Real-Time Digitized Visual Feedback in Exercise Therapy for Lower Extremity Functional Deficits: Qualitative Study of...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction in Healthcare
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Osteoarthritis is a prevalent degenerative musculoskeletal disease, often necessitating surgical interventions like total knee or hip arthroplasty.
• Functional movement deficits in lower extremities are prognostic factors for osteoarthritis, suggesting targeted exercise training can aid treatment.
• Digital real-time feedback systems can enhance patient motivation and adherence to exercise regimens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather user recommendations for optimizing prototype feedback visualizations within the homeSETT system, designed for treating functional deficits.
• To evaluate patient, physiotherapist, and physician perceptions of current feedback visualizations for exercises targeting lateral trunk lean, pelvic drop, and valgus thrust.
• To identify specific improvements and variations for enhancing the usability and effectiveness of the feedback system.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing a movement laboratory with 3D optoelectronic motion analysis.
• Usability data collected via the 'thinking aloud' method during prototype testing and semistructured interviews post-testing.
• Qualitative content analysis of transcribed interviews and thinking aloud logs to identify user feedback and recommendations.

Main Results:

• Participants (patients, physiotherapists, physicians) found the prototype feedback visualizations enjoyable and therapeutically applicable, appreciating their simplicity and clarity.
• Some users experienced challenges in recognizing feedback goals and correlating visualizations with their movements, indicating a need for refinement.
• Key recommendations included optimizing color schemes, sensitivity, and difficulty, alongside incorporating instructional information and gamification elements like rewards and repetition counting.

Conclusions:

• The prototype feedback visualizations were positively received and deemed suitable for clinical therapy settings.
• User feedback provided valuable insights for enhancing color schemes, sensitivity, and recognizability of visualizations.
• Future development will focus on incorporating gamification and instructional elements, followed by efficacy evaluation of the homeSETT system in patient populations.