Self-Reported Acceptance of a Wearable Activity Monitor in Persons With Stroke: Usability Study.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Wearable activity monitors provide scalable, cost-effective remote monitoring of functional status.
• These devices collect detailed biometric data (e.g., physical activity, heart rate), complementing traditional clinical measures.
• Understanding user acceptance is crucial for implementing these technologies in stroke rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the self-reported acceptance of a wrist-worn wearable activity monitor (Fitbit Inspire 2) in individuals with stroke.
• To assess the relationship between reported acceptance and adherence to wearing the device.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-five participants with stroke wore a Fitbit Inspire 2 for 3 months.
• Acceptance was measured using the Technology Acceptance Questionnaire (TAQ) across 7 dimensions.
• Spearman correlations examined links between TAQ scores and device wear adherence.

Main Results:

• Participants reported high overall acceptance of the Fitbit Inspire 2 across all TAQ dimensions.
• The device was perceived as useful, easy to use, and unintrusive.
• High self-reported acceptance did not correlate with actual device wear time.

Conclusions:

• Stroke survivors generally accept wearable activity monitors like the Fitbit Inspire 2.
• High acceptance does not automatically translate to consistent adherence in real-world use.
• It cannot be assumed that stroke patients will wear these devices simply due to reported high acceptability.