Using Biometric Technology for Telehealth and Telerehabilitation

The future of telerehabilitation: embracing virtual reality and augmented reality innovations

The integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into the telerehabilitation initiates a major change in the healthcare practice particularly in neurological and also orthopedic rehabilitation. This essay reflects the potential of the VR and AR in their capacity to create immersive, interactive environments that facilitate the recovery. The recent developments have illustrated the ability to enhance the patient engagement and outcomes, especially in tackling the complex motor and cognitive rehabilitation needs. The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) with VR and AR will bring the rehabilitation to the next level by enabling adaptive and responsive treatment programs provided through real-time feedback and predictive analytics. Nevertheless, the issues such as availability, cost, and digital gap among many others present huge obstacles to the mass adoption. This essay provides a very thorough review of the existing level of virtual reality and augmented reality in rehabilitation and examines the many potential gains, drawbacks, and future directions from a different perspective.

Evidence-based position paper on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) professional practice on telerehabilitation. The European PRM position (UEMS PRM Section)

INTRODUCTION

The evidence on the utility and effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions delivered via telerehabilitation is growing rapidly. Telerehabilitation is expected to have a key role in rehabilitation in the future.

AIM

The aim of this evidence-based position paper (EBPP) is to improve PRM physicians' professional practice in telerehabilitation to be delivered to improve functioning and to reduce activity limitations and/or participation restrictions in individuals with a variety of disabling health conditions.

METHODS

To produce recommendations for PRM physicians on telerehabilitation, a systematic review of the literature and a consensus procedure by means of a Delphi process have been performed involving the delegates of all European countries represented in the UEMS PRM Section.

RESULTS

The systematic literature review is reported together with the 32 recommendations resulting from the Delphi procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

It is recommended that PRM physicians deliver rehabilitation services remotely, via digital means or using communication technologies to eligible individuals, whenever required and feasible in a variety of health conditions in favor of the patient and his/her family, based on evidence of effectiveness and in compliance with relevant regulations. This EBPP represents the official position of the European Union through the UEMS PRM Section and designates the professional role of PRM physicians in telerehabilitation.

Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Expand Accessibility and Improve Precision in Rehabilitation and Exercise for People with Disabilities

Physical rehabilitation and exercise training have emerged as promising solutions for improving health, restoring function, and preserving quality of life in populations that face disparate health challenges related to disability. Despite the immense potential for rehabilitation and exercise to help people with disabilities live longer, healthier, and more independent lives, people with disabilities can experience physical, psychosocial, environmental, and economic barriers that limit their ability to participate in rehabilitation, exercise, and other physical activities. Together, these barriers contribute to health inequities in people with disabilities, by disproportionately limiting their ability to participate in health-promoting physical activities, relative to people without disabilities. Therefore, there is great need for research and innovation focusing on the development of strategies to expand accessibility and promote participation in rehabilitation and exercise programs for people with disabilities. Here, we discuss how cutting-edge technologies related to telecommunications, wearables, virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing are providing new opportunities to improve accessibility in rehabilitation and exercise for people with disabilities. In addition, we highlight new frontiers in digital health technology and emerging lines of scientific research that will shape the future of precision care strategies for people with disabilities.

Determining Gaps in Current Physiatric Tele-Physical Assessments via a Needs Assessment Survey

OBJECTIVES

Physical examinations are essential for in-person patient visits but remain difficult to replicate during virtual encounters. This work aims to identify gaps in the current state of telemedicine-based physical assessments by surveying physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians who perform physical examinations.

DESIGN

A survey of 29 Likert-scale questions and five open-ended questions was distributed to practicing physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians. The Likert-scale questions covered remote physical assessment, access, perception/engagement, implementation/effectiveness, and administrative concerns.

RESULTS

Fifty-three participants completed the survey. More than 80% of respondents suggested that while telemedicine was universally well accepted, they could not effectively perform telemedicine-based physical assessments, especially the musculoskeletal and neurological components. Remote assessment of upper and lower limb strength, reflexes, and sensation were examples of key unmet needs. Responses to open-ended questions suggested that telemedicine-based physical assessments can reduce the burden of travel and increase adherence to follow-up visits, but complex technology setup can pose difficulty for older patients and patients with cognitive deficits.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that current telemedicine technology is insufficient to meet physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians' telemedicine-based physical assessments needs. Despite high levels of provider and patient engagement with telemedicine, numerous deficits remain in performing musculoskeletal and neurological examinations. These results can inform future technology developments that address these identified telemedicine-based physical assessments gaps.

A Review of Fingerprint Sensors: Mechanism, Characteristics, and Applications

Identification technology based on biometrics is a branch of research that employs the unique individual traits of humans to authenticate identity, which is the most secure method of identification based on its exceptional high dependability and stability of human biometrics. Common biometric identifiers include fingerprints, irises, and facial sounds, among others. In the realm of biometric recognition, fingerprint recognition has gained success with its convenient operation and fast identif ication speed. Different fingerprint collecting techniques, which supply fingerprint information for fingerprint identification systems, have attracted a significant deal of interest in authentication technology regarding fingerprint identification systems. This work presents several fingerprint acquisition techniques, such as optical capacitive and ultrasonic, and analyzes acquisition types and structures. In addition, the pros and drawbacks of various sensor types, as well as the limits and benefits of optical, capacitive, and ultrasonic kinds, are discussed. It is the necessary stage for the application of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Mixed Reality Platforms in Telehealth Delivery: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

The distinctive features of the digital reality platforms, namely augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) have extended to medical education, training, simulation, and patient care. Furthermore, this digital reality technology seamlessly merges with information and communication technology creating an enriched telehealth ecosystem. This review provides a composite overview of the prospects of telehealth delivered using the MR platform in clinical settings.

