Alice Chambers |
A joint team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine (Baylor) and Keck School of Medicine of USC (USC) are using Microsoft Azure as part of a project to help drive patient adherence to diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) treatment.
Smart offloading walkers help patients to heal from DFUs by increasing blood circulation in the wound area. However, studies show that only 28 per cent of patients in the USA are wearing their boots for their prescribed time, resulting in a 76 per cent recovery failure rate that often leads to amputation. The joint Baylor and USC research team is now studying how solutions such as Sensoria Health’s Foot Defender+ can encourage patients to continue wearing DFU boots and maximise the chance of their ulcers healing.
While conducting a recent study, which was published in academic journal Sensors, the team used a Microsoft Azure cloud-based system to help it monitor feedback from patients using irremovable, removable and smart removable walkers. Results found that smart walkers were easier to learn to use and encouraged patients to wear their walkers for their full prescribed time.
“We hope the findings of this study help facilitate merging precision health and technology to improve mobility and ultimately reduce unnecessary amputations in patients with diabetes,” said David Armstrong, professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and co-senior author of the study.
Read the full study here.