Recent trends in telerehabilitation of stroke patients: A narrative review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the main reason for disabilities worldwide leading to motor dysfunction, spatial neglect and cognitive problems, aphasia, and other speech-language pathologies, reducing the life quality. To overcome disabilities, telerehabilitation (TR) has been recently introduced. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to analyze current TR approaches for stroke patients’ recovery. METHODS: We searched 6 online databases from January 2018 to October 2021, and included 70 research and review papers in the review. We analyzed TR of 995 individuals, which was delivered synchronously and asynchronously. RESULTS: Findings show TR is feasible improving motor function, cognition, speech, and language communication among stroke patients. However, the dose of TR sessions varied significantly. We identified the following limitations: lack of equipment, software, and space for home-based exercises, insufficient internet capacity and speed, unavailability to provide hands on guidance, low digital proficiency and education, high cognitive demand, small samples, data heterogeneity, and no economic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The review shows TR is superior or similar to conventional rehabilitation in clinical outcomes and is used as complementary therapy or as alternative treatments. More importantly, TR provides access to rehabilitation services of a large number of patients with immobility, living in remote areas, and during COVID-19 pandemic or similar events.

Spatial neglect therapy with the augmented reality app 'Negami' for active exploration training; A randomized controlled trial

“…Besides the advantage of maintaining symptom improvement, telerehabilitation could eliminate travel costs to outpatient therapy, or, if patients live in very remote locations, making rehabilitation possible in the first place. On the part of the healthcare system, there may be a reduction in the cost of medical car; asynchronous telerehabilitation allows simultaneous monitoring of several patients by one therapist 47,48 . Negami has the prerequisites to use it for telerehabilitation.…”

Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke: A bibliometric analysis of global research from 2004 to 2022

“…However, its long-term application can inhibit the sensory and motor nerves ( Zhang et al, 2022 ). Telerehabilitation is developed based on telemedicine owing to the development of telecommunication and information technology ( Nikolaev and Nikolaev, 2022 ). Telecommunication technology, rehabilitation diagnostics, and treatment methods are used to provide rehabilitation services to patients in families, communities, or remote areas ( Chumbler et al, 2012 ).…”

A feasibility study to assess the effectiveness of Muvity: A telerehabilitation system for chronic post-stroke subjects

“…46 The advantages are related to the provision of rehabilitation accessibility for a large number of subjects with mobility impairments, subjects living in remote areas or during events such as COVID-19 pandemic. 47 However, the project seeks to find whether there are differences with the conventional motor rehabilitation treatment and avoid the deterioration of the physical condition of chronic post-stroke subjects. Previous studies support the idea that telerehabilitation therapies are not superior to conventional therapies in terms of improving the abilities of ADLs and motor function for chronic stroke survivors.…”