This project investigates how smartphone-derived physical activity data can transform the way we track burn recovery. Traditional follow-up relies on clinic visits and patient recall, often missing the everyday progress that defines true functional recovery.

Using anonymised data from the StepHome App, I analysed burn patients treated at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, exploring recovery across several outcomes with a primary focus on burn severity. The findings revealed clear, quantifiable trends: patients with minor burns rapidly regained or exceeded their baseline activity, while those with moderate and severe injuries showed slower and more variable recovery.

Clinically, these patterns are powerful as they mirror known recovery trajectories while providing a continuous, objective view of healing. By linking digital activity data with clinical outcomes, this research highlights the potential to develop a predictive tool that can track and visualise recovery trajectories for burn patients, supporting earlier intervention and personalised rehabilitation through digital health innovation.

Abstract

Background:
Long-term burn recovery remains poorly quantified. Current follow-up relies on clinic visits and subjective assessments, often missing day-to-day fluctuations in function. Digital health technologies such as smartphones offer a novel means of continuous, objective recovery monitoring.

Aim:
To assess whether smartphone-derived physical activity (PA) data can objectively reflect functional recovery after burn injury and to explore how recovery varies by burn severity and other clinical factors.

Methods:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using anonymised data from the StepHome App at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Adults (≥18 years) with burn injuries sustained after 2021 and at least three months of pre-injury Apple Health data were included. Walking distance data were collected from three months pre-injury to 12 months post-injury. Clinical information included demographics, burn size (Total Body Surface Area or TBSA), depth, treatment, and rehabilitation use.

Results:
Physical activity recovery correlated inversely with burn severity. Minor burns (0–5% TBSA) regained baseline activity rapidly and often exceeded pre-injury levels, whereas moderate (5–30%) and severe (>30%) burns demonstrated slower and more variable recovery. These trends mirrored expected clinical outcomes, supporting the validity of smartphone-derived data as an objective recovery marker.

Conclusions:
Smartphone-based PA monitoring offers a powerful and scalable tool for tracking recovery trajectories in burn patients. Integration of such data with clinical measures could enable development of a digital recovery model capable of predicting outcomes, detecting setbacks early, and supporting personalised rehabilitation strategies.