Home-Based Physiotherapy

This project aims to increase patient motivation with the use of serious gaming for home-based physiotherapy exercises, subsequently increasing patient adherence. The project aims to eliminate non-compliance and increase motivation. The mindfulness section aims to be rewarding and may encourage the patient to positively engage in their rehabilitative journey.

Project Description

There is an abundance of physiotherapy programmes available for both physiotherapist and patient. However, there are very few physiotherapy games that aim to motivate the patient to carry out home-based exercises using Kinect technology, while also informing the physiotherapist on the rehabilitative progress made by the patient. The mindfulness section of our game aims to clear the mind, alleviate physical pain and improve coping skills needed when facing the challenge of rehabilitation. According to the literature, a game like PhysioKinect is needed because adherence to home-based physiotherapy is often low. Reasons for this being, patients may find it difficult to integrate their exercises into their day, are afraid of re-injury or find the exercises boring/difficult. The literature states that home-based exercises are a key element in making a full recovery, therefore an imperative aspect of rehabilitation. PhysioKinect aims to increase motivation by clarifying the exercises using video demonstrations, by including a progress report enabling patients to track their progress and having the game connected to the physiotherapist through an app imitating a clinical setting where supervision and compliance is practised. PhysioKinect aims to be enjoyable yet beneficial, accommodating both patient and practitioner in a process requiring ample motivation and co-operation.

Project Findings

Three scenarios were created for using testing. The users found that the prototype was easy to navigate through and were able to follow the scenarios with ease. Users also found the design appealing. They enjoyed the game aspect of the prototype which was the use of points.