In-home telerehabilitation for geriatric patients

Abstract

We investigate in this study, following the positive results from a proof-of-concept study [7], the effectiveness of providing in-home telerehabilitation services as an alternative to home care visits for physical therapy in orthopedic conditions following discharge from an acute care hospital and rehabilitation unit [8]. Based on the results from the initial proof- of-concept study and a user-centered design approach, a telerehabilitation platform was developed consisting of two H264 videoconferencing codecs (Tandberg 500 MXP) with integrated wide-angle view cameras and remotely controlled pan tilt zoom (PTZ) functions, local and remote computers with Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MEMB.200S.919491 dedicated modular software interfaces for user-friendly control of videoconferencing connections, PTZ camera function, and external devices (i.e., tablet PC and sensors).