Stroke patients manage rehabilitation

A new system will allow a physiotherapist to set an exercise rehabilitation programme for a stroke patient to conduct in their own home, with the results of their achievements being fed back to the therapist remotely via a computer.

This means that the patient can engage with their exercises more frequently and in their own time and reduce travel to hospital for regular appointments.

The system was developed by the SMART Consortium let by Sheffield Hallam University in partnership with Philips Research Laboratories (Aachen, Germany) and is currently being tested with stroke survivors to ensure it is usable in preparation for clinical trials.

Initial research led by Sheffield Hallam University resulted in a rehabilitation system that used sensors worn on the wrists and arm by the stroke patient, which linked into a computer in the home. The arm exercises were recorded and displayed on a computer or TV screen by a therapist at a remote location, allowing them to assess the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programme without having to be physically present.