Introducing physical telerehabilitation in seniors with mobility limitation: System feasibility and acceptance

Abstract

Physical therapy has been shown effective in geriatric population in addressing mobility limitation. Telerehabilitation systems may support physical therapy programs at patient homes however such systems were not systematically assessed in seniors. The Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT) system for inhome physical telerehabilitation of seniors with mobility limitations was developed and tested. The HAT rehabilitation system was designed to allow patients with mobility limitations to complete an individualized physical therapy plan prescribed by a physical therapist and to allow for clinicians to monitor and assist with in-home rehabilitation. We conducted a 12-week study to assess the feasibility and patient acceptance of the system. Our results showed that home-based physical telerehabilitation is feasible in seniors with mobility limitations, and it can potentially improve patient functional status significantly. Statistically significant improvement was documented using Berg Balance Scale (change from 36.6 ± 12.1 to 41.7 ± 11.1, p<0.004), Timed 25-foot Walk (change from 13.5 ± 8.6 to 10.6 ± 4.5, p<0.04), and 6-minute walk (change from 36.6 ± 12.1 to 41.7 ± 11.1, p<0.004). The participants of the study demonstrated a very high level of support for the home-based physical telerehabilitation program.

Acceptance of Remote Assistive Robots with and without Human-in-the-Loop for Healthcare Applications

“…Via mobile applications installed on electrical devices, several telemedical services are possible, e.g. exchange of echocardiogram [49], teleconsultation [50], or the provision of health promoting programs [51]. These telemedicine systems without an involvement of a robot achieve good results of health improvements [52][53][54] and enjoy a high level of acceptance among doctors [55][56][57] and patients [58,59].…”

The Role of Telehealth to Assist In-Home tDCS: Opportunities, Promising Results and Acceptability

“…Currently, telehealth has been used to monitor in-home tDCS use among people with multiple sclerosis [ 39 , 40 , 41 ], Parkinson’s disease [ 45 ], MdDS [ 42 ], pain [ 43 ] and depression [ 44 ], suggesting potential use across a range of patient groups. Beyond monitoring of in-home tDCS, telehealth has been implemented in a broad range of patient populations [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ], suggesting enormous potential to achieve real-time visual monitoring for people who are likely to benefit from tDCS. Although both age and familiarity with technology do not appear to be barriers to telehealth or influence the acceptability of this service, familiarity with technology correlates with therapy dosage [ 31 ].…”