BACKGROUND Cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a multidisciplinary program consisting of exercise, risk factor modification and psychosocial intervention, forms an integral part of managing patients after myocardial infarction (MI), revascularization surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions, as well as patients with heart failure (HF). This systematic review seeks to examine the cost-effectiven...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this article is to describe a game engine that has all the characteristics needed to support rehabilitation at home. The low-cost tracking devices recently introduced in the entertainment market allow measuring reliably at home, in real time, players' motion with a hands-free approach. Such systems have also become a source of inspiration for researchers working in rehabili...

PURPOSE We drew on an interdisciplinary research design to examine stroke survivors' experiences of living with stroke and with technology in order to provide technology developers with insight into values, thoughts and feelings of the potential users of a to-be-designed robotic technology for home-based rehabilitation of the hand and wrist. METHOD Ten stroke survivors and their family carers...

Assessment techniques and treatment strategies, such as medical management, oxygen management, chest physical therapy, and pulmonary rehabilitation, for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are discussed. Clinically appropriate, evidence-based rehabilitation programs for home care may help to reduce care costs, reduce the impact of this chronic disease on patients with COP...

A prototype of a low-cost balance board for exergaming-based tele-rehabilitation systems is introduced. The objective is to extend at patient’s home the interactive nature of the individualized rehabilitation therapies traditionally carried out at clinic. Preliminary results on posturographic tests showed encouraging performance.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The most powerful predictors of functional recovery and eventual home discharge among stroke survivors are the initial severity of the stroke and the patient's age. We analyzed a large population of stroke rehabilitation admissions by stratifying subgroups with coherent outcomes in an attempt to define potentially more efficient patterns of providing rehabilitation care. ...

Post-acute rehabilitation for persons with acquired brain injury (ABI, i.e., trauma, stroke, anoxia) refers to a variety of rehabiitafion services provided in various, typically nonhospital contexts. Post-acute service options include skilled nursing facility-based rehabilitation programs (also commonly referred to as "sub-acute" programs), residential treatment programs (also referred to as tr...

AIM The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) is a standardised, valid, reliable, observational assessment that is sensitive to change over time. This research aimed to examine the change in AMPS performance in patients discharged from a neurosurgical rehabilitation ward to a home-based therapy programme over a four-week time frame. METHODS A total of 15 individuals with acquired brai...

OBJECTIVES Derive activity and heart rate (HR) monitor-based clinically relevant measures for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR). METHODS We are currently collecting activity/ECG data from patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation over duration of six weeks. From these data sets, we a) derive various measures which can be used in assessing home-based CR patients remotely and b) investiga...

BACKGROUND Falls are common in stroke survivors returning home after rehabilitation, however there is currently a lack of evidence about preventing falls in this population. This paper describes the study protocol for the FLASSH (FaLls prevention After Stroke Survivors return Home) project. METHODS AND DESIGN This randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-facto...