Worsening staffing shortages across every sector of healthcare have a growing number of providers seeking out advanced technologies to help close critical skill gaps and provide patients suffering from many ailments – including motion-related injuries – continued access to their health care provider. Particularly beneficial are those technologies that allow patients to rehabilitate at home under the remote but watchful eye of their clinician or physical therapist.
The current state Identifying technologies that support recovery from motion-related injuries such as shoulder, knee, back, balance, and gait challenges – whether caused by arthritis, a bad fall, or other traumatic injury – is particularly important given the rapidly increasing prevalence of these disorders.
According to a report from the United States Bone and Joint Initiative, more than half of the disabling conditions reported by persons aged 18 and older are related to musculoskeletal disorders. Further, musculoskeletal diseases affect nearly 70 percent of those age 65 and over in the U.S, with trauma, back pain, and arthritis being the conditions most reported and for which care is most often sought. The rate of musculoskeletal disease far outpaces both circulatory and respiratory disease and carries a treatment cost that is far higher than for more common health conditions.
The problem, however, is that the ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals needed to provide direct care to these patients shows no signs of slowing – much less reversing. According to a report from Definitive Healthcare, one in five healthcare workers have quit their jobs since 2020 and up to 47 percent plan to do so by 2025. Further, a recent survey by McKinsey, found that 31 percent of nursing respondents planned to leave their current role in direct patient care, while the American Physical Therapy Association reports that the majority of physical therapy practices have a total vacancy rate of 16 percent across all employee categories, led by physical therapists. Nearly 41 percent of those practices also face higher turnover rates now than two years ago – at a time when the Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting a 21 percent occupational growth rate for PT professionals through 2030.
Gamifying recovery / engaging the patient For those suffering from motion-related injuries, which can take months or years and constant attention, exercise, and physical therapy to correct, the shortage of patient care professionals can stymie progress by hindering access to regular care. However, new motion sensor technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) offers a viable in-home solution that monitors movement and sends critical information from a patient’s home back to the healthcare provider for improved care management and outcomes.
