Designing to Support Prescribed Home Exercises: Understanding the Needs of Physiotherapy Patients

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders are a globally significant health problem affecting millions. Physiotherapy, including prescribed exercises performed independently by patients in their homes, is a key treatment for many sufferers. However, many patients fail to complete home exercises, prolonging recovery periods or accelerating decline. Pervasive health technologies, capable of monitoring users in their homes, are ideally suited to address this problem. This paper describes user research with a group of three physiotherapists and eleven current physiotherapy patients to understand the problems and user needs underlying non-compliance with home exercise regimes. The research adopted a speed dating approach and culminated with six insights and design recommendations relating to the form and type of feedback that should be used in such systems, to how scheduling and therapist-patient communication systems should be designed and to the role of privacy.