Secondary care for subjects with stroke: Compliance, usability and technological acceptance of the vCare platform solution

Abstract

The continuity of care of subjects with chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is a well-known public health problem. To address this issue, various home-based-technological solutions have been proposed to provide personalized home rehabilitation plans: however, enhancing the compliance is still a challenge. In the framework of the vCare project, an innovative technological home-based platform was developed to provide care and rehabilitation services (motor and cognitive training, e-learning service, and recommendations for additional activities) within a coaching environment in a real-life scenario.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the compliance of post stroke subjects with the solution, and the platform's usability and technological acceptance.

Patients with stroke underwent the personalized home rehabilitation plan for up to 9 weeks. Clinical status and quality of life were assessed before and after the experimental period; compliance, usability and technological acceptance at the end.

Patients experienced the vCare solution without adverse events following their clinical plan. Results were suitable: motor and cognitive training reached 66% and 95% of adherence, respectively. Usability and technological acceptance were above the limits of acceptability.

The vCare coaching system might potentially motivate and empower patients with functional disabilities to actively engage themselves in carrying out, autonomously, personalized rehabilitation activities at home.