Feasibility of a 10-week community-based mobile health rehabilitation program using the WalkWithMe application in late sub-acute and chronic stroke survivors in a low resource setting: A pilot study.

Physical functioning can be increased in people with stroke by using a mobile health application. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a 10-week community-based program using the WalkWithMe (WWM) application in people with late sub-acute and chronic stroke in Benin. An interventional pilot study with mixed methods research design was used examining the application of an unsupervised individualized mobile Health (mHealth) instructed training program. Main outcome included the application usage, safety, adherence, perceived enjoyment, mHealth quality, patient experiences and pre-post efficacy measures. Nine adults, five males, median age of 60 years and time since stroke of 12 months participated in this study. For most participants adherence with the application was over 70%. However, some usability problems were observed due to incorrect understanding and use by participants and technical problems. The application was very fun, stimulating and enjoyable. Significant improvements were found with median (pre/post measures) of locomotors skill (1.4/3.4); impairments (38/40), Barthel Index (85/95), activity limitation (2.1/3.1), and quality of life (194/218). A trend towards significant improvement was found with 6 minutes walking test (181/220, p = 0.06). The WWM application is perceived as a potential approach to increase physical activity and functioning among people with stroke in Benin.

A Mobile Application to Perform the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) at Home: A Random Walk in the Park Is as Accurate as a Standardized 6MWT.

The six-minute walk test (6MWT) provides an objective measurement of a person's functional exercise capacity. In this study, we developed a smartphone application that allows cardiac patients to do a self-administered 6MWT at home on a random trajectory. In a prospective study with 102 cardiovascular disease patients, we aimed to identify the optimal circumstances to perform a smartphone-measured 6MWT, i.e., the best algorithm and the best position to wear the smartphone during the test. Furthermore, we investigated if a random walk is as accurate as a standardized 6MWT. When considering both the reliability and accuracy of the distance walked, the best circumstances to perform a standardized smartphone-measured 6MWT are wearing the smartphone in a strap around the patient's arm and using an algorithm that relies on the processed step count data acquired from Google Fit. Furthermore, we demonstrated that a smartphone-measured walk along a random trajectory is as accurate to determine a cardiac patient's functional exercise capacity as a standardized (smartphone-measured) 6MWT. We conclude this paper by presenting how our 6MWT application can be used in a home setting to remotely follow up on cardiac patients' functional exercise capacity.

Differential effects and discriminative validity of motor and cognitive tasks varying in difficulty on cognitive-motor interference in persons with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive-motor interference (CMI) has been well recognized in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS); however, there are limited data on effects of task difficulty. OBJECTIVE: Examine (1) the effects of motor and cognitive tasks varying in difficulty on the magnitude of CMI and (2) the discriminative validity of CMI between pwMS and healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Nine cognitive-motor dual-task (DT) conditions (combinations of three cognitive and three walking tasks) were examined. Outcome measures were DT-performance and dual-task cost (DTC) of gait parameters and correct answers. Task differences and overall group-effects were analysed by mixed model analysis, plus the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests or multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVAs), respectively. RESULTS: Task effects were examined in 82 pwMS (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): 3.3 ± 1.0) and discriminative validity in a subsample (35 pwMS and 33 HC). Motor-DTC and DT-performance were affected by difficulty of both the cognitive task (p < 0.001) and the walking condition (p ⩽ 0.002), while cognitive-DTC only varied between cognitive tasks with a large difference in difficulty (p ⩽ 0.005) and not between walking conditions (p ⩾ 0.125). None of the DTCs differed between groups. CONCLUSION: CMI, and especially motor performance, is affected by difficulty of the DT. Although pwMS performed worse on the tasks than HC, none of the DT-conditions showed a discriminative DTC.

Telerehab III: a multi-center randomized, controlled trial investigating the long-term effectiveness of a comprehensive cardiac telerehabilitation program--rationale and study design.

