Oh, I didn't do a good job: How objective data affects physiotherapist-patient conversations for arthritis patients.

A physically active lifestyle consisting of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and non-sedentary behaviour can significantly improve mobility and the quality of life for people with arthritis. During consultations with patients, physiotherapists rely on patients' subjective feedback to understand their existing physical activity levels and physical ability. We developed a web application called FitViz, which allows physiotherapists and patients to use the physical activity data collected from Fitbit fitness trackers during consultations. We conducted a four-week study with 20 patients (inflammatory and knee osteoarthritis arthritis) and seven physiotherapists to evaluate the feasibility of FitViz, and understand the experiences of the physiotherapists and the patients. We used semi-structured interviews to understand how physiotherapists used FitViz, and if and how it changed the nature of their consultation. We found that the use of objective data allowed the physiotherapist-patient conversations to be patient-driven, and allowed goals to be realistic and data-driven. However, the use of objective data also caused the patients to feel guilty, which has implications on the use of pervasive healthcare technology in clinical settings.