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The Reliability of Mobile Multimedia Messaging (MMS) for Decision Making in Distal Radius Fractures: An Effective Alternative

2012; Volume: 1; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.7309/jmtm.4

1839-7808

Gayan Padmasekara, Navid Nazarian, Christopher J. Wall,

Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation

Background: Assessment of radiology is an integral part of fracture management in orthopaedic surgery.Mobile multimedia messaging (MMS) can be utilised in the referral process of patients with fractures.However, the reliability of using MMS in making management decisions in distal radius fractures has not been assessed.Methods: Radiographs of 20 consecutive cases of distal radius fractures managed with closed reduction and plaster, and 20 cases managed with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) were analysed retrospectively by two blinded orthopaedic surgeons on a computer and anApple iPhone 3GS.The interand intra-rater agreements were assessed. Results:Inter-rater agreement between the MMS group and the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) group were consistent among the surgeons (K -0.55, 0.80, p<0.001).However, the management decisions were different in seven cases (8.75%) in the study group. Conclusion:MMS x-ray pictures can be useful in formulating management plans for patients with distal radius fractures.With advancing technology smartphones will likely play a larger role in the communication process in delivering orthopaedic care.