BACKGROUND: Telerehabilitation has been proposed as an adjunct/alternative to standard center-based cardiac rehabilitation. Two recent systematic reviews showed non-inferiority and/or superiority of this remote approach for cardiac rehabilitation. However, these trials focused only on one core component of cardiac rehabilitation and telemonitoring, rather than implementing a more comprehensive approach. The aim of Telerehab III is to investigate the long-term effectiveness of the addition of a patient-tailored, internet-based telerehabilitation program implementing multiple cardiac rehabilitation core components and using both telemonitoring and telecoaching strategies to standard cardiac rehabilitation. METHODS/DESIGN: In this prospective, multi-center randomized, controlled trial 140 patients with coronary artery disease and/or chronic heart failure patients will be recruited between February 2013 and February 2015. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to an intervention group (receiving an internet-based telerehabilitation program in addition to standard cardiac rehabilitation) or to standard cardiac rehabilitation alone. The mean follow-up is at least 6 months. The primary endpoint is peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak). Secondary endpoints include measured and self-reported daily physical activity, cardiovascular risk factor control, health-related quality of life, days lost due to (non)cardiovascular rehospitalizations and time to first (non)cardiovascular rehospitalization. A clinical event committee blinded to treatment allocation assesses causes of rehospitalizations. DISCUSSION: Telerehab III will be one of the first studies to examine the added value of a more comprehensive cardiac telerehabilitation program, focusing on multiple cardiac rehabilitation core components. It has the potential to augment current standard center-based cardiac rehabilitation practices and to be used as a model for other disease prevention programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current controlled trials ISRCTN29243064. Registration date 21 January 2015.

Medium-Term Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Internet-Based and Patient-Specific Telerehabilitation Program With Text Messaging Support for Cardiac Patients: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac telerehabilitation has been introduced as an adjunct or alternative to conventional center-based cardiac rehabilitation to increase its long-term effectiveness. However, before large-scale implementation and reimbursement in current health care systems is possible, well-designed studies on the effectiveness of this new additional treatment strategy are needed. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this trial was to assess the medium-term effectiveness of an Internet-based, comprehensive, and patient-tailored telerehabilitation program with short message service (SMS) texting support for cardiac patients. METHODS: This multicenter randomized controlled trial consisted of 140 cardiac rehabilitation patients randomized (1:1) to a 24-week telerehabilitation program in combination with conventional cardiac rehabilitation (intervention group; n=70) or to conventional cardiac rehabilitation alone (control group; n=70). In the telerehabilitation program, initiated 6 weeks after the start of ambulatory rehabilitation, patients were stimulated to increase physical activity levels. Based on registered activity data, they received semiautomatic telecoaching via email and SMS text message encouraging them to gradually achieve predefined exercise training goals. Patient-specific dietary and/or smoking cessation advice was also provided as part of the telecoaching. The primary endpoint was peak aerobic capacity (VO2 peak). Secondary endpoints included accelerometer-recorded daily step counts, self-assessed physical activities by International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessed by the HeartQol questionnaire at baseline and at 6 and 24 weeks. RESULTS: Mean VO2 peak increased significantly in intervention group patients (n=69) from baseline (mean 22.46, SD 0.78 mL/[min*kg]) to 24 weeks (mean 24.46, SD 1.00 mL/[min*kg], P<.01) versus control group patients (n=70), who did not change significantly (baseline: mean 22.72, SD 0.74 mL/[min*kg]; 24 weeks: mean 22.15, SD 0.77 mL/[min*kg], P=.09). Between-group analysis of aerobic capacity confirmed a significant difference between the intervention group and control group in favor of the intervention group (P<.001). At 24 weeks, self-reported physical activity improved more in the intervention group compared to the control group (P=.01) as did the global HRQL score (P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that an additional 6-month patient-specific, comprehensive telerehabilitation program can lead to a bigger improvement in both physical fitness (VO2 peak) and associated HRQL compared to center-based cardiac rehabilitation alone. These results are supportive in view of possible future implementation in standard cardiac care.

Robot-supported upper limb training in a virtual learning environment : a pilot randomized controlled trial in persons with MS.

BACKGROUND: Despite the functional impact of upper limb dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS), effects of intensive exercise programs and specifically robot-supported training have been rarely investigated in persons with advanced MS. AIM: To investigate the effects of additional robot-supported upper limb training in persons with MS compared to conventional treatment only. METHODS: Seventeen persons with MS (pwMS) (median Expanded Disability Status Scale of 8, range 3.5-8.5) were included in a pilot RCT comparing the effects of additional robot-supported training to conventional treatment only. Additional training consisted of 3 weekly sessions of 30 min interacting with the HapticMaster robot within an individualised virtual learning environment (I-TRAVLE). Clinical measures at body function (Hand grip strength, Motricity Index, Fugl-Meyer) and activity (Action Research Arm test, Motor Activity Log) level were administered before and after an intervention period of 8 weeks. The intervention group were also evaluated on robot-mediated movement tasks in three dimensions, providing active range of motion, movement duration and speed and hand-path ratio as indication of movement efficiency in the spatial domain. Non-parametric statistics were applied. RESULTS: PwMS commented favourably on the robot-supported virtual learning environment and reported functional training effects in daily life. Movement tasks in three dimensions, measured with the robot, were performed in less time and for the transporting and reaching movement tasks more efficiently. There were however no significant changes for any clinical measure in neither intervention nor control group although observational analyses of the included cases indicated large improvements on the Fugl-Meyer in persons with more marked upper limb dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Robot-supported training lead to more efficient movement execution which was however, on group level, not reflected by significant changes on standard clinical tests. Persons with more marked upper limb dysfunction may benefit most from additional robot-supported training, but larger studies are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered within the registry Clinical Trials GOV ( NCT02257606 ).

Are exercise prescriptions for patients with cardiovascular disease, made by physiotherapists, in agreement with European recommendations?

AIMS: Physiotherapists often treat patients with (elevated risk for) cardiovascular disease (CVD), and should thus be able to provide evidence-based exercise advice to these patients. This study, therefore, aims to examine whether exercise prescriptions by physiotherapists to patients with CVD are in accordance with European recommendations. METHODS AND RESULTS: This prospective observational survey included forty-seven Belgian physiotherapists. The participants agreed to prescribe exercise intensity, frequency, session duration, program duration, and exercise type (endurance or strength training) for the same three patient cases. Exercise prescriptions were compared between physiotherapists and relations with their characteristics were studied. The agreement between physiotherapists' exercise prescriptions and those from European recommendations ('agreement score': based on a maximal score of 60/per case) was assessed. A wide inter-clinician variability was noticed for all exercise modalities, leading to a large variance for total peak-effort training minutes (from 461 up to 9000 over the three cases). The exercise frequency was prescribed fully out of range of the recommendations and the prescription of additional exercise modes was generally flawed. Exercise intensity and program duration were prescribed partially correct. The addition of strength exercises and session duration was prescribed correctly. This led to physiotherapist agreement scores of 25.3 ± 9.6, 23.2 ± 9.9, and 27.1 ± 10.6 (all out of 60), for cases one, two, and three, respectively. A greater agreement score was found in younger colleagues and those holding a Ph.D. CONCLUSION: Exercise prescriptions for CVD patients vary widely among physiotherapists and often disagree with European recommendations. REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05449652.

Technology supported High Intensity Training in chronic non-specific low back pain (the Techno-HIT trial): study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most common chronic musculoskeletal disorders worldwide. Guidelines recommend exercise therapy (ET) in CLBP management, but more research is needed to investigate specific ET modalities and their underlying mechanisms. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the short-term and long-term effectiveness of a time-contingent individualised high-intensity training (HIT) protocol on disability compared with a time-contingent moderate-intensity training (MIT) as used in usual care, in persons with severely disabling CLBP. Additionally, the effectiveness on central effects, the added value of prolonged training at home and technology support, and the cost-effectiveness are evaluated. In this randomised controlled trial, CLBP patients will be randomly divided into three groups of 56 participants. Group 1, 'TechnoHIT', receives HIT with technology-support in the home-phase. Group 2, 'HIT', receives HIT without technology support. Group 3, 'MIT', receives MIT, reflecting training intensity as used in usual care. The primary outcome is patient-reported disability, measured by the Modified Oswestry Disability Index. Secondary outcomes include quantitative sensory testing, psychosocial factors, broad physical fitness, quality of life, cost-effectiveness, adherence and usability of technology. Trial registration number NCT06491121.

Exercise prescription by physiotherapists to patients with cardiovascular disease is in greater agreement with European recommendations after using the EXPERT training tool.

BACKGROUND: Exercise prescriptions by clinicians to patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) often disagree with recommendations, thus requiring improvement. AIM: To assess whether exercise prescriptions by physiotherapists to patients with CVD are better in agreement with European (ESC/EAPC) recommendations when the EXPERT (EXercise Prescription in Everyday practice & Rehabilitative Training) Training tool is used for digital educational training. DESIGN: In a prospective non-randomized intervention study. METHODS: Twenty-three belgian physiotherapists first prescribed exercise intensity, frequency, session duration, program duration and exercise type (endurance or strength training) for the same three patient cases, from which the agreement with ESC/EAPC recommendations (based on a maximal score of 60/per case: agreement score) was assessed. Next, they completed a one-month digital training by using the EXPERT Training tool and completed 31 ± 13 training cases. The EXPERT tool is a training and decision support system that automatically generates a (personalised) exercise prescription according to the patient's characteristics, thus integrating the exercise prescriptions for different CVDs and risk factors, all based on ESC/EAPC recommendations. Thereafter, the same three patient cases as at entry of study were filled out again, with re-assessment of level of agreement with ESC/EAPC recommendations. RESULTS: After using the EXPERT Training tool, the physiotherapists prescribed significantly greater exercise frequencies, program durations and total exercise volumes in all three patient cases (p < 0.05). In cases 1, 2 and 3, the agreement score increased from 29 ± 9 (out of 60), 28 ± 9, and 34 ± 7 to 41 ± 9, 41 ± 10, and 45 ± 8, respectively (p < 0.001). Hence, the total agreement score increased from 91 ± 17 (out of 180) to 127 ± 19 (p < 0.001, +44 ± 32%). A lower starting agreement score and younger age correlated with a greater improvement in total agreement score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise prescriptions to patients with CVD, generated by physiotherapists, are significantly better in agreement with European recommendations when the EXPERT Training tool is used, indicating its educational potential.

Do we need to rethink the determination of exercise-related energy expenditure in cardiac telerehabilitation interventions?

The American College of Sports Medicine determined the energy consumption of daily activities and sports. Cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) requires knowing how much energy people consume in daily life outside of cardiac rehabilitation activities. Therefore, we have investigated if the estimated values are valid in CTR. Data from two studies were incorporated. The first study measured ventilatory threshold (VT)1, VT2, and peak exercise on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) collected from 272 cardiac (risk) patients and compared them to the estimated oxygen consumption (VO2) at low-to-moderate-intense exercise (3-6 metabolic equivalents [METs]). Next, a patient-tailored application was developed to support CTR using these estimated values, and the intervention (the second study) was conducted with 24 coronary artery disease patients using this application during a CTR intervention. In the first study, VO2 at VT1, VT2 and peak exercise corresponded to 3.2 [2.8, 3.8], 4.3 [3.8, 5.3], and 5.4 [4.5, 6.2] METs, which are significantly different from the estimated VO2 at low-to-moderate-intense exercise, especially lower in older, obese, female, and post-myocardial infarction/heart failure patients. These VO2 varied considerably between patients. The telerehabilitation study did not show significant progress in peak VO2, but using the application's estimated target, 97.2% of the patients achieved their weekly target, which is a significant overestimate. The estimated and observed exercise-related energy expenditures by CPET were significantly different, resulting in an overestimation of the exercise done by the patients at home. The results can have a significant impact on the quantification of exercise dose during (tele)rehabilitation programs.

Appropriate exercise prescription in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: why this skill remains to be improved among clinicians and healthcare professionals. A call for action from the EXPERT Network†.

In Europe alone, on a yearly basis, millions of people need an appropriate exercise prescription to prevent the occurrence or progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A general exercise recommendation can be provided to these individuals (at least 150 min of moderate-intensity endurance exercise, spread over 3-5 days/week, complemented by dynamic moderate-intensity resistance exercise 2 days/week). However, recent evidence shows that this one size does not fit all and that individual adjustments should be made according to the patient's underlying disease(s), risk profile, and individual needs, to maximize the clinical benefits of exercise. In this paper, we (i) argue that this general exercise prescription simply provided to all patients with CVD, or elevated risk for CVD, is insufficient for optimal CVD prevention, and (ii) show that clinicians and healthcare professionals perform heterogeneously when asked to adjust exercise characteristics (e.g. intensity, volume, and type) according to the patient's condition, thereby leading to suboptimal CVD risk factor control. Since exercise training is a class 1A intervention in the primary and secondary prevention of CVD, the awareness of the need to improve exercise prescription has to be raised among clinicians and healthcare professionals if optimized prevention of CVD is ambitioned.

Task-oriented arm training for stroke patients based on remote handling technology concepts: A feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Improving arm-hand skill performance is a major therapeutic target in stroke rehabilitation. Arm-hand rehabilitation may be enriched in content and variation by using technology-assisted training. Especially for people with a severely affected arm, technology-assisted training offers more challenging training possibilities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of ReHab-TOAT, a "Remote Handling Based Task-Oriented Arm Training" approach featuring enriched haptic feedback aimed at improving daily activities and participation. METHODS: Five subacute or chronic stroke patients suffering moderate to severe arm-hand impairments and five rehabilitation therapists participated. All participants received 2 ReHab-TOAT sessions. Outcome measure was a bespoke feasibility questionnaire on user experiences and satisfaction regarding 'motivation', 'individualization of training', 'potential training effects', and 'implementation in rehabilitation' of patients and therapists. RESULTS: Both patients and therapists experienced ReHab-TOAT as being feasible. They found ReHab-TOAT very motivating and challenging. All patients perceived an added value of ReHab-TOAT and would continue the training. Small improvements regarding exercise variability were suggested. CONCLUSION: ReHab-TOAT seems to be a feasible and very promising training approach for arm-hand rehabilitation of stroke patients with a moderately or severely affected arm. Further research is necessary to investigate potential training effects of ReHab-TOAT.

Personalized remotely guided preventive exercise therapy for a healthy heart (PRIORITY): protocol for an assessor-blinded, multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Aims: A key treatment for patients with varying stages of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is exercise. Yet, despite a Class 1A recommendation, only one-third of patients exercise sufficiently. A huge treatment gap exists between guidelines and clinical practice. PRIORITY aims to establish the feasibility, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a hybrid centre and home-based personalized exercise and physical activity intervention for patients along the HFpEF continuum. Methods: An assessor-blinded, multicenter randomized controlled trial will be conducted among 312 patients along the HFpEF continuum. Participants will be randomized (1:1) to the PRIORITY intervention or a comparator group receiving only a written exercise prescription. Participants in the PRIORITY group will receive 18 supervised centre-based exercise sessions during one year, supplemented with a remotely guided home-based physical activity program. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 4 months, one and two years. The primary outcome is the peak oxygen uptake (pVO2) at 1-year. Secondary outcomes include physical activity, other physical fitness parameters, cardiovascular health, echocardiographic parameters, health-related quality of life and costs at 1-year FU. Machine learning algorithms will analyse big data on physical activity collected during the 1-year intervention to develop models that can predict physical activity uptake and adherence as well as changes in fitness and health. A cost-utility analysis will be performed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the PRIORITY intervention compared to the control condition. Discussion: We anticipate that participants in the supervised home-based exercise intervention group will have a greater increase in pVO2 compared to those receiving a written exercise prescription. Trial registration number: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04745013) and is currently in the recruitment stage.

Standardised Exercise Prescription for Patients with Chronic Coronary Syndrome and/or Heart Failure: A Consensus Statement from the EXPERT Working Group.

Whereas exercise training, as part of multidisciplinary rehabilitation, is a key component in the management of patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) and/or congestive heart failure (CHF), physicians and exercise professionals disagree among themselves on the type and characteristics of the exercise to be prescribed to these patients, and the exercise prescriptions are not consistent with the international guidelines. This impacts the efficacy and quality of the intervention of rehabilitation. To overcome these barriers, a digital training and decision support system [i.e. EXercise Prescription in Everyday practice & Rehabilitative Training (EXPERT) tool], i.e. a stepwise aid to exercise prescription in patients with CCS and/or CHF, affected by concomitant risk factors and comorbidities, in the setting of multidisciplinary rehabilitation, was developed. The EXPERT working group members reviewed the literature and formulated exercise recommendations (exercise training intensity, frequency, volume, type, session and programme duration) and safety precautions for CCS and/or CHF (including heart transplantation). Also, highly prevalent comorbidities (e.g. peripheral arterial disease) or cardiac devices (e.g. pacemaker, implanted cardioverter defibrillator, left-ventricular assist device) were considered, as well as indications for the in-hospital phase (e.g. after coronary revascularisation or hospitalisation for CHF). The contributions of physical fitness, medications and adverse events during exercise testing were also considered. The EXPERT tool was developed on the basis of this evidence. In this paper, the exercise prescriptions for patients with CCS and/or CHF formulated for the EXPERT tool are presented. Finally, to demonstrate how the EXPERT tool proposes exercise prescriptions in patients with CCS and/or CHF with different combinations of CVD risk factors, three patient cases with solutions are presented.

