Stepping up recovery: integrating patient reported outcome measures and wearable technology for 90-day rehabilitation following total hip arthroplasty

Introduction There is conflicting data in the literature regarding the clinical utility of wearable devices. This study examined the association between patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and step and stair flight counts obtained from wearable devices in postoperative total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients. Methods Data was collected from a multicenter prospective longitudinal cohort study from October 2018 to February 2022. A smartphone-based platform with smartwatch was utilized for collection of daily step and stair flight counts. Subjects (N = 1644) completed the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (HOOS JR) and numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores preoperatively and at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. Patients who reported living in a multi-level home (N = 931) were included in analysis of stair flight counts. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine correlations between step and stair flight counts with NRS pain and HOOS JR scores. Results Step counts demonstrated a weak negative correlation to NRS pain scores at preoperative (r = − 0.15, p