Single-center pilot study of remote therapeutic monitoring in patients with operative spinal pathologies

Objectives: Spine pathology affects a significant portion of the population, leading to neck and back pain, impacting quality of life, and potentially requiring surgical intervention. Current pre- and postoperative monitoring methods rely on patient reported outcome (PRO) measures and lack continuous objective data on patients' recoveries. Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) using wearable devices offers a promising solution to bridge this gap, providing real-time physical function data. This study aims to assess the feasibility and correlation between changes in physical function and daily activity levels using RTM for individuals with operative spinal pathologies.

Methods: A single-center pilot study involving 21 participants with operative spinal pathologies was conducted at an academic hospital. Participants were provided Bluetooth-enabled Fitbit Inspire 2 activity trackers and asked to wear them daily for 100 days. The Healthcare Recovery Solutions (HRS) mobile application facilitated remote administration of the PROMIS - Physical Function Short Form 6b PROs questionnaire at days 1, 30, and 90. Linear regression, Students' paired T tests, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze collected data.

Results: Average compliance with RTM was found to be 82.4% compared to only 48% for PROMs. Changes in daily steps were moderately positively correlated with changes in PROs at both 30 and 90 days. Participant satisfaction with RTM was high, and responses indicated greater satisfaction with RTM compared to PROMs.

Conclusions: RTM offers continuous and objective data collection, presenting a potential solution to the limitations of intermittent clinical assessments and self-reported outcomes. The study demonstrated a moderate correlation between changes in activity levels and changes in PROs, suggesting that RTM data could serve as a surrogate for PROs. Participants' high compliance and satisfaction with RTM underscore its feasibility and potential clinical utility. This study lays the groundwork for larger future investigations into the clinical benefits and broader application of RTM in spine care.