DoMoMEA: a home neuromotor telerehabilitation system for stroke patients

Zedda A.;Gusai E.;Caruso M.;Bertuletti S.;Spanu S.;Baldazzi G.;Masciave G. K.;Pibiri A.;Monticone M.;Cereatti A.;Raffo L.;Pani D.

2020-01-01

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Abstract

Patients who survived brain stroke events are followed up for immediate hospital neurorehabilitation. In normal clinical practice, after hospital discharge, they are recommended to continue rehabilitation treatment in the extra-clinical environment. One of the main problems that affect patients autonomously following neurorehabilitation activities is the lack of compliance. The reasons for compliance deficiency are manifold, but patients suffer most from the absence of medical monitoring. Moreover, the repetitiveness of traditional rehabilitation tasks can produce a reduced patient engagement possibly leading to drop out from the protocol. The DoMoMEA telerehabilitation system aims at providing a solution to these problems, by presenting a possibility to quantitively monitor the rehabilitation progress of stroke patients from remote, through a store-and-forward communication paradigm. A specific rehabilitation protocol composed of measurable exercises was conceived and an Android-based platform interfacing low-cost magneto-inertial measurement units and pressure sensors was developed. Installation-free web applications support all the telehealth features exposed by the system. A clinical trial with 40 patients will start as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions will allow it.