Focus group insights assist trial design for stroke telerehabilitation: a qualitative study

The objective of the study was to draw on the insights of people with stroke to assist in the development of a telerehabilitation program, using easily accessible technology to deliver an intervention. A qualitative study was conducted with four focus groups of people who were at least 12 months post-stroke and who had completed their rehabilitation. All focus groups were conducted in community facilities and used a semi-structured approach. Fifteen people took part in the focus groups. Three main themes emerged from the data in response to questions about use of technology and important aspects of physiotherapy. The first theme expressed the participants' perspective that the technology really helped with "keeping connected". The second theme indicated "what we need from therapists" in order to gain the most from therapy; and the third theme highlighted aspects of a physiotherapy program they considered important, "what we would like from therapy". The themes helped us gain insight into how participants viewed the use of technology to augment rehabilitation and also what they needed from therapists to make the gains they viewed as important. These themes informed the development of a telerehabilitation program using readily accessible technology.