User evaluation of a novel SMS-based reminder system for supporting post-stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

Background According to WHO stroke is a growing societal challenge and the third leading cause of global disease-burden estimated using disability-adjusted life years. Rehabilitation after stroke is an area of mutual interest for health care in many countries. Within the health care sector there is a growing emphasis on ICT services to provide clients with easier access to information, self-evaluation, and self-management. ICT-supported care programs possible to use in clients’ home environments are also recommended when there are long distances to the health care specialists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical usability of a SMS-based reminder system as well as user opinions when using such a system to assist clients to remember to perform daily rehabilitation activities, to rate their performance and to allow Occupational therapists (OT’s) to track and follow-up clients’ results over time. Methods Fifteen persons with stroke were invited to participate in the study and volunteered to receive daily SMS-based reminders regarding three activities to perform on a daily basis as well as answer daily SMS-based questions about their success rate during eight weeks. Clients, a number of family members, as well as OTs were interviewed to evaluate their opinions of using the reminder system. Results All clients were positive to the reminder system and felt that it helped them to regain their abilities. Their OTs agreed that the reminder and follow-up system was of benefit in the rehabilitation process. However, some technical and other issues were limiting the use of the system for some clients. The issues were mostly linked to the fact that the SMS system was based on a Swedish phone number, so that all messages needed to be sent internationally. Conclusion In conclusion, it seems that this type of SMS-based reminder systems could be of good use in the rehabilitation process after stroke, even in low income counties where few clients have access to Internet or smart phones, and where access to healthcare services is limited. However, since the results are based on clients’, OTs’ and family members’ expressed beliefs, we suggest that future research objectively investigate the intervention’s beneficial effects on the clients’ physical and cognitive health. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12911-019-0847-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

F@ce: a team-based, person-centred intervention for rehabilitation after stroke supported by information and communication technology – a feasibility study

“…The findings show that the participants set their goals based on activities they needed and/or wanted to perform in their everyday lives. This is in line with the results of the F@ce study in Uganda in which all participants were positive about the reminder system and felt that it helped them regain their abilities and that the follow-up system was beneficial to their rehabilitation process [ 16 ]. According to the national stroke guidelines [ 31 ] and rehabilitation research, setting goals is an essential part of the rehabilitation process [ 57 , 58 ].…”

“…Furthermore, the use of ICT-based interventions could reduce the number of home visits, thereby saving time and travel costs, particularly in rural areas [ 12 , 13 ]. ICT solutions have also shown to enable person-centred care [ 14 , 15 ] and facilitate communication and feedback from healthcare professionals [ 3 , 16 ]. A concern among people with stroke is their potentially limited ability to manage different ICT devices.…”

Feasibility of an Intervention for Patients with Cognitive Impairment Using an Interactive Digital Calendar with Mobile Phone Reminders (RemindMe) to Improve the Performance of Activities in Everyday Life

“…It was reported that RemindMe and the weekly conversations for two months, based on patients' needs, were appropriate to support the use of reminders for everyday tasks since it gave a structured way to evaluate the rehabilitation interventions. A similar result was pointed out in a study using SMS reminders and weekly phone calls to evaluate progress in the rehabilitation of stroke patients [31]. Interventions spread out over a longer time period give patients time to practice and thus become more independent [29].…”

Use of mHealth Technology for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Adults with Acquired Brain Injuries: A Scoping Review

“…Figure 1 outlines 5-stages of this review, including a summary of the number of articles identified from the initial database search and hand-searching ( n = 54, Step 3) through the final number of articles included in the review ( n = 12) [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”