Hand telerehabilitation for polytrauma patients following road traffic accidents.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: This study aimed to examine the characteristics of upper limb and shoulder injuries combined with chest trauma in road accident victims and evaluate the effectiveness of telemedical monitoring and a newly developed telerehabilitation model in patient recovery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: Our study incorporated 136 medical records of inpatients who had sustained upper extremity and chest injuries, constituting a retrospective group. Additionally, in the main group, we included 73 patients with similar injuries of the upper extremity and chest. RESULTS: Results: We analyze the functional results between the retrospective group and the main group, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of traditional rehabilitation versus telerehabilitation. Focusing first on the average time spent on rehabilitation exercises per day, we observe a noticeable difference: while the retrospective group dedicated an average of 29}8 minutes daily, the main group invested more time, averaging 42}4 minutes. The retrospective group reported an average of 12}2 visits, in stark contrast to the main group, which averaged only 4}2 visits. The rehabilitators spent considerably less time with each patient in the main group (92}14 minutes) compared to the retrospective group (263}15 minutes), with a significant difference (p<0.005). The discovery in our study that there was no notable statistical difference in the functional outcomes, as evaluated by QuickDASH scores, between patients undergoing telerehabilitation and those receiving traditional rehabilitation is of significant importance. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The findings reveal that telerehabilitation can significantly increase patient engagement in rehabilitation exercises, primarily due to its convenience and accessibility.

TELEREHABILITATION OF THE KNEE JOINTS OF PATIENTS WITH POLYTRAUMA.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: The overarching theme of this paper is to discuss implementation of the telemedicine technology for rehabilitation of patients with injuries of the lower extremities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: Consecutive patients were recruited over a four-year period. A total of 48 polytrauma patients with lower extremity injuries were enrolled in the study after the resolution of the surgical sequelae. 16 patients from the control group underwent traditional rehabilitation procedures for a 3-week period after injury. A total of 32 subjects were enrolled in the telerehabilitation group for a 3-week study period after injury and were trained with a set of exercises for home use. Home remote monitoring for the 96 test subjects included use of a Portable device with Axis-sensor, temperature and volume sensors, that were fixed to the injured limb. Software permits the monitoring of exercise time, local temperature, the biomechanics of active movements of the injured limb. RESULTS: Results: The orthopedic surgeon during telerehabilitation took significantly less time to consult patients (1.9 minutes) than the traditional rehabilitation (15.2 minutes). Patient satisfaction was higher for the telerehabilitation with machine learning algorithm (78.3%) than for the orthopedic surgeon's traditional rehabilitation (36.7%). CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Subjects reported a higher satisfaction with telerehabilitation than with the traditional orthopedic rehabilitation due to the fact that they spent less time at the hospital and had more time for exercises at home under orthopedic remote monitoring. The telerehabilitation system can be used in complex rehabilitation of patients with injuries of the lower extremities.

Telerehabilitation of Patients with Injuries of the Lower Extremities.

INTRODUCTION: Timely access to orthopedic rehabilitation is an important problem for the Ukrainian healthcare system. The international orthopedic community aims to achieve the best possible outcome for patient care by modifying rehabilitation methods and using telemedicine technology. The theme of this article is to discuss the integration of telemedicine technology in the rehabilitation of patients with injuries of the lower extremities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients were recruited over a 2-year period. A total of 74 subjects with lower extremity injuries were enrolled in the study and monitored during a 3-month period. Twenty-six patients from the control group underwent traditional rehabilitation procedures for a 3-month period after injury. A total of 48 subjects were enrolled in the telerehabilitation group for a 3-month study period and were trained with a set of exercises for home use. Home remote monitoring for the 48 test subjects included use of a smartphone with gyroscope, G-sensor, magnetometer, and barometer, which was fixed to the injured limb. Software for the smartphone was developed at the I. Horbachevsky Ternopil Medical University, Ukraine. Software permits the monitoring of exercise time, the frequency of active movements of the injured limb, the number of steps per hour, and the walking speed. RESULTS: The 3-month rehabilitation period started with the power load of 10% of body weight, following 3-5 steps five times per day with a speed no >1 km/h. The orthopedic surgeon, during telerehabilitation, took significantly less time to consult patients (2.3 min ± 0.4) than the traditional rehabilitation (12.6 min ± 2.9). Patient satisfaction was higher for the telerehabilitation (83.1% ± 14.2) than for the orthopedic surgeon's traditional rehabilitation (33.1% ± 8.9). CONCLUSIONS: Telerehabilitation is a good alternative for providing access to specialty care for the growing number of patients with traumatic injuries.