Developing a Possible Research Tool for Home-Based Monitoring of Pin Site Infection

Complex fractures and severe limb deformities can be treated with external fixators. The external fixator is fixated to the bone with half-pins or wires penetrating through the skin. This junction of the skin and the external metal is called the pin site. The major problem when treating patients with an external fixator is the very high risk of infection at the pin site impacting the patient's physical and psychosocial well-being. Pin site infection is the most common complication using external fixators, occurring in approximately 50% of patients in the femur and 20% of patients in the tibia. Administration of antibiotics due to pin site infection has been reported to occur in 56% of patients treated with an external fixator. There is a high clinical need for reducing pin site infections. Ultimately, new solutions for reducing pin site infection should be tested in large scale clinical trials. However, a major limitation for pursuing this goal is the lack of research tools for home-based monitoring of pin site infection. The current presentation focuses on the development and implementation of such a possible research tool in the North Region of Denmark. The background for developing a patient App for reporting pin site pain and obtaining thermographic images using infrared thermal camera in smartphones is presented. Furthermore, the legal barriers and the digital infrastructure build to make the research tool GDPR compliant are reported. Preliminary experiences from the enrollment of patients into a feasibility study will be shared.