Understanding stroke survivors' preferences regarding wearable sensor feedback on functional movement: a mixed-methods study.
Marika Demers, Amelia Cain, Lauri Bishop and 4 others
PMID 37915055WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke survivors found wearable sensor reports easy to understand and motivating, but no single metric was preferred.
They wanted real-time feedback tied to personal goals and emphasized that clinicians are still needed to interpret data and maintain accountability.
Key findings
01Participants ranked hourly arm use and hourly step count graphs highest for encouraging movement, rejecting the hypothesis that symmetry metrics would be preferred.
02Qualitative interviews revealed a strong preference for real-time or self-controlled feedback over the terminal reports used in the study, with most wanting direct access via a watch or app.
03Survivors with severe motor impairments felt feedback on arm use had limited usefulness because they were already using their affected limb at maximum capacity.
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
Feedback was only provided at the end of the week (terminal), so results do not reflect preferences for real-time feedback, which participants explicitly requested. Participants were recruited from a research registry, potentially introducing selection bias toward those more motivated to use technology. The study did not test haptic or auditory feedback modes, only visual reports. There was a discrepancy between survey scores and ranking preferences, suggesting some participants may have misunderstood the survey questions.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé, and the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute. No commercial conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the preferred metrics identified here will lead to improved motor recovery. The study measured preferences and perceived encouragement, not actual changes in movement quality or quantity resulting from the feedback.