Implementation of telemedicine for knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Clinical value of ankle flexion and extension exercises combined with a psychological intervention in knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND

Considering the limited effectiveness of clinical interventions for knee osteoarthritis (KOA), it is necessary to continue to explore appropriate and effective treatment strategies to improve the condition of KOA patients.

AIM

To clarify the influence of ankle flexion and extension exercises combined with a psychological intervention on the psychological status and activities of daily living (ADLs) of patients with KOA.

METHODS

The research participants were 116 KOA patients admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between May 2019 and May 2022, including 54 patients receiving routine treatment, care and psychological intervention (control group) and 62 patients additionally treated with ankle flexion and extension exercises (research group). The two groups were comparatively analyzed in terms of psychological status (Self-rating Anxiety/Depression Scale, SDS/SAS), ADLs, knee joint function (Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale), pain (Visual Analog Scale, VAS), fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, MFI), and quality of life (QoL; Short-Form 36 Item Health Survey, SF-36).

RESULTS

After evaluation, it was found that the postinterventional SDS, SAS, VAS, and MFI scores in the research group were significantly reduced compared with the baseline (before the intervention) values and those of the control group, while the postinterventional Lysholm, ADL and SF-36 scores were markedly elevated.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, ankle flexion and extension exercises are highly effective in easing negative psychological status, enhancing ADLs, daily living ability, knee joint function and QoL, and relieving pain and fatigue in KOA patients, thus warranting clinical promotion.

An m-Health Intervention for Rheumatoid Arthritis in China ("Rheumatism Center" app): Study Protocol for a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

AIM

To study the feasibility and effectiveness of a m-Health app in improving the management of rheumatoid arthritis.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

Sixty rheumatoid arthritis participants will be recruited for a 6-month feasibility study. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria will be randomly allocated to receive standard care or standard care plus the m-Health intervention. The primary outcome is the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial. In addition, we will investigate patient satisfaction in using the "Rheumatism Center" app in the intervention group. The secondary outcomes include the scores for the simplified disease activity index, clinical disease activity index, disease activity score 28, health assessment questionnaire and 6-item self-efficacy scale for chronic diseases. The assessments will be performed at baseline and at 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after the study is initiated. At the end of the study, we will also collect user views of the app through qualitative interviews.

RESULTS

This study is ongoing. The findings of this study will determine the feasibility and effectiveness of m-Health intervention in the management of rheumatoid arthritis, hoping to enhance the awareness of disease management and quality of life for rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The Delivery of Orthopaedic Care midst COVID-19 and Social Distancing

In this paper we present the findings of a literature review covering articles published in the last three decades describing the application of telemedicine in orthopaedics. A review of the PubMed Central and Medline provided 75 articles studying the role of telemedicine, the majority directly examining the application of telemedicine in orthopaedic patients. We report the summarized findings of these studies, the financial and HIPAA considerations of using telemedicine, and provide an example of our single urban level-1 trauma center's strategy for incorporating telemedicine into the clinical practice of orthopaedic surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic.