Patient Involvement With Home-Based Exercise Programs: Can Connected Health Interventions Influence Adherence?

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation medicine
• Digital health
• Patient adherence

Background:

• Home exercise adherence is crucial for rehabilitation success, yet nonadherence rates can reach 50%, negatively impacting clinical outcomes.
• Understanding the multifaceted reasons behind patient nonadherence to prescribed exercise is essential for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of connected health technologies in enhancing patient adherence to home exercise programs.
• To discuss the need for robust measurement tools to evaluate the efficacy of technology-based adherence interventions.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of patient-reported barriers to exercise adherence.
• Exploration of connected health technologies, including mobile devices and inertial measurement units.
• Emphasis on data-driven approaches incorporating coaching, self-monitoring, and education.

Main Results:

• Connected health technologies offer numerous intervention possibilities to improve exercise adherence.
• Objective monitoring of adherence rates is achievable through well-designed technological solutions.
• Data-driven strategies can provide enhanced support for both patients and clinicians.

Conclusions:

• Connected health technologies present a significant opportunity to objectively monitor and improve home exercise adherence.
• Integrating features like coaching and self-monitoring into digital platforms can address key barriers to adherence.
• Further development and validation of measurement tools are needed to fully leverage the potential of connected health in rehabilitation.