Highlights
- •The Hand Therapy Application should be a consideration as a HEP tool.
- •The overall rating of The Hand Therapy Application was above average.
- •Technological advancements allow providers to engage in patient education in more creative ways.
Abstract
Study Design
Cross-sectional cohort design that collected data by means of a survey.
Introduction
Performance and adherence to a home exercise program (HEP) has been identified as
an integral component of hand therapy rehabilitation. Understanding how patients learn
along with offering creative options to improve engagement is important. Advancements
in technology including the use of smart phone apps should be considered.
Purpose of Study
To determine if a hand therapy app is a useful method for patient education and home
exercises for patients receiving hand therapy for an orthopedic injury distal to the
shoulder.
Method
Individuals receiving hand therapy at an outpatient hand therapy clinic via a convenience
sample (n = 41) were asked to download use The Hand Therapy Application for an individualized
exercise program. The Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) questionnaire was used
to assess the smart phone app.
Results
The overall MARS score for the hand therapy app was 3.5 out of 5. The MARS also gathered
information on the app's engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and subjective quality
of the app with mean scores of 3.6, 3.8, and 3.7, respectively. Data was also collected
on the app's description accuracy, goals, quality and quantity of information, visual
information, credibility, and evidence base.
Discussion
Participants receiving skilled hand therapy gave an overall rating of The Hand Therapy Application as above average for providing information about the participants condition and for
HEP instruction.
Conclusion
The findings of this study suggests that The Hand Therapy Application should be a consideration as a HEP tool in clinical practice.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 26, 2021
Accepted:
March 21,
2021
Received:
March 15,
2021
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
