Research Article
MARTHA - Master Therapy Assistant: Supporting the Recovery of Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke with Digital Home Exercise Programs
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-031-59717-6_29, author={Lena Rettinger and Nadia Abid Aziz and Katharina B\'{y}hn and Daniela Duh and Leon Freudenthaler and Andrea Greisberger and Carissa Klupper}, title={MARTHA - Master Therapy Assistant: Supporting the Recovery of Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke with Digital Home Exercise Programs}, proceedings={Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare. 17th EAI International Conference, PervasiveHealth 2023, Malm\o{}, Sweden, November 27-29, 2023, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={PERVASIVEHEALTH}, year={2024}, month={6}, keywords={Home Exercise Program Stroke Rehabilitation Mobile Application mHealth Telerehabilitation Usability}, doi={10.1007/978-3-031-59717-6_29} }- Lena Rettinger
Nadia Abid Aziz
Katharina Bühn
Daniela Duh
Leon Freudenthaler
Andrea Greisberger
Carissa Klupper
Year: 2024
MARTHA - Master Therapy Assistant: Supporting the Recovery of Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke with Digital Home Exercise Programs
PERVASIVEHEALTH
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-59717-6_29
Abstract
This research aimed to develop a mobile application to support home exercise programs for persons after stroke. The study was conducted in three phases: understanding the needs, developing a prototype, and testing the application.
In the first phase, a survey with 52 physical and occupational therapists, and focus groups with 6 physical and occupational therapists were conducted to understand the needs of therapists regarding home exercise programs for persons after stroke. The second phase involved the development of the application by an interdisciplinary team following an agile software development approach. In the third phase the application’s usability and feasibility was evaluated through a pilot study. The needs analysis highlighted the importance of individualized programs and adaptability in home exercise programs. 86.5% of the survey participants expressed interest in a mobile application for home exercise programs, with specific features like exercise videos, feedback mechanisms, and reminders. The usability, usefulness and satisfaction with the developed application, MARTHA, were tested in a pilot study involving 13 therapists and 18 patients and showed high scores for ease of use and learning. The study demonstrated the feasibility of using the mobile application MARTHA in supporting home exercise programs for persons after stroke. The application was found to be user-friendly and adaptable to individual needs. However, some participants raised the need for a more extensive variety of exercises, especially for patients with more severe limitations. Further development and testing are needed to address the concerns raised and to assess the long-term impact on patient outcomes.