Visualizing the third dimension in virtual training environments for neurologically impaired persons: beneficial or disruptive?

BACKGROUND: Many contemporary systems for neurorehabilitation utilize 3D virtual environments (VEs) that allow for training patients' hand or arm movements. In the current paper we comparatively test the effectiveness of two characteristics of VEs in rehabilitation training when utilizing a 3D haptic interaction device: Stereo Visualization (monoscopic vs stereoscopic image presentation) and Graphic Environment (2.5D vs 3D). METHOD: An experimental study was conducted using a factorial within-subjects design. Patients (10 MS, 8 CVA) completed three tasks, each including a specific arm-movement along one of three directional axes (left-right, up-down and forward-backward). RESULTS: The use of stereoscopy within a virtual training environment for neurorehabilitation of CVA and MS patients is most beneficial when the task itself requires movement in depth. Further, the 2.5D environment yields the highest efficiency and accuracy in terms of patients' movements. These findings were, however, dependent on participants' stereoscopic ability. CONCLUSION: Despite the performance benefits of stereoscopy, our findings illustrate the non-triviality of choices of using stereoscopy, and the type of graphic environment implemented. These choices should be made with the task and target group, and even the individual patient in mind.

Feasibility study of a 10-week community-based program using the WalkWithMe application on physical activity, walking, fatigue and cognition in persons with Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: People with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) show diverse symptoms, such as fatigue and decline in motor and cognitive function. Physical activity shows to have a positive impact on many of these symptoms. However, many pwMS lead sedentary lives. Objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of prolonged use of the WalkWithMe, a personalized mobile application that supports pwMS in walking at home, and its effect on physical activity, walking, fatigue and cognition in persons with MS. METHODS: Nineteen pwMS were enrolled in a 10-week home-based intervention with the WalkWithMe application after setting personal goals based on baseline testing values, where twelve patients completed the program. Before and after the intervention, motor (6MWT, T25FW, 5-STS, NHPT) and cognitive function (PASAT and SDMT) were evaluated, together with the patient reported impact on walking, physical activity, quality of life and fatigue by MSWS-12, IPAQ, SF-36, MSIS-29, MFIS and FSS, respectively. RESULTS: Significant improvement was seen for some parts of self-reported physical activity and quality of life (IPAQ: walking, p = 0.04, leisure, p = 0.02; SF-36: physical functioning, p = 0.02), cognition (SDMT, p = 0.01), cognitive fatigability (PASAT, p = 0.05), lower limb strength (5-STS, p = 0.05) and dominant hand function (NHPT, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: This feasibility study was successful at improving categories of self-reported physical activity, lower limb functional strength, hand function and cognition, but results need to be interpreted with caution, given the small and not always clinically relevant changes. Larger sample sizes in a controlled experimental design are needed to confirm these results.

