Acceptability of digital health technology for hand rehabilitation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploratory study investigating patients perceptions of using a digital health technology mobile application for the provision of a physiotherapy home exercise programme (HEP) in hand and wrist rehabilitation.
IRAS ID
258276
Contact name
Amirah Essop-Adam
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
In a Hand department physiotherapy outpatient appointment, exercises for patient’s specific problem are provided. The expectation is that the patient then practices these exercises regularly at home before the next appointment.
Usual physiotherapy care is face to face appointments, with provision of a home exercise program for a patient to complete independently in between appointments. The home exercise program is demonstrated and then is either provided on a exercise paper sheet or patients are required to remember and recall the exercises completed, without any additional aids.
Adherence to these exercises is often variable, with a patient’s complex rehabilitation being reliant on their memory, affecting their clinical improvement and return back to their previous function.
With the advancement of mobile technology, various applications for exercise with ability to monitor exercise adherence are developed, however there is little research examining these components. Many of these apps are starting to be used clinically, it is important we examined whether these new tools are effective as there are costs involved but also huge potential benefits for patients.
There is no research looking into the Physitrack physiotherapy app, however it is already in clinical use. There is a lack of research into the perceptions of patients about using digital health tools and the clinical effectiveness of using a physiotherapy exercise app within the NHS. This study will look at the acceptability of digital health tools with Hands Physiotherapy Outpatients in an NHS setting.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EE/0138
Date of REC Opinion
11 Apr 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion