Feasibility study investigating use of an exercise app.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
FeSTivAPP – an innovative method for delivering Functional Strength Training exercises for the Upper Limb in people after stroke – a feasibility study
IRAS ID
159752
Contact name
Kathryn Mares
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Stroke is a major health problem with around 1.2 million stroke survivors living in the UK. The most common problem following stroke is weakness or complete loss of movement affecting one side of the body.
In order to promote movement recovery guidelines say that stroke survivors should have at least 45 minutes of physiotherapy a day but this is more likely to be directed toward activities such as getting out of bed or walking. Published studies have shown that during a hospital stay patients receive as little as 4-23 minutes a day of therapy for the arm. Poor recovery of the arm leads to greater dependence on carers for activities of daily living and social isolation.
Therapists currently provide patients with an exercise prescription which is delivered through paper drawings. These are often insufficient and rely on the stroke survivor remembering the instructions and demonstration provided by the physiotherapist.
We have developed an App designed to deliver exercise demonstrations and provide motivational tools to increase adherence to a prescribed exercise programme. The App will incorporate a number of behaviour change techniques including demonstration videos of the exercises in real time performed by stroke survivors; recording of the length and frequency the stroke survivors engage in the exercises. It will also be designed to deliver reminders in order to further motivate stroke survivors.
Before we are able to evaluate the effectiveness of the App in improving arm function after stroke we need to determine whether this method of delivery is acceptable to both therapists and stroke survivors we therefore propose to determine feasibility and acceptability of this intervention. This will allow us to estimate potential recruitment and retention rates, consider whether the outcome measures are appropriate for future trials and look at the adherence to the intervention.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0481
Date of REC Opinion
12 Dec 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion