Research Objectives
To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness and participant satisfaction of low-cost telerehabilitation for a research study aimed to improve upper extremity (UE) strength and motor control in a person with spinal cord injury (SCI) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design
Prospective single-subject design.
Setting
SCI rehabilitation hospital and research center for 14 weeks and home-telerehabilitation for 6 weeks.
Participants
A 63-year-old male with chronic C4 ASIA Impairment Scale C tetraplegia.
Interventions
Therapy sessions (45 minutes, 3 times/week) of UE strengthening and functional task exercises occurred for 14 weeks in an outpatient setting and then transitioned to home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For telerehabilitation, a videoconferencing application allowed for real-time audio and visual communication during treatment sessions. A caregiver was available to assist with exercises/equipment set-up as needed. Widely available therapy equipment (e.g., resistance bands, cuff weights) was provided to the participant.
Main Outcome Measures
Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), consisting of 17 questions addressing usefulness, ease of use, effectiveness, reliability, and satisfaction of telerehabilitation. Participants rank these categories between 1: disagree, and 7: agree.
Results
The participant responded with a rank of 7 (agree) to all questions except for two which were ranked 6. These highly ranked scores indicated the high level of the subject’s satisfaction about telerehabilitation for a research study.
Conclusions
The excellent results generated suggests that a closely monitored telerehabilitation program might lead to similar outcomes and improvements resulting from an in-clinic rehabilitation program, as ranked by the participant. This case was successful in part because of the availability of a caregiver to assist and the participant’s familiarity with exercises, which might be a limitation for others. Additional participants and objective measures are underway to confirm this finding.
Author(s) Disclosures
N/A.
Keywords
Telerehabilitation, Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, SCI, Upper Extremity Rehabilitation
Oral Research Presentations 1381709