Utilization of a Smart Sock for the Remote Monitoring of Patients With Peripheral Neuropathy: Cross-sectional Study of a Real-world Registry (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices are increasingly being used in caring for patients to reduce risks of complications. Temperature monitoring specifically has been shown in previous studies to provide a useful signal of inflammation that may help prevent foot ulcers. OBJECTIVE In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated utilization data for patients who were prescribed smart socks as remote temperature monitoring devices. METHODS This study evaluated data from a patient registry from January to July 2021. The utilization data, which were collected starting from the first full month since patients were prescribed the smart socks, were evaluated along with retention over time, the average time that the socks were worn, and the number of days that the socks were worn per month and per week. RESULTS A total of 160 patients wore the smart sock RPM device for 22 to 25 days per month on average. The retention rate was 91.9% (147/160) at the end of the 7-month period; a total of 13 patients were lost to follow-up during this period. The average number of days that the socks were worn per week was 5.8. The percentage of patients with a utilization rate of >15 days ranged from 79.7% (106/133) to 91.9% (125/136) each month. CONCLUSIONS This study shows a high level of utilization for a smart sock RPM device and a high compliance rate. A future prospective study on the clinical outcomes after the use of the smart socks may further solidify the idea of conducting temperature monitoring for foot ulcer prevention.