• Easy-to-follow exercises with visual and auditory cues developed by SingHealth physiotherapists
• New exercise prescription feature will be available from April 2016 

Singapore, 24 February 2016 – Globally, the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been on the rise over the past decade and is one of the top 10 most disabling diseases in developed countries ^[1]. In Singapore, it is one of the five leading causes of disability. To help patients with knee OA gain greater control over their condition, SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster, launched a new mobile application known as KneeBuddy today.

The mobile app features easy-to-follow exercises developed specifically for knee OA, a comprehensive guide on knee replacement surgery and post-surgery care as well as topics such as causes, symptoms, treatments of knee OA and health tips to improve knee care.

“For people suffering from knee OA or knee pain, regular exercise can help alleviate their condition. The challenge for some patients is in maintaining a routine and remembering the different types of exercises. With the KneeBuddy App, they will benefit from having information and a step-by-step exercise guide at their fingertips. This is part of our ongoing efforts to empower patients and promote self-care and home rehabilitation,” said Professor Celia Tan, Group Director, Group Allied Health, SingHealth.

Multi-disciplinary healthcare team developed app

Developed by a multidisciplinary team comprising physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and healthcare administrators from SingHealth, the app is a useful and convenient resource, containing audio and visual cues to help users recall the exercises and complete them accurately and effectively. The primary aim is to help prevent further deterioration of the condition and assist those who require surgery in their post-operation recovery.

To improve and personalise the user experience, the team is working on a series of new features that will be introduced in April 2016 to enhance usefulness and effectiveness. One of the highlights is an exercise prescription feature which allows SingHealth physiotherapists to use the app to assign patients their home exercise programme after each rehabilitation session. With the feature, patients will be able to view their personalised, exercise programme and track their progress, providing an online record on their phones before their next review session.

[1] Figures from World Health Organization (WHO)