Evaluation of the Reliability of a New Mobile Application-Based Method of Measuring Physical Therapy Time

Yuichi Yoshida, Naoki Torikai, Atsushi Ichiyama, Hiroomi Hamasaki, Shogo Ninomiya, Daisuke Noguchi, Toshie Matsunaga, Shun Okura
Purpose:

This study was conducted to investigate the reliability of RTT in stroke PT.

Methods:

The study population consisted of 12 patients with stroke who were hospitalized and had FIM scores of 40 or higher. Stroke PT was classified into eight components（Activities in lying, Active sitting, Transfers and sit to stand practice, Standing, Walking practice, Treadmill or other rehabilitation equipment, Upper limb activities, Inactive therapy）, and the physical therapist in charge recorded the time of each component using the RTT. Further, the session was video-recorded, and another physical therapist measured the time for each content. Based on these data, the agreement between the RTT and video recordings was verified using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Furthermore, a comparison test was conducted on the difference between the RTT-Video (the difference between RTT and video) and the Hand-Video (the difference between handwritten recordings and video). The Hand-Video data are from the study by Kaur et al.(2013). Data distribution and variability were visually compared using Bland-Altman plots. R (4.3.2) was used for the analyses, with a significance level of 5%.

Results:

The subjects were aged 74.8±15.8 years, with FIM scores of 74.0±19.1. Twenty-three sessions were included in the analysis, with an ICC of 0.88 between the total RTT time and total video time. The ICC for each component ranged from 0.75 to 1.00. A significant difference was found between the RTT-Video and the Hand-Video (RTT-Video Hand-Video, p0.05). The Bland–Altman plot showed that the limits of agreement of the RTT-Video was narrower than that of the Hand-Video.

Conclusion(s):

The RTT and Video showed a higher agreement than that in the study by Kure et al.(2013). The RTT-Video showed significantly smaller values than the Hand-Video, while the limits of agreement was narrower, suggesting that RTT is more reliable than handwritten recordings.

Implications:

Utilizing RTT to evaluate the stroke PT time, the daily distribution of therapy time can be observed. This study results to address the challenges in time recording by physical therapists, as highlighted in previous research, and offer valuable insights for designing an efficient time allocation system for stroke PT. Additionally, data sharing across multiple professions facilitates timely monitoring of the progression of stroke PT session durations.

Funding acknowledgements:
nothing
Keywords:
physical therapy
stroke
time
Primary topic:
Neurology: stroke
Second topic:
Innovative technology: information management, big data and artificial intelligence
Third topic:
Professional issues: diversity and inclusion
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare ethical review board
Provide the ethics approval number:
05-002
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

Back to the listing