Abstract
BackgroundThe effect of postoperative shoulder sling compliance on surgical outcomes is unknown. The goal was to determine an accurate method to measure sling compliance. We compared volunteer recorded sling wear time with temperature-based sensors to monitor sling compliance.MethodsData loggers sutured at three locations measured heat generated in 15-minute intervals. Slings wearers logged sling wear to accurately cross-reference with temperature sensors. Secondary experiments analyzed whether surrounding ambient temperature can be discerned from actual sling wear. We created an algorithm to describe actual sling wear time as a function of heat recorded and calculated percent wear accuracy.ResultsThe modified sling was worn for 172 h. The algorithm modeled sling on/off times by analyzing cutoff temperatures. Diagnostic accuracy was >99 % for the three locations, with no statistically significant differences among them. Compared with sling wear, ambient temperature took longer to reach critical temperature values determined by the algorithm, helping distinguish compliance from false positives.ConclusionsThe described algorithm can effectively quantify shoulder sling wear time based on heat-generated sensor readings. False positives from ambient temperature are minimal. This measurement method could be used to study the relationship between postoperative sling use and functional outcomes after shoulder surgery.
Highlights
The effect of postoperative shoulder sling compliance on surgical outcomes is unknown
It is unknown to what extent patient adherence to the rehabilitation protocol affects functional outcome
The sum of actual sling wear time was a total of 171.63 h for the four volunteers
Summary
The effect of postoperative shoulder sling compliance on surgical outcomes is unknown. Adherence to medical treatment can be defined as the extent to which patients follow treatment protocols prescribed by their physicians. Adherence rates are difficult to measure, higher adherence rates usually correlate to better clinical outcomes [1]. This trend is commonly noted in medication regimens for diseases such as cancer, hypertension, schizophrenia, and many others [2,3,4]. It is unknown to what extent patient adherence to the rehabilitation protocol affects functional outcome. One study relied on patient surveys to evaluate adherence to the postoperative protocol; that method of collecting data is likely inaccurate [10]
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