Efficacy of tele-rehabilitation compared with office-based physical therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized clinical trial

Kamran Azma1,2, Zahra RezaSoltani2 , Farid Rezaeimoghaddam2 , Afsaneh Dadarkhah2 and Sarasadat Mohsenolhosseini2

Abstract

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability among the middle to senior age groups. Despite being effective, office-based physical therapy (OBPT) needs professional human resources and is both costly and time-consuming. We aimed to compare the efficacy of tele-rehabilitation (tele-rehab) compared with OBPT in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee were assigned to participate in either a 6-week home-based tele-rehab or an OBPT program between 2015 and 2016. Our primary outcome was the mean change from the baseline until 1 and 6 month’s post-intervention in scores of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). We used analysis of variance for the repeated measure statistical test.

Results: A total of 54 patients entered the final analysis, with 27 in each group. The mean age of the patients was 58.2  7.41 years and 60.2% were female. In the tele-rehab and OBPT group, KOOS scores increased from baseline to 6 months postintervention (50.6 to 83.1 and 49.8 to 81.8) respectively. There was no significant difference between tele-rehab and OBPT groups in any of the studied scales.

Discussion: The tele-rehab program is as effective as OBPT in improving the function of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Considering the much lower time and cost consumed by tele-rehab, it is the recommended program for the older population living in remote sites.

Keywords

Tele-rehabilitation, efficacy, middle-aged, knee, osteoarthritis, pain measurement, Iran

Trauma, Teams, and Telemedicine: Evaluating Telemedicine and Teamwork in a Mass Casualty Simulation

Ashley M. Hughes, PhD*,†; Shirley C. Sonesh, PhD‡; Rachel E. Mason, MPH§; Megan E. Gregory, PhD∥,¶ ; Antonio Marttos, MD **; Carl I. Schulman, MD**; Eduardo Salas, PhD †,†

Presented at 2019 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Healthcare Symposium, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Chicago, IL, March 25, 2019; University of Illinois at Chicago Impact and Research Day, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago Forum, April 10, 2019.

The views expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the organizations with which they are affiliated or their sponsoring institutions or agencies. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa434

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Mass casualty events (MASCAL) are on the rise globally. Although natural disasters are often unavoidable, the preparation to respond to unique patient demands in MASCAL can be improved. Utilizing telemedicine can allow for a better response to such disasters by providing access to a virtual team member with necessary specialized expertise. The purpose of this study was to examine the positive and/or negative impacts of telemedicine on teamwork in teams responding to MASCAL events.

Methods:

We introduced a telemedical device (DiMobile Care) to Forward Surgical Teams during a MASCAL simulated training event. We assessed teamwork-related attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions during the MASCAL scenario through pre-post surveys and observations of use. Analyses compare users and nonusers of telemedicine and pre-post training differences in teamwork.

Results:

We received 50 complete responses to our surveys. Overall, clinicians have positive reactions toward the potential benefits of telemedicine; further, participants report a significant decrease in psychological safety after training, with users rating psychological safety as significantly higher than non-telemedicine users. Neither training nor telemedicine use produced significant changes in cognitive and behavioral-based teamwork. Nonetheless, participants reported perceiving that telemedicine improved leadership and adaptive care plans.

Conclusions:

Telemedicine shows promise in connecting Forward Surgical Teams with nuanced surgical expertise without harming quality of care metrics (i.e., teamwork). However, we advise future iterations of DiMobile Care and other telemedical devices to consider contextual features of information flow to ensure favorable use by teams in time-intensive, high-stakes environments, such as MASCAL.

The Effect of Telehealth on Hospital Services Use: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Guido M Peters1,2 , MSc; Laura Kooij2,3,4 , MSc; Anke Lenferink2 , PhD; Wim H van Harten2,4,5 , MD, Prof Dr; Carine J M Doggen1,2 , Prof Dr

1. Department of Clinical Research, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, Netherlands

2. Department of Health Technology and Services Research, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands

3. Department of Information and Medical Technology, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, Netherlands

4. Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands

5. Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, Netherlands

Corresponding Author:

Carine J M Doggen, Prof Dr

Department of Health Technology and Services Research

Technical Medical Centre

University of Twente

Drienerlolaan 5

Enschede, 7522NB

Netherlands

Phone: 31 534897475

Email: 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

Abstract

Background: Telehealth interventions, that is, health care provided over a distance using information and communication technology, are suggested as a solution to rising health care costs by reducing hospital service use. However, the extent to which this is possible is unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of telehealth on the use of hospital services, that is, (duration of) hospitalizations, and to compare the effects between telehealth types and health conditions.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library from inception until April 2019. Peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the effect of telehealth interventions on hospital service use compared with usual care were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and quality of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation guidelines.

