Clinical assessment of the HELLODOC tele-rehabilitation service

Within the EU project HELLODOC, the clinical effectiveness was investigated of the home care activity desk (H-CAD). Eighty-one patients with chronic stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) were recruited; 50 out of 81 received 1 month of H-CAD intervention, with one training session a day lasting 30 minutes for 5 days a week. The overall satisfaction of both patients and therapists was high. The Action Research Arm (ARA) and the Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) were used as main outcome measures. They proved the H-CAD system to be at least as effective as usual care. Maybe due to limited length and intensity of treatment, during the training month subjects improved on the individual H-CAD exercises but, as in the usual care group, the arm/hand function remained at the same level.