No Sensors Needed: Fern Study Shows User Feedback Can Appropriately Modulate Digital Pain Programs

NEW YORK, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fern Health, a virtual pain platform available through employers to address the underlying cause of persistent pain, announced today the findings of a clinical study published by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and presented at its annual conference. The eight-week study examined the efficacy of self-reported participant musculoskeletal (MSK) pain intensity and perceived exertion scores in modulating digitally-delivered exercise therapy. Study findings revealed that self-reported user scores can effectively guide remote exercise modulation to maintain appropriate difficulty throughout a course of exercise therapy.

Thirty-one million American adults experience persistent pain conditions attributed to musculoskeletal disorders, creating $380 billion in annual spending on treatment. While digital-first MSK pain programs have emerged as a convenient and accessible alternative to legacy treatments like surgery or opioids, many digital programs require exercise therapy oversight by clinicians or the use of electrical sensors to track body movement. Fern Health's clinical study confirms for the first time that digitally-delivered exercise therapy can be effectively managed by the user, without real-time oversight or electrical equipment.

Conducted in early 2021, the study focused on 89 participants aged 18-75 who had back, neck, shoulder, knee, or hip pain. The mean participant age was 46 and participants reported having pain for an average of nine years. Participants took part in an eight-week virtual program consisting of 20-minute exercise therapy workouts comprising six to nine body region-specific, non-aerobic exercises that increased in difficulty weekly. Participants were asked to complete workouts three to five times per week.

After completing a virtual exercise therapy session, participants were asked to self-report pain intensity and perceived exertion using a numeric 0-10 scale. Pain intensity was scored using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), a unidimensional measure of pain intensity in adults, including those with chronic pain. Perceived exertion was scored using the modified Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE), a method of measuring perception of effort and exertion, breathlessness, and fatigue during physical work. Scores were then used to modulate exercise difficulty and the Fern Health algorithm modulated exercise therapy difficulty up or down based on the scoring.

The study showed:

• Three percent of participants reported the exercises were too easy.
• Zero percent of participants reported the exercises were too difficult.
• Pain intensity overall had a downward trend and perceived exertion overall had an upward trend as exercises' difficulty increased as the participants progressed through the 8 weeks.

Results demonstrate that assessment feedback from the user can effectively modulate digitally delivered pain programs without the use of sensors or real-time human oversight, and can effectively guide and progress people through a recovery program.

"Allowing greater user autonomy through self-guided exercise modulation is a big step forward in broadening access to digitally delivered pain management programs," explained Fern Health COO Hewett Chiu.

A team of data and clinical specialists at Fern Health conducted the study, including Jackie Mendelsohn, Christina Nadasky, Malcolm Hess, Naomi Yudanin, and Meredith Christiansen. Fern's study will be presented at the ATA2021 Conference in June by Hewett Chiu.

About Fern Health
Available through employers, Fern Health's virtual pain platform addresses the underlying cause of persistent pain, not just the symptoms. Guided programs deliver exercise therapy, interventions for sleep, movement, and mental health. Every member is supported through pain-focused 1:1 clinical coaching and pain neuroscience education to improve function, reduce pain, and avoid unnecessary healthcare costs. www.fernhealth.com

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SOURCE Fern Health

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