Results: We included 127 RCTs in the meta-analysis. Of these RCTs, 82.7% (105/127) had a low risk of bias or some concerns overall. High-quality evidence shows that telehealth reduces the risk of all-cause or condition-related hospitalization by 18 (95% CI 0-30) and 37 (95% CI 20-60) per 1000 patients, respectively. We found high-quality evidence that telehealth leads to reductions in the mean all-cause and condition-related hospitalizations, with 50 and 110 fewer hospitalizations per 1000 patients, respectively. Overall, the all-cause hospital days decreased by 1.07 (95% CI −1.76 to −0.39) days per patient. For hospitalized patients, the mean hospital stay for condition-related hospitalizations decreased by 0.89 (95% CI −1.42 to −0.36) days. The effects were similar between telehealth types and health conditions. A trend was observed for studies with longer follow-up periods yielding larger  effects.

Conclusions: Small to moderate reductions in hospital service use can be achieved using telehealth. It should be noted that, despite the large number of included studies, uncertainties around the magnitude of effects remain, and not all effects are statistically  significant.

(J Med Internet Res 2021;23(9):e25195) doi: 10.2196/25195

KEYWORDS

telehealth; systematic review; meta-analysis; hospitalization; health services use; eHealth.

Examining the effect of wound cleansing on the microbiome of venous stasis ulcers

Amanda W. Ernlund PhD1 | Lauren T. Moffatt PhD2,3 | Collin M. Timm PhD1 | Kristina K. Zudock BS1 | Craig W. Howser MS1 | Kianna M. Blount BS1 | Abdulnaser Alkhalil PhD2 | Jeffrey W. Shupp MD, FACS2,3 | David K. Karig PhD1,4

1 Department of Research and Exploratory Development, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland

2 The Firefighters' Burn and Surgical Research Laboratory, MedStar Health Research Institute, Hyattsville, Maryland

3 Departments of Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia

4 Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, 301 Rhodes Research Center, Clemson, South Carolina Correspondence David K. Karig, Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, 301 Rhodes Research Center, Clemson, SC. Email: 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 Funding information Army Research Office, Grant/Award Number: W911NF-14-1-0490; Army Research Laboratory

Abstract

Common treatment for venous leg wounds includes topical wound dressings with compression. At each dressing change, wounds are debrided and washed; however, the effect of the washing procedure on the wound microbiome has not been studied. We hypothesized that wound washing may alter the wound microbiome. To characterize microbiome changes with respect to wound washing, swabs from 11 patients with chronic wounds were sampled before and after washing, and patient microbiomes were characterized using 16S rRNA sequencing and culturing. Microbiomes across patient samples prior to washing were typically polymicrobial but varied in the number and type of bacterial genera present. Proteus and Pseudomonas were the dominant genera in the study. We found that washing does not consistently change microbiome diversity but does cause consistent changes in microbiome composition. Specifically, washing caused a decrease in the relative abundance of the most highly represented genera in each patient cluster. The finding that venous leg ulcer wound washing, a standard of care therapy, can induce changes in the wound microbiome is novel and could be potentially informative for future guided therapy strategies.

KEYWORDS

16S sequencing, microbiome, venous stasis ulcers, wound treatment.