Design, Development, and Testing of an App for Dual-Task Assessment and Training Regarding Cognitive-Motor Interference (CMI-APP) in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Multicenter Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Dual tasking constitutes a large portion of most activities of daily living; in real-life situations, people need to not only maintain balance and mobility skills, but also perform other cognitive or motor tasks at the same time. Interest toward dual-task training (DTT) is increasing as traditional interventions may not prepare patients to adequately face the challenges of most activities of daily living. These usually involve simultaneous cognitive and motor tasks, and they often show a decline in performance. Cognitive-motor interference (CMI) has been investigated in different neurological populations, but limited evidence is present for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The use of computerized tools is mandatory to allow the application of more standardized assessment and rehabilitation intervention protocols and easier implementation of multicenter and multilanguage studies. OBJECTIVE: To describe the design and development of CMI-APP, an adaptive and interactive technology tablet-based app, and to present the preliminary results of a multicenter pilot study involving people with MS performed in several European centers for evaluating the feasibility of and adherence to a rehabilitation program based on CMI-APP. METHODS: CMI-APP includes user-friendly interfaces for personal data input and management, assessment of CMI, and DTT. A dedicated team developed CMI-APP for Android tablets above API level 14 (version 4.0), using C# as the programming language and Unity and Visual Studio as development tools. Three cognitive assessment tests for working memory, information processing speed, and sustained attention and four motor assessment tests for walking at different difficulty levels were implemented. Dual cognitive-motor tasks were performed by combining single cognitive and motor tasks. CMI-APP implements exercises for DTT involving the following 12 cognitive functions: sustained attention, text comprehension, verbal fluency, auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, working memory, information processing speed, auditory memory, visual memory, verbal analog reasoning, visual analog reasoning, and visual spatial planning, which can be performed during walking or stepping on the spot. Fifteen people with MS (mean age 52.6, SD 8.6 years; mean disease duration 9.4, SD 8.4 years; mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score 3.6, SD 1.1) underwent DTT (20 sessions). Adherence to the rehabilitation program was evaluated according to the percentage of performed sessions, perceived exertion during the training (Borg 15-point Ratings of Perceived Exertion [RPE] Scale), and subjective experience of the training (Intrinsic Motivation Inventory [IMI]). RESULTS: The adherence rate was 91%. DTT was perceived as "somewhat difficult" (mean RPE Scale score 12.6, SD 1.9). IMI revealed that participants enjoyed the training and felt that it was valuable and, to some extent, important, without feelings of pressure. They felt competent, although they did not always feel they could choose the exercises, probably because the therapist chose the exercises and many exercises had few difficulty levels. CONCLUSIONS: CMI-APP is safe, highly usable, motivating, and well accepted for DTT by people with MS. The findings are fundamental for the preparation of future large-sample studies examining CMI and the effectiveness of DTT interventions with CMI-APP in people with MS.

Evaluating the Impact of the HeartHab App on Motivation, Physical Activity, Quality of Life, and Risk Factors of Coronary Artery Disease Patients: Multidisciplinary Crossover Study.

BACKGROUND: Telerehabilitation approaches have been successful in supporting coronary artery disease (CAD) patients to rehabilitate at home after hospital-based rehabilitation. However, on completing a telerehabilitation program, the effects are not sustained beyond the intervention period because of the lack of lifestyle adaptations. Furthermore, decline in patients' motivation lead to recurrence of disease and increased rehospitalization rates. We developed HeartHab, using persuasive design principles and personalization, to enable sustenance of rehabilitation effects beyond the intervention period. HeartHab promotes patients' understanding, motivates them to reach personalized rehabilitation goals, and helps to maintain positive lifestyle adaptations during telerehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the HeartHab app on patients' overall motivation, increasing physical activities, reaching exercise targets, quality of life, and modifiable risk factors in patients with CAD during telerehabilitation. The study also investigated carryover effects to determine the maintenance of effects after the conclusion of the intervention. METHODS: A total of 32 CAD patients were randomized on a 1:1 ratio to telerehabilitation or usual care. We conducted a 4-month crossover study with a crossover point at 2 months using a mixed-methods approach for evaluation. We collected qualitative data on users' motivation, user experience, and quality of life using questionnaires, semistructured interviews and context-based sentiment analysis. Quantitative data on health parameters, exercise capacity, and risk factors were gathered from blood tests and ergo-spirometry tests. Data procured during the app usage phase were compared against baseline values to assess the impact of the app on parameters such as motivation, physical activity, quality of life, and risk factors. Carryover effects were used to gather insights on the maintenance of effects. RESULTS: The qualitative data showed that 75% (21/28) of patients found the HeartHab app motivating and felt encouraged to achieve their rehabilitation targets. 84% (21/25) of patients either reached or exceeded their prescribed physical activity targets. We found positive significant effects on glycated hemoglobin (P=.01; d=1.03; 95% CI 0.24-1.82) with a mean decrease of 1.5 mg/dL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (P=.04; d=0.78; 95% CI 0.02-1.55) with a mean increase of 0.61 mg/dL after patients used the HeartHab app. We observed significant carryover effects on weight, HDL cholesterol, and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max), indicating the maintenance of effects. CONCLUSIONS: Persuasive design techniques integrated in HeartHab and tailoring of exercise targets were effective in motivating patients to reach their telerehabilitation targets. This study demonstrated significant effects on glucose and HDL cholesterol and positive carryover effects on weight, HDL cholesterol, and VO2 max. There was also a perceived improvement in quality of life. A longer-term evaluation with more patients could possibly reveal effectiveness on other risk factors and maintenance of the positive health behavior change. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03102671; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03102671 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/76gzI9Pvd).