate how step counts, collected via patient-owned wearables, can
assist in identifying critical recovery trajectories.
Methods
The study included 56 patients who already had a wearable device. Data on age, gender,
injury type, PROMIS – Global Health 10 score at 3 months, and work ability at 3 months
were collected. Step counts were recorded both before and after the injury.
Results
Data from 56 patients were analysed. Postoperative healing was reliably monitored
using the patients' own wearables for both upper and lower extremities. Significant
differences in daily step counts were observed between patients with normal healing
and those with delayed rehabilitation. Significant differences were also found in
step counts between patients who regained work ability within 3 months and those who
did not. PROMIS surveys conducted after 3 months revealed significant differences
between daily step counts in patients above the 80th percentile compared to those
below the 20th percentile.
Discussion
The analysis demonstrates that monitoring healing progress with patient-owned wearables
can effectively estimate the risk of delayed recovery and prolonged work disability,
as based on easily accessible personal activity data. Further refinement of the technology
and inclusion of additional patients with defined injury types could help identify
trauma patients in need of additional care during treatment. Early and targeted interventions
could enable a return to pre-injury activity levels and reduce the duration of work
disability.
Keywords wearable - digital mobility outcome - step count - rehabilitation - fracture healing
