Usability and safety for a virtual physiotherapy rehabilitation system: a pilot study

Stroke is a leading cause of acquired disabilities in adults worldwide. After initial treatment in hospital, physical rehabilitation counteracting the effects of stroke continues outside of the clinic with home exercises. However, adherence of these exercise regimen is not always sufficient to lead to a significant improvement of the patient's condition and sometimes the exercises are abandoned altogether. Virtual rehabilitation tools can help motivate and engage stroke survivors to continue their regimen regularly and therefore increase their rehabilitation outcomes and quality of life. Further, these tools can also be implemented to offer a source of additional information for the therapist to assess a patient's progress. For this to be feasible, a certain minimum of usability and safety has to be provided. Contributing to this goal, a pilot study with able-bodied people was conducted in preparation for further studies with stroke survivors and medical professionals. Generally positively viewed, the results of the study have also highlighted the importance of sufficient guidance through the exercises, appropriate control options and safety advice.