Feedback-guided exercises performed on a tablet touchscreen improve return to work, function, strength and healthcare usage more than an exercise program prescribed on paper for people with wrist, hand or finger injuries: a randomised trial

Question In people with bone and soft tissue injuries of the wrist, hand and/or fingers, do feedback-guided exercises performed on a tablet touchscreen hasten return to work, reduce healthcare usage and improve clinical recovery more than a home exercise program prescribed on paper? Design Randomised, parallel-group trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis. Participants Seventy-four workers with limited functional ability due to bone and soft tissue injuries of the wrist, hand and/or fingers. Intervention Participants in the experimental and control groups received the same in-patient physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Participants in the experimental group received a home exercise program using the ReHand tablet application, which guides exercises performed on a tablet touchscreen with feedback, monitoring and progression. Participants in the control group were prescribed an evidence-based home exercise program on paper. Outcome measures The primary outcome was the time taken to return to work. Secondary outcomes included: healthcare usage (number of clinical appointments); and functional ability, pain intensity, and grip and pinch strength 2 and 4 weeks after randomisation. Results Compared with the control group, the experimental group: returned to work sooner (MD –18 days, 95% CI –33 to –3); required fewer physiotherapy sessions (MD –7.4, 95% CI –13.1 to –1.6), rehabilitation consultations (MD –1.9, 95% CI –3.6 to 0.3) and plastic surgery consultations (MD –3.6, 95% CI –6.3 to –0.9); and had better short-term recovery of functional ability and pinch strength. Conclusion In people with bone and soft-tissue injuries of the wrist, hand and/or fingers, prescribing a feedback-guided home exercise program using a tablet-based application instead of a conventional program on paper hastened return to work and improved the short-term recovery of functional ability and pinch strength, while reducing the number of required healthcare appointments

A mobile app using therapeutic exercise and education for self-management in patients with hand rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial protocol

Background: Therapeutic exercise is a safe and cost-effective approach to alleviate hand rheumatoid arthritis (RA)- related symptoms. This study aims to investigate the differences in self-management between a smartphone app (CareHand), using hand exercises and educational advices, compared with a standard approach, on hand overall function, pain intensity, stiffness, and grip and pinch strength in patients with hand RA. Methods: The project is a prospective, longitudinal, superiority, randomized controlled trial. Fifty-eight participants with hand RA will be randomly assigned into an experimental group (CareHand app) or a control group (conventional treatment). Control intervention involves a paper sheet with exercises and recommendations, and the experimental group includes the use of a smartphone app, which provides individualized exercise programs, self-management, and educational strategies to promote adherence to treatment. Both intervention protocols will last for 3 months. The principal investigator will conduct an educational session at baseline for all participants. Primary outcome comprises the overall hand function, assessed with the Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire (MHQ). Secondary outcomes include self-reported functional ability with the Quick DASH questionnaire, self-reported pain intensity and morning stiffness using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and hand grip and pinch strength (dynamometer). Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, and at 1 month and 3-month follow-up. Discussion: This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a tele-rehabilitation tool, which uses exercise and self-management strategies, compared to a conventional approach, in patients with hand RA. The smartphone app will allow to monitor the patient’s status and to enhance patient-therapist communication. Some limitations may be related to the short follow-up duration and the lack of evaluation of psychosocial factors. Overall, this new way of promoting long-term effects in patients with a chronic rheumatic disease could be feasible and easy to implement in daily life clinical practice and current musculoskeletal care. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04263974. Registered on 7 March 2020. Date of last update 15 April 2020. Ethics committee code: PI_RH_2018.Junta de Andalucía, Fundación Progreso y Salud AP-0149-201