JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies

COVID-19 has given impetus to an already growing trend around the use of ambient assisted living (AAL) technologies to support frail older adults who live alone. However, the challenge is that systematic research on the long-term use of AAL technologies remains in its nascent stages, leaving gaps in the understanding of the predictors that contribute to the routine embedding of AAL technologies in older adults’ care.

The Gloreha® is a robotic device that enhances conventional rehabilitation for improving upper extremity function after stroke, but comprehensive evidence on its effectiveness is still lacking.

With the rapid advancement of technology, using wearable devices and mobile health (mHealth) apps to monitor and promote physical activity (PA) has become increasingly popular among individuals with various chronic conditions. However, such work remains limited among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), especially those who use a manual wheelchair for mobility.

Individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) experience disproportionately high rates of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are often complicated by atypical symptoms and delayed diagnoses. Patient-centered tools, like the Urinary Symptom Questionnaires for Neurogenic Bladder (USQNB), have been developed to support symptom assessment yet remain underutilized. Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, may offer a more usable approach to improving symptom management by providing real-time, tailored health information directly to patients.

Falls among older adults are a significant public health concern, often leading to severe injuries, decreased quality of life, and substantial healthcare costs. Smart wearable technologies for balance rehabilitation present a promising avenue for addressing the falls epidemic, capable of providing detailed objective movement data, engaging visuals, and real-time feedback. With the recent and rapid evolution of innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR), and motion tracking, there is a need to evaluate the market to identify the most effective and accessible smart balance systems currently available.

An accurate tongue strength and endurance assessment is necessary for pediatric dysphagia. TongueFit is a new portable orofacial manometer for measuring tongue strength and endurance and a game-based training app for children.

Pressure ulcers (PUs) constitute a major healthcare burden, characterized by significant morbidity, diminished quality of life, and elevated treatment costs. Wheelchair users are predisposed to PUs due to sustained ischial and sacral interface pressures resulting from prolonged periods of sitting. Implementation of pressure-relieving interventions, including specialized seating systems engineered to redistribute load and augment the weight-bearing surface area, is critical for mitigating PUs risk.

Background: Virtually delivered health care services can offer numerous benefits and the demand for virtual care continues to grow among subgroups facing mobility challenges. The experience of compassion in healthcare is linked to patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes, however, this link in virtual rehabilitation settings is underexplored.

Tetraplegia imposes significant challenges on affected individuals, caregivers, and health care systems. Assistive technologies (ATs) such as assistive robotic arms have been shown to improve the quality of life of persons with tetraplegia, fostering independence in daily activities and reducing caregiver burden. Despite potential benefits, the integration of AT innovations into daily life remains difficult. Implementation science offers a systematic approach to bridge this know-do gap.

In recent years, there has been increasing demand for markerless motion capture systems, which are being widely used in biomechanical and clinical research. Moreover, by using markerless motion capture systems in a laboratory environment that mimics living spaces, the data acquired on various activities of daily living (ADLs), such as level walking, ramp walking and stair ascent/descent, should more closely resemble that of real-life activities. However, the absolute reliability of gait parameters in this context is still unclear.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) requires long-term treatment that faces significant barriers, including inadequate physiotherapy services, especially in Slovenia and comparable European countries. Mobile health applications offer a promising solution to improve accessibility and adherence to KOA treatment.

In 2023, the National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke revised the recommended daily multidisciplinary therapy dose from 45 minutes to 3 hours. To monitor the achievement of these guidelines there is a need for accurate measurement. This study introduces a novel co-designed digital dosage tracking system that utilises Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to log rehabilitation activities and demonstrates its feasibility and accuracy in a clinical setting through comparison with the current clinical method of manual recording.