Zimmer Biomet and Apple strike up research partnership
The musculoskeletal healthcare specialist Zimmer Biomet, and renowned tech-giant Apple have announced the launch of a major clinical study detailing patient experience and improving joint replacement journey. The study will involve using Apple Watch and iPhone to track the patient journey for two of the most common surgeries Americans undergo each year – knee and hip replacement.
This collaboration has led to the creation of Zimmer Biomet mymobility, an app that utilises an Apple Watch to facilitate a new level of connection between patients and their surgical care teams, which can immediately impact the journey patients experience when they undergo these procedures.
In addition to the introduction of the app, Zimmer Biomet is commencing the mymobility clinical study, designed to study the app's impact on patient outcomes and overall costs for joint replacement patients. During this research study, patients will use Zimmer Biomet mymobility with Apple Watch as they progress through their hip or knee replacement journey.
Researchers will combine patient-reported feedback with continuous health and activity data from Apple Watch to provide new insights into the power of the Zimmer Biomet mymobility app to impact the standard of care for these common surgeries. The study is was launched on the 15th October and has the possibility to enrol as many as 10,000 patient participants in the United States.
"We are incredibly excited to work with Apple to transform the knee and hip replacement experience for patients and surgeons," said Bryan Hanson, president and CEO, Zimmer Biomet. "At Zimmer Biomet, we are committed to improving care decisions through digital health and we are thrilled to launch one of the largest evidence-gathering clinical studies in orthopaedic history."
Jeff Williams, chief operating officer, Apple said; "We believe one of the best ways to empower consumers is by giving them the ability to use their health and activity information to improve their own care. We are proud to enable knee and hip replacement patients to use their own data and share it with their doctors seamlessly, so that they can participate in their care and recovery in a way not previously possible through traditional in-person visits. This solution will connect consumers with their doctors continuously, before and after surgery."
More than one million knee and hip replacements occur annually in the U.S. This number is expected to grow to 3.5 million by 2035, yet standardisation of care and recovery for the procedures is still lacking and costs to the U.S. healthcare system continue to rise. Zimmer Biomet mymobility and Apple Watch will act as a virtual and continuous care team on a patient's wrist.
Patients are expected to be provided with ongoing support and guidance as they prepare for and recover from these surgeries, while surgeons will be delivered continuous data to optimise care. The Zimmer Biomet mymobility app also allows surgeons to monitor patient activity levels throughout the days and weeks while they are preparing for and recovering from surgery.
To learn more about the mymobility Clinical Study, visit zbmymobility.com/clinical-study.