The effects of a mobile app-delivered intervention in people with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Exercise therapy, self-management and education are recommended interventions for hand osteoarthritis (OA), but new delivery systems are needed to solve lack of adherence. AIM: To determine the effects on hand function and pain related measures of a mobile app-delivered intervention, compared with usual care, in patients with symptomatic hand OA. DESIGN: A pragmatic, multicenter, two-group parallel randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Community health centers in rural southern Spain. POPULATION: Eighty-three participants with unilateral or bilateral symptomatic hand OA were proposed to participate, and finally 74 were included and randomized. METHODS: Participants received a home multimodal treatment (exercise, education, and self-management recommendations) with the CareHand mobile app or usual care (written exercises) over 12 weeks. Monthly telephone calls were performed to monitor adherence. The primary outcome was hand physical function (Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index, AUSCAN) at 3- and 6-months. Secondary measures included hand pain intensity and morning stiffness, upper limb function, hand dexterity, and grip and pinch strength. RESULTS: The CareHand group showed significant within-group changes in hand function at 6-months (-3.0, 95% CI -5.1 to -0.9 vs. usual care: -0.9, 95% CI -3.3 to 1.5). Neither group showed improvements in hand function at 3-months (CareHand: -1.5, 95% CI -3.1 to 0.1; usual care: -0.5, 95% CI -2.7 to 1.7). For the secondary outcomes, the CareHand group showed better results on upper limb function both at 3- and 6-months, and on pain both at 1- and 3-months compared to usual care group. Linear regression models indicated that baseline scores of pain intensity, hand status, and upper limb function were associated with a greater improvement in hand pain and physical function. CONCLUSIONS: A mobile app-delivered intervention is effective for improving hand function, and better than usual care for upper limb function and pain. Further research is warranted to understand the impact of mobile health (mHealth) in people with hand OA. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: mHealth interventions are a feasible and secure multimodal delivery approach in older adults with hand OA in rural primary care setting. Baseline pain and upper limb function might predict functional hand outcomes.