Feasibility and effect of interactive telerehabilitation on balance in individuals with chronic stroke: a pilot study.
Shih-Ching Chen, Chueh-Ho Lin, Sheng-Wen Su and 2 others
PMID 33902646WHAT IT FOUND
For chronic stroke, Kinect-based telerehabilitation improved balance similarly to conventional physiotherapy.
However, the study was conducted in a hospital room rather than a home, and the small sample size limits confidence in these findings.
Key findings
01Both telerehabilitation and conventional physiotherapy significantly improved Berg Balance Scale scores.
02There were no significant differences between the telerehabilitation and conventional physiotherapy groups on any outcome measure.
03The telerehabilitation program was safe and feasible, with no dropouts or falls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study had a very small sample size of 30 participants. The intervention was conducted in a hospital room, not a true home environment, which limits the generalizability to actual home-based telerehabilitation. The duration of the intervention was short, preventing assessment of long-term effects. The improvement in the Timed Up and Go test was smaller than the minimal detectable change, meaning the clinical significance of that specific finding is unclear.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of Córdoba Province, Argentina, and Taipei Medical University Hospital.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this system works effectively in a patient's own home. The study was conducted in a controlled hospital room with caregivers present to prevent falls, so the safety and feasibility of unsupervised home use remain unproven.