RERC on Mobile Rehabilitation: Survey on Clinician Perspectives on Patient Adherence to Home Exercise Programs

This project was undertaken by the
clinical research team at Shepherd Center to understand the perceptions and strategies
employed by physical, occupational and speech therapists when prescribing and
tracking adherence to home exercise programs by their patients with chronic
disabling conditions. Rehabilitation therapy professionals treating with community
dwelling individuals with traumatic injury (brain injury and spinal cord injury)
and progressive diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis) on an outpatient basis were
recruited to participate in this study. <br>

<br>Rehabilitation has been shown to
improve recovery, enhance independence, and contribute to life quality. A
common and often preferred option in service delivery is to supplement
in-clinic interventions with home-based exercises and other therapeutic activities
that support rehabilitation goals. However, levels of adherence to home-based
therapies are difficult to measure and, therefore, the benefits are often
difficult to determine. Furthermore, there are only limited guidelines for
proper dosing of home exercises for patients with chronic disabling conditions
leaving clinical therapy professionals to rely on their own intuition and individual
strategies when making prescriptions.<br><br>Purpose: This survey is intended
to discover: 1) clinician expectations for patient adherence to home-based
therapeutic activities, 2) how these expectations might influence prescribing
practices, and 3) distinguishing factors that contribute to expectations of high
versus low adherence.

<br><br>Data uploaded: The data uploaded
to the ICPSR repository comprise all validated responses. <br>