'Smart Reminder': a Feasibility Pilot Study on the Effects of a Wearable Device Treatment

The wearable device, a wristwatch, has a Bluetooth function to link to mobile devices for the participants to view the prescribed videos and engage in telerehabilitation. It has sensors to monitor arm movements and provides multiple feedbacks (auditory, visual and tactile). Participants were instructed to practice the prescribed exercises -tailored according to the severity of UL paresis for the recommended therapy dose. The device recorded the angles of arm movement and the number of repetitions completed and data collected is uploaded to an encrypted cloud server for remote monitoring. Weekly, the participants will receive a 30-minute consultation session to review their progress and modify prescribed exercises based on the wearable device data.

The participants in the control group received similar in-home upper limb exercises as the wearable device group, with the prescribed exercises presented in the form of a pictorial handout rather than an in-app video. They were instructed to perform the exercises for the recommended therapy dose and received a weekly therapy consultation as well. To monitor the participant's exercise compliance, they were instructed to record their daily exercise progress in the exercise log.