myHip&Knee is a free app that aims to help patients self-manage their recovery after joint replacement. (Image from manufacturer's website.)

myHip&Knee is a free app that aims to help patients self-manage their recovery after joint replacement. (Image from manufacturer’s website.)

A new mobile app has been released to enable postsurgery patients to self-manage their recovery at home after having hip or knee joint replacement. The app, named myHip&Knee, is a joint development by The Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Care Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and SeamlessMD, also based in Toronto.

According to a report on the SeamlessMD blog, the app can now be downloaded by patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery at the Holland Centre. The app reportedly is useful in preparing for surgery, tracking recovery progress, and accessing a library of exercise videos and other information aimed at facilitating safe recovery at home.

Among the app’s functions, it can help track progress for pain levels, joint range of motion, and other symptoms.

Deborah Kennedy, manager of Hip & Knee Program Development at the Holland Centre. states on the blog: “After conducting focus groups, we learned that many of our patients had access to smartphones and tablets, and wanted to be engaged through mobile applications.”

“This led our team to pursue this additional partner in care—a mobile app for smartphone and tablet users,” Kennedy continues.

Dr Jeffrey Gollish, an orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of the Holland Centre, says the hospital is excited to work with SeamlessMD to expand its strategy for patient- and family-centered care and improve the patient experience and health outcomes.

“The aim is that myHip&Knee will improve patient recovery by encouraging patients to complete exercises, checking in on pain levels and mobility, and advising patients when to seek more help,” Gollish notes on the blog.

The Holland Centre is part of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The facility is described as Canada’s largest joint replacement centre, and reportedly performs more than 2,200 surgeries annually.

[Source: SeamlessMD]