Impact of a Remote Patient Monitoring Platform on Outcomes Following a Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for remote patient monitoring to deliver and provide access to patient care and education. A mobile-based app providing interactive tools for patient education and monitoring was piloted at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) in November 2020. We aimed to examine the platform's impact on postoperative length of stay, hospital readmissions, and emergency department (ED) visits 60 days postsurgery in total hip and knee arthroplasty patients in Northwestern Ontario.

Comparison of a validated decision-support tool to a standard of care triage system for knee osteoarthritis assessment: a proof-of-concept study.

Background: Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) in northwestern Ontario are referred by their primary care provider (PCP) to a centralized assessment clinic for evaluation by an advanced practice physiotherapist (APP) to determine if they will require surgical management. However, many patients are found to not require surgical management, resulting in delays for patients who do. A decision-support tool was developed to address this issue and to guide treatment options by determining the need for surgical or nonsurgical approaches.

Efficacy of surgical skin preparation solutions in hip arthroplasty: a prospective randomized trial.

Background: The use of an effective antimicrobial preoperative skin preparation solution is essential in preventing infections after surgery, but the findings in the literature regarding efficacy are not necessarily applicable to surgery involving the hip. The purpose of the present study was twofold: 1) to examine the native bacteria on the skin at the hip and 2) to determine the efficacy of 2 surgical skin preparation solutions at eliminating bacteria from the hip site in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty.

Methods: We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial in consecutive adult patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty at a single institution from October 2014 to December 2015.

Superior Pole Sleeve Fracture of the Patella in an Adolescent: A Case Report.

Case: We describe a case of a superior pole sleeve fracture of the patella in a healthy 12-year-old boy and provide a review of the literature. Patella pole sleeve fractures occur primarily in the paediatric population, with inferior pole fractures more commonly seen. Superior pole fractures are rare, which may make adequate diagnosis and treatment difficult.