Abstract
Objective
To explore the experiences of participants during a six-month, post-stroke telerehabilitation programme.
Design
A qualitative descriptive study to investigate participant experiences of ACTIV (Augmented Community Telerehabilitation Intervention), a six-month tailored exercise programme delivered by physiotherapists primarily using readily accessible telecommunication technology. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were used to collect data, which were analysed using thematic analysis.
Setting
Interviews conducted in participants’ homes or a community facility.
Participants
Participants were eligible if they had a stroke in the previous 18 months and had participated in ACTIV.
Results
Twenty-one participants were interviewed. Four key themes were constructed from the data: 1. ‘ACTIV was not what I call physio’ (it differed from participants’ expectations of physiotherapy, but they reported many positive aspects to the programme). 2. ‘There’s somebody there’ (ongoing support from the physiotherapists helped participants find strategies to continue improving). 3. ‘Making progress’ (in the face of barriers, small improvements were valued). 4. ‘What I really want’ (participant goals were frequently more general than therapy goals and involved progress towards getting back to ‘normal’).
Conclusions
Although ACTIV was not what participants expected from physiotherapy, the majority found contact from a physiotherapist reduced the feeling of being left to struggle alone. Most participants found a programme with minimal face-to-face contact augmented by phone calls and encouraging text messages to be helpful and acceptable.
Trial registration
Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration Number: ACTRN12612000464864
Contribution of the paper
- The use of readily accessible technology to augment rehabilitation after stroke was acceptable to people who received a six-month programme.
- People found text contact maintained a therapeutic bond with their physiotherapist.
- Remote contact decreased the perception of being left to manage alone after discharge from physiotherapy.