Development and feasibility testing of a video-based exercise program for improving upper limb motor function among...

Rehabilitation after stroke often falls short of providing optimal benefits to patients due to challenges related to restricted access, financial burden, and lack of adherence. Video-based intervention may help to overcome these barriers.

To develop and test the feasibility of video-based telerehabilitation (TR) exercises for facilitating upper extremity motor function among stroke survivors.

The study was conducted in two phases: video development and feasibility testing. The research team developed the video. Feasibility was assessed using a single-group pre-test-post-test design, focusing on adherence, acceptability, satisfaction, and motor function. A total of 30 stroke survivors were purposively recruited. Each participant received a 3-minute-42-second video-based TR program to be performed three times weekly over four weeks. Adherence and acceptability were monitored through participant-maintained diaries. Satisfaction and motor function were measured using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8) and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), respectively.

Twenty-nine participants (15 males) completed the study. The participants showed a strong commitment to the intervention with a 97% adherence rate. They accepted and reported the intervention as satisfactory. A remarkable score of satisfaction corroborates this based on the CSQ-8 (Mean [SD] = 28.6 [4.90]). A significant improvement in the WMFT was observed (p < 0.001) with a large effect size (d = 1.14) post-intervention. The mean difference was 8.8, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 4.75 to 12.9.

The video-based TR is feasible and can be deployed as a supplementary intervention. Future evaluation of the intervention is warranted to establish its effectiveness.