From paper to informatics: the Post Soft Care-App, an easy-to-use and fast tool to help therapists identify unmet needs in stroke patients

Funct Neurol. 2018 Oct/Dec;33(4):200-205.

Abstract

Even after rehabilitation, post stroke patients remain disabled. The Post Stroke Checklist (PSC) was developed to highlight unmet needs of community-dwelling stroke patients. The present study set out to validate Post Soft Care-App, designed to administer the PSC using smartphones and tablets, in order to monitor unmet needs in chronic patients. Fifty-three patients and fifteen physiotherapists were enrolled. The therapists administered the PSC to patients using the app, and then completed a structured questionnaire on its usability and utility. The Post Soft Care-App highlighted the following unmet needs: increased spasticity (56.6%), reduced independence in activities of daily living (47.2%), reduced mobility (45.3%), absence of secondary prevention (45.3%). Therapists positively evaluated Post Soft Care-App as useful, practical, quick to complete (96.2%), and effective in helping improve communication with patients (75.5%). The Post Soft Care-App can be considered a valid assessment tool for helping therapists to monitor functional outcomes in chronic patients.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Activities of Daily Living*
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Chronic Disease
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mobile Applications / standards*
  • Muscle Spasticity* / diagnosis
  • Muscle Spasticity* / etiology
  • Muscle Spasticity* / physiopathology
  • Muscle Spasticity* / therapy
  • Needs Assessment* / standards
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care / methods*
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care / standards
  • Physical Therapists*
  • Secondary Prevention*
  • Stroke Rehabilitation*
  • Stroke* / complications
  • Stroke* / diagnosis
  • Stroke* / physiopathology
  • Stroke* / therapy