Authors (including presenting author) :
Yeung CY(1), Chung PH(1), Lau FO(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, Tai Po Hospital
Introduction :
As the demand for rehabilitation in orthopaedics increases, advanced rehabilitation technology has been developed and applied in the clinical setting. However, to date, there are no review papers outlining the broad scope of advanced rehabilitation technology used within the orthopaedic population.
Objectives :
The objective of this review is to provide a detailed overview of the high-technology applications in the orthopaedic rehabilitation in TPH, with analysis of the benefits and limitations related to use.
Methodology :
We reviewed our daily practice and identified the clinical applications of advanced technology in orthopaedic rehabilitation. We also screened all the CQI topics submitted to the HA intranet by our department in the past 20 years. CQIs with topics related to advanced technology were reviewed and relevant information were retrieved. The positive aspects and barriers related to the use were also analysed.
Result & Outcome :
From our review and analysis, we identified high-technology was used primarily in 6 fields in orthopaedic rehabilitation, which are “telecommunication technology”, “virtual reality”, “video-guided training”, “wearable device”, “mobile app” and “big data analysis”. A total of six projects were implemented by the orthopaedic team from 2015 onwards. We summarized data retrieved from the CQIs and supplemented by additional information when available. In terms of advantages, the target users including therapists, patients, and their carers generally showed high acceptance and satisfaction with the application of advanced technology. Key findings include telecommunication technology was commented as an effective and efficient mode to deliver messages especially under the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of virtual reality improved patients’ confidence and readiness to discharge home and return to community. Significantly improvement in exercise performance was observed in patients undergoing video-guided training. The use of consumer grade activity tracker was found to be able to enhance patients’ activity level with more efficient functional gain. Also the use of mobile app was effective to improve patients’ exercise adherence. In terms of barriers and limitations, with our experience of developing a high-tech rehabilitation centre, we identified some barriers such as equipment availability and staff competencies. There are also limitations related to the application of technological advancement. For example hands-on techniques and face-to face interactions cannot be provided while using telecommunication. In conclusion, the use of advanced rehabilitation technology in orthopaedics is promising and evidence for its efficacy is generally supportive.
