Examining the Feasibility and Effectiveness of an mHealth Solution Designed to Enhance Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Attending Physical Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain

MSK pain is a significant health issue in the United States, affecting millions of people and contributing to disability, reduced quality of life, and high healthcare costs. It is also a leading cause of opioid prescriptions, as many patients turn to medication when other treatments are ineffective. PT is a proven treatment for MSK pain, helping to reduce pain and prevent the need for expensive procedures like surgery and imaging. However, PT’s effectiveness depends heavily on patient participation, especially completing prescribed home exercises, which many patients fail to do consistently. To address this challenge, RTM was introduced as a digital tool that allows physical therapists to track patient progress, provide real-time feedback, and improve patient engagement. RTM is part of a broader category of mobile health (mHealth) solutions, which uses digital and mobile technologies to enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. While mHealth tools like RTM have the potential to improve PT outcomes and strengthen patient-provider communication, there is little research on their effectiveness or whether they increase healthcare costs. Despite this lack of evidence, RTM is already being implemented in clinical settings.

This research aims to fill the gap by assessing RTM-enhanced PT’s impact on patient outcomes, healthcare costs, and integration into clinical practice compared to standard PT. Patients receiving RTM will use a commercially-available mobile application to track progress, receive guided exercise videos, and communicate with their providers between visits. With mHealth adoption growing, these findings can help optimize digital health tools to improve PT engagement, enhance outcomes, and ensure cost-effective care.

The specific aims of the research are as follows:

• Examine the feasibility of RTM implementation in outpatient PT.
• Refine RTM treatment protocols based on patient and provider experiences.
• Examine the effectiveness of RTM-enhanced PT compared to standard PT.
• Examine the effects of RTM on healthcare utilization and cost.
• Examine RTM implementation.

The researchers will conduct a two-phase study to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of RTM in outpatient PT clinics. In the first phase, physical therapists will use RTM with their patients to test how easily it can be integrated into care. They will track how often patients use the platform, complete exercises, and provide feedback through surveys and focus groups to refine RTM treatment protocols. In the second phase, a larger study will compare patients using RTM-enhanced PT to those receiving standard care. The researchers will analyze differences in pain relief, physical function, healthcare costs, and treatment effectiveness. They will also assess how well RTM can be implemented in real-world healthcare settings and whether it is sustainable long-term.

The researchers hope their study will provide critical insights into whether RTM can improve PT outcomes for patients with MSK pain, which is a major health and financial burden in the United States. By testing RTM’s impact on patient engagement, home exercise adherence, and communication with providers, they aim to determine if it leads to better clinical outcomes or simply adds costs. If successful, their findings could help healthcare systems nationwide implement RTM more effectively, improving care while managing expenses. They plan to share their results widely through journal articles, national conferences, and training programs to ensure that their research can influence PT practices and health policies on a broad scale.