Covert monitoring to promote consistency of walking performance: a case study

A covert monitoring procedure was employed to encourage a stroke patient to 'self-monitor' two parameters of her walking performance outside the physiotherapy department. The patient was aware that her walking would be monitored, but not of the identity of the monitors. After 12 days of covert monitoring, the two gait parameters, width of base and step length, were observed to be consistently within the specified limits. The covert monitoring procedure was thus successful in promoting consistent performance of a newly acquired gait beyond the physiotherapy department.