Telemedicine in palliative care: a review of systematic reviews.

Aims: To evaluate the quality of systematic reviews on telemedicine applications in palliative care.

Methods: A structured literature review was conducted to identify systematic reviews dealing with telemedicine in palliative care; the AMSTAR (Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews) checklist was used to appraise the evidence related to the systematic reviews.

Results: 405 records were initially identified; of these 14 were eligible for full-text analysis.

Scoping review of outcome measures used in telerehabilitation and virtual reality for post-stroke rehabilitation.

Introduction Despite the increased interest in telerehabilitation (TR), virtual reality (VR) and outcome measures for stroke rehabilitation, surprisingly little research has been done to map and identify the most common outcome measures used in TR. For this review, we conducted a systematic search of the literature that reports outcome measures used in TR or VR for stroke rehabilitation. Our specific objectives included: 1) to identify the outcome measures used in TR and VR studies; and 2) to describe which parts of the International Classification of Functioning are measured in the studies.

Outcome Measures in Tele-Rehabilitation and Virtual Reality for Stroke Survivors: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Unlabelled: Despite the increased interest about tele-rehabilitation, virtual reality and outcome measures for stroke rehabilitation, surprisingly little research has been done to map and summarize the most common outcome measures used in tele-rehabilitation. For this review, we propose to conduct a systematic search of the literature that reports outcome measures used in tele-rehabilitation or virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation. Specific objectives include: 1) to identify the outcome measures used in tele-rehabilitation studies; 2) to describe the psychometric properties of the outcome measures in the included studies; 3) to describe which parts of the International Classification of Functioning are measured in the studies.

A quality assessment of systematic reviews on telerehabilitation: what does the evidence tell us?

Aims: To evaluate the quality of systematic reviews on telerehabilitation.

Methods: The AMSTAR--Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews--checklist was used to appraise the evidence related to the systematic reviews.

Results: Among the 477 records initially identified, 10 systematic reviews matched the inclusion criteria.

Ten years of telerehabilitation: A literature overview of technologies and clinical applications.

This paper aims at delivering a structured overview of telerehabilitation literature by analysing the entire set of articles under the search terms "telerehabilitation" or "tele-rehabilitation" to portray "state of the art" ten years after the publication of the first scientific article on the topic. A structured study has been conducted by considering all those articles containing the word "telerehabilitation" or "tele-rehabilitation". Medline, Embase, Cochrane, UK Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health databases have been interrogated for articles between 1998 and 2008.

Electromyographic audio biofeedback for telerehabilitation in hospital.

We investigated the use of surface electromyography with biofeedback for telerehabilitation. The aim was to investigate the therapist's point of view, and the general acceptability of the system for the patient and for the therapist. The system allowed a therapist to modulate the rehabilitation protocol remotely, by changing the configuration variables, e.

Measurement of physical quantities in upper-limb tele-rehabilitation.

A total of 50 patients (affected by traumatic brain injury, stroke or multiple sclerosis) were treated for one month using a rehabilitation protocol. Rehabilitation could be monitored using a Portable Unit (PU) which could be installed in a patient's home allowing the measurement of kinetic and kinematic variables during exercise. In a preliminary analysis, the variables related to four rehabilitation exercises were examined for two patients at baseline and at the end of the one-month treatment.

Clinical assessment of the HELLODOC tele-rehabilitation service.

Within the EU project HELLODOC, the clinical effectiveness was investigated of the home care activity desk (H-CAD). Eighty-one patients with chronic stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) were recruited; 50 out of 81 received 1 month of H-CAD intervention, with one training session a day lasting 30 minutes for 5 days a week. The overall satisfaction of both patients and therapists was high.

Tele-rehabilitation and e-learning: the HELLODOC educational experience.

A web-based learning activity in the field of tele-rehabilitation was conducted by Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), the Italian National Institute of Health, within the EU project HELLODOC. The activity aimed at training professionals to effectively manage the tele-rehabilitation service. ISS adapted the Moodle e-learning platform and implemented the problem-based learning (PBL) methodology.

Technical assessment of the HELLODOC service.

A technical assessment activity has been conducted by Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) in the European project HELLODOC (Healthcare service linking tele-rehabilitation to disabled people and clinicians) for evaluating the tele-rehabilitation service. The activity was mainly focussed on architectural aspects and a step by step monitoring of the service. It was mainly related to the following aspects: service implementation, service performances, service integration and fault management.

Tele-rehabilitation: present and future.

During the last decade we assisted to relevant progress in rehabilitation studies and in technological development. From the combination of these issues rises the tele-rehabilitation--a subfield of telemedicine consisting of a system to control rehabilitation "at distance"--as an actual possibility of application and a promising development in the future. The present paper offers a short review of the state of the art in the field of tele-rehabilitation, with a special focus on upper limb tele-rehabilitation.