Digital app with physiotherapy provides good support to stroke patients
A fully digital treatment for physical activity is well received by people who have suffered a stroke and has a wide geographical reach, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the International Journal of Stroke.
The study involved 114 people who had experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group that received digitally guided training and behavior change support from a physiotherapist, and a control group that received digital individual counseling and follow-ups. The entire study was conducted remotely using digital tools – from recruitment to treatment and evaluation.
National reach through user-friendly digital treatment
The researchers found that the intervention reached participants from 20 of Sweden's 21 regions. The participants appreciated the treatment, and more than 90 percent of them completed the treatment period over 6 months. The study also showed that 76 percent of the guided training sessions were completed, and the participants were satisfied with the app used. The digital training was safe, with no serious incidents such as falls or injuries occurring. The ease of contact with the physiotherapist via a mobile application over an extended treatment period was also appreciated.
”Our results show that digital physiotherapy via mobile phone can be an effective way to promote equitable health-promoting treatment for people who have had a stroke, regardless of where in the country they live,” says Charlotte Thurston, doctoral student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society at Karolinska Institutet and the lead author of the study.
”Digital care and rehabilitation have the potential to become a resource-efficient complement to today's healthcare. To maximize the benefits, it is important to improve recruitment procedures to reach sedentary individuals with comorbidities who may have the greatest need for the treatment. Additionally, it is important to increase diversity among participants in future studies of treatment effects,” says David Moulaee Conradsson, docent at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society and primary investigator.
The study was funded by FORTE, the Swedish Research Council, the Neuro Association, the Stroke Association, Vinnova, CIMED, the Stockholm Region Innovation Fund, and Karolinska Institutet.
Publication
”Mobile Health delivered physical activity after mild stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Is it feasible and acceptable?”, Charlotte Thurston, Sophia Humphries, Lucian Bezuidenhout, Sverker Johansson, Lisa Holmlund, Lena von Koch, Coralie Kym English, David Moulaee Conradsson, Sage Journals, online January 12, 2025, doi: 10.1177/17474930251315628.