An evaluation of a physical therapy app for home rehabilitation.

Abstract

Introduction and objective: In recent years, digital tools such as mobile rehabilitation applications have been introduced to support motivation and improve patient involvement in therapy. However, the additional benefits of such tools in structured rehabilitation progrmmes remain uncertain. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a rehabilitation programme supported by a mobile application on patient motivation and functional outcomes compared with standard rehabilitation.

Material and methods: The study included 60 participants undergoing rehabilitation. Functional performance was assessed using the TINETTI scale, and independence in daily activities evaluated with the ADL scale. Patient motivation toward physical activity was measured using a 5-point Likert scale before and after completion of rehabilitation. Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for within-group comparisons and Mann-Whitney U tests for between-group comparisons. A significance level of p < 0.05 was adopted.

Results: Significant improvements in TINETTI scores were observed in both groups (p < 0.001), indicating substantial functional improvement in balance. Motivation levels increased after rehabilitation in both groups. The motivation score increased from 3.23-3.77 in the control group and from 3.40-3.93 in the research group. However, no statistically significant differences between groups were observed. ADL results showed minimal variability, suggesting a ceiling effect and limited sensitivity of the scale for detecting functional changes.

Conclusions: Structured rehabilitation resulted in significant improvements in functional performance and patient motivation. The rehabilitation programme supported by a mobile application did not demonstrate superior outcomes compared with standard rehabilitation in this study.