Maarten van Egmond

130 Chapter 6 Table 1. Continued a ASA: American Society of Anesthesiologists. b I: healthy person. c II: mild systemic disease. d III: severe systemic disease. e BMI: body mass index is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. f COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. g DM II: diabetes mellitus type 2. h FVC: functional vital capacity. i FEV1: forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration. j IVC: inspiratory vital capacity. The physiotherapist and patients contacted each other 204 times in 243 weeks, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of three times a week for coaching, for regular follow-ups, and for adjusting the treatment program, dependent on the patient’s needs. Of these 204 direct patient contacts, 1 (0.5%) took place with a video connection, 26 (12.7%) with email, 122 (59.8%) with telephone, and 55 (27.0%) with live contact via home visits. Total average patient satisfaction (range 30-150) measured at T1 was 135.0 (SD 19.5), with sub scores on usefulness (range 10-50) = 44.66 (SD 7.4), communication (range 11-55) = 48.3 (SD 8.1), and user friendliness (range 9-45) = 42.8 (SD 3.2). Patients appreciated weekly follow-ups by telephone or email and especially appreciated the flexibility they had to perform the exercises at home. They rated the telerehabilitation app as user friendly, and they did not miss the physical presence of the physiotherapist to follow the exercise program. No adverse events took place during measurements or exercise sessions. Total average patient satisfaction at T2 was 139.6 (SD 15.4). Textbox 1 provides a selection of quotes, addressed by participants more than once about experiences with the program. Textbox 1. Patient experiences Quotes “It gave a lot of confidence to work at home on my recovery with supervision of a PT “ Mrs. S., 70y “I could do the exercises whenever I wanted, that was very convenient” Mr. W., 54y “Without this program I would never have been that far” Mr. J., 66y “I should not have thought about going to the physiotherapist twice a week” Mrs. B., 60y “By practicing at home, I knew what I was doing it for. That was very motivating” Mr. B., 62y “I missed incentives in the program” Mr. B.,49y “I did not miss the physical presence of the physiotherapist, I felt that I could always reach him through the app” Mrs. B, 64y “Along the way, I found the exercise program less relevant, I could already do my daily activities again” Mr. S., 62y