A telerehabilitation platform for home-based automated therapy of arm function

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2011:2011:1819-22. doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6090518.

Abstract

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CI therapy) has been shown to be an effective approach for improving arm function in stroke survivors with mild to severe hemiparesis. Given the time-intensive nature of the intervention, and the inherent costs and travel required to receive in-clinic treatment, the accessibility and availability of CI therapy is limited. To facilitate home-based CI therapy, a telerehabilitation platform has been developed. It consists of a table-top workstation configured with a range of physical task devices (e.g. pegboard, object flipping, threading, vertical reaching). A desktop PC is used to acquire data from sensors embedded in the task devices; display visual instructions, stimuli, and feedback to the patient during tasks; and provide videoconferencing and remote connection capabilities so the therapist can interact with and monitor the patient during at-home therapy sessions. This system has potential to greatly expand access to CI therapy and make it a more realistic option for a larger number of stroke survivors with upper extremity impairment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Arm*
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Humans
  • Paresis / rehabilitation*
  • Physical Therapy Modalities / instrumentation*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self Care / instrumentation*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Telemedicine / instrumentation*
  • Therapy, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • User-Computer Interface*