Lessons learned from investigating patients' and physiotherapists' perspectives on the design of a telerehabilitation platform

Paula Amorim; João Paiva; Jefferson Silva de Lima; Leonor Portugal da Fonseca; Henrique Martins; Paula Alexandra Silva

doi:10.1080/17483107.2023.2287160

Lessons learned from investigating patients' and physiotherapists' perspectives on the design of a telerehabilitation platform

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2023 Dec 9:1-12. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2287160. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Paula Amorim^{1

2}, João Paiva³, Jefferson Silva de Lima⁴, Leonor Portugal da Fonseca⁴, Henrique Martins¹, Paula Alexandra Silva⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
² Rehabilitation Medicine Centre of Central Region Rovisco Pais, Tocha, Portugal.
³ School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra, Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra, Portugal.

PMID: 38070003
DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2287160

Abstract

Purpose: Home self-rehabilitation exercises for musculoskeletal conditions are a valuable complement to rehabilitation plans. Telerehabilitation systems using artificial intelligence can provide reliable solutions and empower patients by providing them with guidance and motivating them to engage in rehabilitation plans and activities. This study aims to understand the patient's and physiotherapist's perspective on the requirements of effective face-to-face physiotherapy sessions to inspire the design of a telerehabilitation platform to be used in home settings.

Methods: The authors used an ethnography-informed approach through observation and semi-structured interviews with patients (n = 13) and physiotherapists (n = 10) in two outpatient rehabilitation clinics. The AEIOU framework was used to structure and analyse the observation. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyse the data collected from the observations and the interviews.

Results: Patients' and physiotherapists' perspectives emphasise the need for exercise instruction clarity, evolution monitoring, and feedback. In the absence of the physiotherapist, in home settings, patients feel insecure and fear execution difficulties and limited exercise instructions, while physiotherapists struggle with controlling patients' home exercise performance. Telerehabilitation is seen as an opportunity to move further into home self-rehabilitation programs.

Conclusions: Besides home exercise monitoring and guidance, telerehabilitation platforms must allow personalization and effective communication between patients and physiotherapists.

Keywords: Telerehabilitation; acceptance; human-centred design; motivation; perceptions; user interface requirements.

Plain language summary

This work makes three important contributions, in which it extends existing research:Presents insights into the requirements of effective remote physiotherapy sessions;Highlights the challenges and concerns of patients and physiotherapists regarding telerehabilitation;Provides guidance for developing telerehabilitation platforms.