Title: Computer-assisted rehabilitation: towards effective evaluation

Authors: Hugo Nicolau; Tiago Guerreiro; Rita Pereira; Daniel Gonçalves; Joaquim Jorge

Addresses: INESC-ID, Av. Professor Cavaco Silva, IST Tagus Park, 2780-990 Porto Salvo, Portugal ' INESC-ID, Av. Professor Cavaco Silva, IST Tagus Park, 2780-990 Porto Salvo, Portugal ' INESC-ID, Av. Professor Cavaco Silva, IST Tagus Park, 2780-990 Porto Salvo, Portugal ' INESC-ID, Rua Alves Redol, 9 1000-029 Lisboa, Portugal ' INESC-ID, Rua Alves Redol, 9 1000-029 Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: Recent decades brought technological advances able to improve the life quality of people with disabilities. However, benefits in the rehabilitation of motor disabled people are still scarce. Therapeutic processes are lengthy and demanding to therapists and patients. Our goal is to assist therapists in rehabilitation procedures providing a tool for accurate monitoring and evolution analysis enriched with their own knowledge. We analysed therapy sessions with tetraplegics to better understand the rehabilitation process and highlight the major requirements for a technology-enhanced tool. Results suggest that virtual movement analysis and comparison increases the awareness of a patient's condition and progress during therapy.

Keywords: physical rehabilitation; tetraplegics; therapy; computer-assisted rehabilitation; 3D visualisation; quality of life; people with disabilities; motor disabled; virtual movement analysis; patient awareness; patient condition; patient progress.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCPS.2013.053551

International Journal of Cognitive Performance Support, 2013 Vol.1 No.1, pp.11 - 26

Received: 24 Oct 2010
Accepted: 06 Apr 2011
Published online: 18 Sep 2014 *