There has been an explosion of knowledge in the field of digital technology and it is expected to impact joint replacement surgery. Doubling of medical knowledge used to take decades, however, now it is measured in days. The evolution of machine-learning, artificial intelligence and other technologies has made this possible.
Dr. Barrett and Jana Flener were part of a meeting with DePuySynthes discussing this topic. Some of the key components of technology in joint replacement are:
- End-to-end connectivity, which allows constant feedback as to what is working and how adjustments can be made.
- Patient engagement apps that allow a patient to be engaged with their surgery care team via their smartphone. These apps can guide the patient through the pre-op process, assist with their recovery and collect data that can continually improve the whole process.
- Risk calculators let potential patients see their risk profile and ways to modify it.
- Computer navigation, robotic assistance and outcome scores let us know what is working and how we can improve upon earlier results.
These are very exciting times in Joint Replacement and we are happy to be in the lead with this evolution of care.