Effects of Home-based Telesupervising Rehabilitation on Physical Function for Stroke Survivors with Hemiplegia

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this work were to evaluate the effects of home-based telesupervising rehabilitation on physical function for stroke survivors with hemiplegia and to determine if the rehabilitation therapy can relieve the burden on caregivers. DESIGN: This study is a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial. Stroke survivors were randomly assigned to either home-based telesupervising rehabilitation group or conventional rehabilitation group to receive physical exercise and electromyography-triggered neuromuscular stimulation. Modified Barthel Index, Berg Balance Scale, modified Rankin Scale, Caregiver Strain Index, root mean square of extensor carpi radialis longus and tibialis anterior muscle were measured at 3 time points: baseline, postintervention (12 weeks), and 12-week follow-up (24 weeks). RESULTS: Both the home-based telerehabilitation and conventional rehabilitation groups demonstrated significant effects within groups over the 3 time points in increasing Modified Barthel Index, Berg Balance Scale, and root mean square value of extensor carpi radialis longus and tibialis anterior, as well as decreasing Caregiver Strain Index (P < 0.001), but none of the between-group differences was significant. For modified Rankin Scale, the percentage of participants of grades 0 and 1 in 2 groups increased over time without significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based telesupervising rehabilitation is most likely as effective as the conventional outpatient rehabilitation for improving functional recovery in stroke survivors and could ease the burden of caregivers as conventional rehabilitation.