TagTrainer: supporting exercise variability and tailoring in technology supported upper limb training.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Rehabilitation technology can enhance therapy but its practical implementation and therapist role extension (authoring exercises) are underexplored.
• Tailoring training content requires therapists to author and modify exercises, a feasible yet unexamined aspect of rehabilitation technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate therapists' ability to author patient-specific training content using rehabilitation technology.
• To determine if sharing created content leads to effort savings in rehabilitation therapy.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized TagTrainer, an interactive tabletop system enabling therapists to create, adjust, and personalize rehabilitation exercises.
• Four therapists in stroke and paraplegia rehabilitation used TagTrainer for three weeks, with data collected via interviews, questionnaires, and usage logs.

Main Results:

• Therapists created 23 new or varied exercises tailored to specific patient needs, enhancing therapy variability.
• Patients found the exercises motivating, and they were integrated into regular training routines.
• Therapists demonstrated motivation and capability in creating and tailoring exercises with minimal training.

Conclusions:

• TagTrainer effectively supports arm-hand rehabilitation by increasing therapy variability and tailoring, with therapists finding it suitable for group sessions.
• Therapists can create and adapt exercises for individual patient needs, indicating feasibility for extended roles.
• Future research should explore socio-technical factors encouraging content sharing and peer support for technology adoption.