OBJECTIVE

This review identifies various clinical applications of high-fidelity digital display technology, namely AR, VR, and MR, delivered using telehealth capabilities. Next, the review focuses on the technical characteristics, hardware, and software technologies used in the composition of AR, VR, and MR in telehealth.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review using the methodological framework and reporting design using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Full-length articles in English were obtained from the Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. The search protocol was based on the following keywords and Medical Subject Headings to obtain relevant results: "augmented reality," "virtual reality," "mixed-reality," "telemedicine," "telehealth," and "digital health." A predefined inclusion-exclusion criterion was developed in filtering the obtained results and the final selection of the articles, followed by data extraction and construction of the review.

RESULTS

We identified 4407 articles, of which 320 were eligible for full-text screening. A total of 134 full-text articles were included in the review. Telerehabilitation, telementoring, teleconsultation, telemonitoring, telepsychiatry, telesurgery, and telediagnosis were the segments of the telehealth division that explored the use of AR, VR, and MR platforms. Telerehabilitation using VR was the most commonly recurring segment in the included studies. AR and MR has been mainly used for telementoring and teleconsultation. The most important technical features of digital reality technology to emerge with telehealth were virtual environment, exergaming, 3D avatars, telepresence, anchoring annotations, and first-person viewpoint. Different arrangements of technology-3D modeling and viewing tools, communication and streaming platforms, file transfer and sharing platforms, sensors, high-fidelity displays, and controllers-formed the basis of most systems.

CONCLUSIONS

This review constitutes a recent overview of the evolving digital AR and VR in various clinical applications using the telehealth setup. This combination of telehealth with AR, VR, and MR allows for remote facilitation of clinical expertise and further development of home-based treatment. This review explores the rapidly growing suite of technologies available to users within the digital health sector and examines the opportunities and challenges they present.

The Impact of Personality Traits on Patient Satisfaction after Telerehabilitation: A Comparative Study of Remote and Face-to-Face Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation during COVID-19 Lockdown

This study aimed to evaluate the differences in patient satisfaction between telerehabilitation and traditional face-to-face rehabilitation and to identify the impact of personality traits on patient satisfaction with the remote form of rehabilitation. Eighty participants with musculoskeletal pain were recruited for the study. The telerehabilitation group (n = 40) completed a single remote session of rehabilitation, whereas the traditional rehabilitation group (n = 40) completed a single face-to-face session. After therapy, each participant was asked to complete a tailored satisfaction survey using Google Forms. The Health Care Satisfaction Questionnaire (HCSQ) and the International Personality Item Pool-Big Five Markers-20 (IPIP-BFM-20) were used as outcome measures. Considering the results of patient satisfaction with healthcare service, there were no statistically significant differences between telerehabilitation and traditional rehabilitation groups in the total HCSQ score and its subscales. For the complete HCSQ, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion were essential predictor variables, accounting for 51% of the variance in patient satisfaction. In conclusion, there were no differences in patient satisfaction between telerehabilitation and traditional rehabilitation groups. In the telerehabilitation group, higher agreeableness levels and lower conscientiousness and extraversion level could predict patients' satisfaction with telerehabilitation.

Telemedicine-Rehabilitation and Virtual Reality in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine

Introduction

Tele-rehabilitation is a method of delivering rehabilitation services using information, technology and communication to everyone, irrespective of their geographic location. National zeal for competitive sports and COVID pandemic has led to an increase in its demand and popularity worldwide. The athletes need immediate treatment and correct rehabilitation to keep them in their game. This review aims to bring into perspective the importance of telemedicine and telerehabilitation in orthopaedics and sports medicine with a focus on virtual reality.

Methods

Articles were searched based on suitable keywords 'telemedicine', 'telerehabilitation' 'orthopedics', 'orthopaedics', 'sports' and 'India*' which were combined using suitable boolean operators in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Government guidelines and laws were also reviewed in view of telehealth and telemedicine.

Conclusion

Tele-rehabilitation and virtual physical therapy are innovative and cost-effective ways to provide the best rehabilitative services to the patients at their doorstep. Virtual reality should be incorporated into the Indian telehealth delivering system with a special focus on the remote athlete population.

Deploying Serious Games for Cognitive Rehabilitation

The telerehabilitation of patients with neurological lesions has recently assumed significant importance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced the possibility of access to healthcare facilities by patients. Therefore, the possibility of exercise for these patients safely in their own homes has emerged as an essential need. Our efforts aim to provide an easy-to-implement and open-source methodology that provides doctors with a set of simple, low-cost tools to create and manage patient-adapted virtual reality telerehabilitation batteries of exercises. This is particularly important because many studies show that immediate action and appropriate, specific rehabilitation can guarantee satisfactory results. Appropriate therapy is based on crucial factors, such as the frequency, intensity, and specificity of the exercises. Our work’s most evident result is the definition of a methodology that allows the development of rehabilitation exercises with a limited effect in both economic and implementation terms, using software tools accessible to all.