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>