Efficacy of a topical concentrated surfactant gel on microbial communities in non-healing diabetic foot ulcers with chronic biofilm infections: A proof-of-concept study

Matthew Malone1,2,3 | Michael Radzieta1,3 | Saskia Schwarzer1,2 | Slade O. Jensen1,3,4 | Lawrence A. Lavery5

1 South West Sydney Limb Preservation and Wound Research, South West Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia

2 High Risk Foot Service, Liverpool Hospital, South West Sydney LHD, Sydney, Australia

3 Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

4 Antimicrobial Resistance and Mobile Elements Group, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Sydney, Australia

5 Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Abstract

       This proof-of-concept study sought to determine the effects of standard of care (SOC) and a topically applied concentrated surfactant gel (SG) on the total microbial load, community composition, and community diversity in nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) with chronic biofilm infections. SOC was provided in addition to a topical concentrated SG, applied every 2 days for 6 weeks. Wound swabs were obtained from the base of ulcers at baseline (week 0), week 1, mid-point (week 3), and end of treatment (week 6). DNA sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were employed to determine the total microbial load, community composition, and diversity of patient samples. Tissue specimens were obtained at baseline and scanning electron microscopy and peptide nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridisation with confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to confirm the presence of biofilm in all 10 DFUs with suspected chronic biofilm infections. The application of SG resulted in 7 of 10 samples achieving a reduction in mean log10 total microbial load from baseline to end of treatment (0.8 Log10 16S copies, ±0.6), and 3 of 10 samples demonstrated an increase in mean Log10 total microbial load (0.6 log10 16S copies, ±0.8) from baseline to end of treatment. Composition changes in microbial communities were driven by changes to the most dominant bacteria. Corynebacterium sp. and Streptococcus sp. frequently reduced in relative abundance in patient samples from week 0 to week 6 but did not disappear. In contrast, Staphylococcus sp., Finegoldia sp., and Fusobacterium sp., relative abundances frequently increased in patient samples from week 0 to week 6. The application of a concentrated SG resulted in varying shifts to diversity (increase or decrease) between week 0 and week 6 samples at the individual patient level. Any shifts in community diversity were independent to changes in the total microbial loads. SOC and a topical concentrated SG directly affect the microbial loads and community composition of DFUs with chronic biofilm infections.

KEYWORDS

diabetic foot ulcer, biofilm, Poloxomer-188, concentrated surfactant gel.

Key messages

• standard of care (SOC) and the use of a topical concentrated surfactant gel (SG) reduced the total microbial load of diabetic foot ulcers with chronic biofilm infections on average by 0.8 Log10 (range = 0–1.6 Log10)

• SOC in addition to the use of a topical concentrated SG caused reductions in the most abun dant sub-operational taxonomic units: Corynebacterium sp. and Streptococcus sp.

• Staphylococcus sp. was not affected by treatment and typically increased in its relative abundance post-treatment

• SOC and a topical concentrated SG caused shifts in microbial community diversity

Telemedicine Evaluation of Acute Burns Is Accurate and Cost-Effective

Jeffrey R. Saffle, MD, FACS, Linda Edelman, PhD, Louanna Theurer, BS, Stephen E. Morris, MD, FACS, and Amalia Cochran, MD, FACS

Background: As the number of US burn centers has declined, access to burn care is increasingly limited. Inexperience in burn wound assessment by referring physicians often results in overtriage or undertriage. In an effort to improve access to burn care in our region, we instituted a program of telemedicine evaluation of acute burns.

Methods: We created a telemedicine network linking our burn center to three hospitals located 298 to 350 air miles away. Participants agreed to perform telemedicine consultation for acutely burned patients admitted to their emergency departments. We compared consults and referrals from these facilities during the period July 2005 to August 2007 (TELE) to those during a 2-year period before instituting telemedicine (PRE-TELE).

Results: During the TELE period, 80 patients were referred, of whom 70 were seen acutely by telemedicine, compared with 28 PRE-TELE referrals. The groups did not differ in age or burn size. Only 31 patients seen by telemedicine received emergency air transport (44.3%), compared with 100% of PRE-TELE patients (p ＜0.05). Nine other TELE patients were transported by family; 30 other patients were treated locally. Ten remaining patients were transported without telemedicine evaluation. TELE patients transported by air had somewhat larger burn sizes (9.0% vs. 6.5% total body surface area; p ＝NS) and longer length of stay (13.0 days vs. 8.0 days; p ＝NS) than PRE-TELE patients. Burn size estimates by burn center physicians made either by telemedicine or direct inspection correlated closely but both differed significantly from those of referring physicians. Providers and patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the telemedicine experience.

Conclusions: Acute evaluation of burn patients can be performed accurately by telemedicine. This can reduce undertriage or overtriage for air transport, improve resource utilization, and both enhance and extend burn center expertise to many rural communities at low cost.

Key Words: Telemedicine, Burns, Air Transport, Triage.