Perspectives of Key Stakeholders on Integrating Wearable Sensor Technology into Rehabilitation Care: A Mixed-Methods...

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• A significant gap exists in rehabilitation practice due to limited objective data on patients' daily activity levels.
• Remote monitoring via wearable sensor technology offers a potential solution to bridge this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient and clinician awareness of the rehabilitation practice gap.
• To understand preferences for integrating wearable sensor technology into rehabilitation care.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews with clinicians and patients.
• Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Nineteen clinicians and ten patients participated, reaching data saturation.
• Both groups recognized the importance of measuring out-of-clinic activity and viewed sensors as objective tools.
• Most clinicians preferred continuous monitoring, and most patients were willing to sync data regularly. Clinicians desired sensor data within the electronic health record.

Conclusions:

• Clinicians and patients acknowledge the benefits of wearable sensor technology for measuring out-of-clinic activity.
• Preferences were identified for optimal integration into routine rehabilitation workflows.