Could Wearables be Orthopedics’ Great Leap Forward? (Stephen Lyman on LinkedIn)
Success in orthopedics is rarely black and white. In most cases, we’re not treating diseases or completely resolving medical conditions, like a clogged artery. With orthopedic procedures, such as joint replacement surgery, we’re typically working to reduce pain and improve function. Success is making it easier for the patient to live their everyday life.
How do you gauge this type of success? The typical approach is to measure mobility, but that’s easier said than done. Today, we rely mainly on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), which are patient surveys and have some inherent limitations. It can be challenging to get patients to complete these surveys, and there are a number of factors that can skew patient feedback. Patients may have difficulty recalling what they did or could do in the past or may subconsciously allow their mood or personal feelings about their physician influence their responses. In some cases, patients simply misunderstand the questions, either due to ambiguous survey wording or limited health literacy.
This all adds up to incomplete and sometimes inaccurate data. But the g...
