Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Feb 3;6(2):e010064.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010064.

Impact of wearable technology on psychosocial factors of osteoarthritis management: a qualitative study

Athina Belsi  1 , Enrica Papi  2 , Alison H McGregor  2
Affiliations

Impact of wearable technology on psychosocial factors of osteoarthritis management: a qualitative study

Athina Belsi et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: To identify the impact the use of wearable technology could have in patients with osteoarthritis in terms of communication with healthcare providers and patients' empowerment to manage their condition.

Design: Qualitative study using focus groups with patients with osteoarthritis; data from patients' responses were analysed using Framework Methodology.

Participants: 21 patients with knee osteoarthritis from the London area (age range 45-65 years) participated in a total of four focus groups. Recruitment continued until data saturation.

Setting: The study was conducted in a university setting.

Results: Patients' responses suggested a positive attitude on the impact wearable technology could have on the management of osteoarthritis. It was perceived that the use of wearable devices would benefit patients in terms of feeling in control of their condition, providing them with awareness of their progress, empowering in terms of self-management and improving communication with their clinician.

Conclusions: This paper suggests positive patient perspectives on the perceived benefits wearable technology could have on the management of osteoarthritis. The data that could be collected with the use of wearable technology could be beneficial both to patients and clinicians. The information obtained from this study suggests that introducing wearable technology into patient-centred care could enhance patient experience in the field of osteoarthritis and beyond.

Keywords: Focus groups; Osteoarthritis; Rehabilitation; wearable technology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Perceived impact of wearable technology (WT) on clinician–patient communication.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Perceived impact of wearable technology (WT) on empowerment for self-management.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Chiauzzi E, Rodarte C, DasMahapatra P. Patient-centered activity monitoring in the self-management of chronic health conditions. BMC Med 2015;13:77 10.1186/s12916-015-0319-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barlow J, Wright C, Sheasby J et al. . Self-management approaches for people with chronic conditions: a review. Patient Educ Couns 2002;48:177–87. 10.1016/S0738-3991(02)00032-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lukowicz P, Kirstein T, Tröster G. Wearable systems for health care applications. Methods Inf Med 2004;43:232–8. 10.1267/METH04030232 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fensli R, Boisen E. Human factors affecting the patient's acceptance of wireless biomedical sensors. In: Fred A, Filipe J Gamboa H, eds. BIOSTEC 2008, CCIS 25. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 2008:402–12.
    1. Pagliari C, Gregor P, Sloan D et al. . Literature review and conceptual map of the area of E-health. London: NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Programme, 2005

Publication types