No abstract

The goal of this project was to objectively assess potential impact of home-based physical telerehabilitation program on functional outcomes in seniors with mobility limitations. Nine consecutive seniors with mobility limitations were enrolled into a 12-week physical telerehabilitation program. At the end of the program, the mean time that patients took to walk 25 feet decreased from 13.5 to 10.6 seconds, and the mean distance that patients walked in 6 minutes improved from 722.4 to 805.7 feet. The Berg Balance Score score also increased from 36.6 to 41.7 over the 12-week period. All changes were statistically significant (p<0.05). Patients demonstrated very high acceptance of the home-based program.

We developed a Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT) system for the computer-guided management of patients with multiple sclerosis(MS) to monitor patient symptoms, educate patients on their disease, and to instruct and monitor an exercise regimen tailored to the patient's specific needs. The home unit runs on a laptop computer connected to a phone line in the patient's home. The system questions the patient on their condition, gives detailed step by step exercise instructions, records their exercise compliance, then informs and quizzes the patient on their knowledge of multiple sclerosis. Their exercise regimen is determined by their physical therapist and integrated into the system, keeping a personalized approach to disease management while taking advantage of the convenience the technology supplies. This telemanagement system has been successfully designed and implemented to optimize the care of patients with multiple sclerosis.

A gaming platform has been used to implement a Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT) system for chronic disease management in the patient's home. The system questions patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) to monitor symptoms, weight changes, and quality of life while educating the patient on their disease. The system is designed to run on the Nintendo Wii videogame console using an active internet connection and the console's built in internet browser. It questions the patient daily on their condition, monitors their weight, and provides the patient with instant feedback on their condition in the form of a 3 zone CHF action plan. The system is designed to be as simple as possible, making it usable by patients with no prior computer or videogame experience. This telemanagement system has been successfully designed and implemented to optimize the care of patients with CHF.