A Single-Use, In-Shoe Patient Compliance Monitor for Therapeutic Footwear

Abstract

Diabetic patients at risk of plantar ulcers and infection are prescribed therapeutic footwear. We are developing an in-shoe monitor to allow the clinician to monitor a patient’s compliance in using the footwear. The monitor must be single-use and therefore low-cost, unobtrusive to the patient, and able to log compliance unattended for up to eight weeks. We have developed a prototype monitor. Through bench-top and IRB-approved human-subjects studies, we have determined that the monitor can track a patient’s pattern of activity to provide the clinician with a log of compliance and insight into therapeutic effectiveness.