Development and Feasibility Testing of a Remote Support Application for Adherence to Home Exercise Programs: A...

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Musculoskeletal physiotherapy

Background:

• Poor adherence to home exercise programs (HEPs) hinders patient recovery and continuity of care.
• Innovative solutions are needed to improve patient engagement with prescribed exercises.
• Remote support applications (RSAs) offer a potential avenue for enhancing HEP adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a remote support application (RSA) for mobile devices.
• To assess the feasibility of using an RSA to improve adherence to HEPs.
• To compare adherence rates between patients using an RSA and those using traditional paper handouts.

Main Methods:

• A RSA was developed with user and administrator interfaces for mobile/tablet use.
• 19 patients with musculoskeletal conditions were randomized into an experimental (RSA) or control (paper handouts) group.
• Adherence was monitored over 4 weeks, with feasibility assessed via usability questionnaires.

Main Results:

• The experimental group showed significantly higher HEP adherence at both 2 and 4 weeks compared to the control group (P<0.001).
• The RSA achieved a high mean System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 82.53 ± 9.04.
• The app's quality rating was favorable, indicating good user experience.

Conclusions:

• A remote support application is a feasible and effective tool for improving adherence to home exercise programs.
• The developed RSA demonstrated significant improvements in patient adherence for musculoskeletal conditions.
• Digital health solutions like RSAs hold promise for enhancing physiotherapy outcomes.