Back to top anchor

Low-cost telerehabilitation to improve outcomes for people with chronic stroke

Year:
2011
Duration:
59 months
Approved budget:
$986,660.00
Researchers:
Professor Denise Taylor
Health issue:
Cardiovascular/cerebrovascular
Proposal type:
Health Delivery Project
Lay summary
In New Zealand, around 45,000 people live with stroke and benefits gained during initial rehabilitation are often not sustained, with a resultant functional deterioration and reduction in quality of life over time. Evidence indicates that participation in physical interventions prevents this functional decline. Whether an individual receives ongoing stroke services is often related to factors, such as resource availability and geographical location. This randomised controlled trial will determine if the Augmented Community Telerehabilitation Intervention (ACTIV) supports people with stroke in the transition from rehabilitation support to independence and results in better outcomes and quality of life. ACTIV is a low-cost intervention that uses telephone and mobile phones which are readily available technologies, combined with face-to-face visits from a physiotherapist. In-depth interviews will be used to unpack people's experiences of the intervention. Measures of cost will be collected to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.