Stroke patients’ motivation for home-based upper extremity rehabilitation with eHealth tools

A. J. Langerak, P. D’Olivo, O. S.A. Thijm, G. R.H. Regterschot, C. G.M. Meskers, M. C. Rozendaal, V. T. Visch, J. B.J. Bussmann*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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Abstract

Purpose: eHealth-based exercise therapies were developed to increase stroke patients’ adherence to home-based motor rehabilitation. However, these eHealth tools face a rapid decrease in use after a couple of weeks. This study investigates stroke patients’ motivation for home-based upper extremity rehabilitation with eHealth tools and their relation with Basic Psychological Needs. Materials and methods: This is a qualitative study using thematic analysis. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stroke patients with upper extremity motor impairments, who were discharged home from a rehabilitation centre, after they interacted with a novel eHealth coach demonstrator in their homes for five consecutive days. Results: We included ten stroke patients. Thematic analysis resulted in eight themes for home-based rehabilitation motivation: Curiosity, Rationale, Choice, Optimal challenge, Reference, Encouragement, Social Support and Trustworthiness. Those themes are embedded into three Basic Psychological Needs: “Autonomy”, “Competence”, and “Relatedness”. Conclusion: Eight motivational themes related to the three Basic Psychological Needs describe stroke patients’ motivation for home-based upper extremity rehabilitation. We recommend considering those themes when developing a home-based eHealth intervention for stroke patients to increase the alignment of eHealth tools to the patient’s needs and reduce motivational decreases in home-based rehabilitation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5323-5333
Number of pages11
JournalDisability and Rehabilitation
Volume46
Issue number22
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 9 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

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