Potentials of Smart dynamometer use for clinical and self-management of rehabilitation in breast cancer survivors: a feasibility study

The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of the Smart dynamometer as a rehabilitation exercise device in a daily care by comparing with the existing medical devices. We used and analyzed clinical and measurement data of breast cancer survivors who have used Smart dynamometer during their rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery. The Smart dynamometer was compared with the two existing devices of Takei dynamometer and surface electromyography (sEMG) that were used in routine care, respectively. Three key components of the rehabilitation exercise devices were analyzed to validate the feasibility of the Smart dynamometer: grip strength, reaction time, and grip endurance time. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to compare the statistical significance between the devices. The data of 12 and 15 female breast cancer patients were analyzed for comparing the Smart dynamometer with Takei dynamometer and sEMG, respectively. There was a very weak correlation between the maximum values from the Takei and the Smart dynamometers in the affected and non-affected arms of breast cancer patients (r = 0.5321, 0.4733). Comparisons of 3 features between the Smart dynamometer and sEMG showed that there were strong positive correlations for both reaction time and endurance time in the affected and non-affected arms (r > 0.9). The feasibility of the Smart dynamometer for the possible use in a daily rehabilitation exercise was partially verified. Moreover, since the Smart dynamometer was highly correlated with time-related variables, it was important and significant to measure both grip strength and time-related information.

Laboratory Environment Monitoring: Implementation Experience and Field Study in a Tertiary General Hospital / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: To successfully introduce an Internet of Things (IoT) system in the hospital environment, this study aimed to identify issues that should be considered while implementing an IoT based on a user demand survey and practical experiences in implementing IoT environment monitoring systems. METHODS: In a field test, two types of IoT monitoring systems (on-premises and cloud) were used in Department of Laboratory Medicine and tested for approximately 10 months from June 16, 2016 to April 30, 2017. Information was collected regarding the issues that arose during the implementation process. RESULTS: A total of five issues were identified: sensing and measuring, transmission method, power supply, sensor module shape, and accessibility. CONCLUSIONS: It is expected that, with sufficient consideration of the various issues derived from this study, IoT monitoring systems can be applied to other areas, such as device interconnection, remote patient monitoring, and equipment/environmental monitoring.