Donzelli Sabrina, Zaina Fabio, Martinez Gregorio, Di Felice Francesca, Negrini Alberto, Negrini Stefano
ISICO, Via R Bellarmino 13/1, 20141, Milan, Italy.
ISICO, Barcelona, Spain.
Scoliosis Spinal Disord. 2017 Apr 8;12:12. doi: 10.1186/s13013-017-0119-x. eCollection 2017.
A temperature monitor is used to objectively measure brace wear time in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The reliability of this device have been demonstrated, and some specialists introduced the use of a compliance monitor as a standard of care in everyday clinical practice, as we did since 2010 with the Thermobrace (TB). The attitude towards these objective monitors has never been investigated. The present study aims to investigate the attitude of parents and patients towards the use of temperature sensors for measuring brace wear compliance.
Three hundred one consecutive girls and 63 boys and their parents have been interviewed. The inclusion criteria were as follows: brace wear full-time prescription at first visit and at least one visit with download and discussion of TB data. Usefulness, acceptability, reliability, and feeling related to data download were the investigated domains. Patients were invited by the administrative staff to complete anonymously the questionnaire. The European Commission was informed about the present survey and approved it (ICT-37-2015-1). Descriptive statistic was used to present the results.
Among the 364 invited patients and parents, 336 adhered by completing it (rate of responders was 93.2%). The mean age was 14.65 (SD 2.36), the mean Cobb angle was 34.18 (SD 13.57), and the average brace wear prescription was 21.76 h per day (SD 2.53). We did not ask parents about their age, profession, nor other personal data. Globally, the interviewed patients and parents showed a very positive attitude towards the TB monitor: the mean rate of parents stating a completely or at least partially positive attitude towards this electronic device was 94.0% while among patients, it was 85.6%.
This is the first study investigating the attitude of parents and patients towards a brace wear compliance monitor. People who experienced this objective monitoring are aware of the advantages related to it and support its usefulness not only for clinicians but also for patients and parents to respect the hours prescribed without any affection on the children and parents or the patient-physician relationship. The present results should encourage the spread of these tools in daily clinical practice.
温度监测仪用于客观测量青少年特发性脊柱侧弯患者的支具佩戴时间。该设备的可靠性已得到证实，一些专家将依从性监测仪作为日常临床实践中的一种护理标准加以应用，自2010年以来我们使用热感支具（TB）就是如此。然而，对于这些客观监测仪的态度从未被研究过。本研究旨在调查家长和患者对使用温度传感器测量支具佩戴依从性的态度。
连续对301名女孩、63名男孩及其家长进行了访谈。纳入标准如下：初诊时开具全天佩戴支具的处方，且至少有一次就诊时下载并讨论了TB数据。调查的领域包括有用性、可接受性、可靠性以及与数据下载相关的感受。行政人员邀请患者匿名填写问卷。已将本调查告知欧盟委员会并获得批准（ICT - 37 - 2015 - 1）。采用描述性统计呈现结果。
在364名受邀患者及家长中，336人完成了问卷（应答率为93.2%）。平均年龄为14.65（标准差2.36），平均Cobb角为34.18（标准差13.57），平均支具佩戴处方时间为每天21.76小时（标准差2.53）。我们未询问家长的年龄、职业或其他个人数据。总体而言，接受访谈的患者和家长对TB监测仪表现出非常积极的态度：表示对该电子设备持完全或至少部分积极态度的家长平均比例为94.0%，而患者中的这一比例为85.6%。
这是第一项调查家长和患者对支具佩戴依从性监测仪态度的研究。经历过这种客观监测的人意识到其相关优势，并支持其不仅对临床医生有用，而且对患者和家长遵守规定时长也有用，同时不会对孩子、家长或医患关系产生任何不良影响。目前的结果应会促使这些工具在日常临床实践中得到推广。
