Hospital-based Usual cAre Versus Tele-monitoring Rehabilitation

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, chronic, and costly condition, and patients with advanced knee OA and severe disability often require a total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. In Singapore, after TKR surgery, nearly all patients who are home discharged are referred to hospital-based outpatient rehabilitation. Although outpatient rehabilitation attendance is associated with better functional outcomes, access to rehabilitation care is limited as outpatient rehabilitation is costly and inconvenient for patients and their caregivers, resulting in suboptimal adherence. A tele-monitored home-based exercise program provides the best access to rehabilitation care and is a potential alternative for the majority of patients who do not require intensive "hands-on" rehabilitation therapy. The primary aim of this non-inferiority randomized controlled trial is to compare patient functional outcomes and cost-effectiveness of an innovative tele-monitored rehabilitation program versus that of currently standard, hospital-based outpatient rehabilitation program among patients post TKR.