Towards developing an e-coach to support arthritis patients in maintaining a physically active lifestyle

Arthritis reduces mobility and functional independence due to inflammation and stiffness in joints. A physically active lifestyle consisting of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and non-sedentary hours helps in improving pain and mobility in arthritis patients. Physiotherapists recommend an appropriate amount of physical activity to patients so that the patients can maintain a physically active lifestyle without further hurting the joints. However, meeting the goals set by a physiotherapist becomes hard when the patient experiences a flare in the symptoms. When the symptoms flare, clinicians can help the patients in adjusting their goals. However, a meeting with a physiotherapist is not always possible. E-coaching solutions provide an opportunity to provide immediate feedback to the patients. Receiving immediate feedback is useful for patients in performing an adequate amount of physical activity without hurting the joints. We developed and studied a web application to support the clinician-guided physical activity among arthritis patients. In this paper, we discuss the implications of the study for future automated e-coaching solutions designed to support physical activity among arthritis patients.