Low-Cost Wearable Data Acquisition for Stroke Rehabilitation: A Proof-of-Concept Study on Accelerometry for Functional Task Assessment

AbstractBackground: An increasingly aging society and consequently rising number of patients with poststroke-related neurological dysfunctions are forcing the rehabilitation field to adapt to ever-growing demands. Although clinical reasoning within rehabilitation is dependent on patient movement performance analysis, current strategies for monitoring rehabilitation progress are based on subjective time-consuming assessment scales, not often applied. Therefore, a need exists for efficient nonsubjective monitoring methods. Wearable monitoring devices are rapidly becoming a recognized option in rehabilitation for quantitative measures. Developments in sensors, embedded technology, and smart textile are driving rehabilitation to adopt an objective, seamless, efficient, and cost-effective delivery system. This study aims to assist physiotherapists’ clinical reasoning process through the incorporation of accelerometers as part of an electronic data acquisition system. Methods: A simple, low-cost, wearable devic...