Abstract
BackgroundPersons with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience dexterous difficulties during the performance of activities of daily living, such as fastening buttons, handling coins, or writing, therefore impacting their health-related quality of life. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions, such as tablet apps, may be used to train impaired dexterous skills. The feasibility of a tablet app–based dexterity home-based intervention in MS (TAD-MS) has not been explored yet in persons with MS.ObjectiveThe aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and usability of home-based dexterity training with a tablet app in both persons with MS and healthy subjects.MethodsA total of 9 persons with MS, aged 35-71 years, with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score between 2 and 7.5, performed the TAD-MS for 4 weeks, five times a week, with each training session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Participants’ impaired dexterity was measured by the Nine-Hole Peg Test. A total of 10 age-matched healthy subjects also tested and rated the usability of the app. Outcome measures were the adherence rate as well as usability measured by the System Usability Scale and a Custom User Engagement Questionnaire (CUEQ).ResultsHigh feasibility of the tablet app–based dexterity training program was shown by a 97% adherence rate to the training protocol (ie, mean 19.4/20 sessions completed, SD 0.8). High system usability scores (ie, mean 85.39%, SD 11.67) and overall high scores given in the CUEQ (ie, mean 8.2/10, SD 1.4) further point to high usability of the app. Neither demographic variables nor dexterity levels affected the use of the app.ConclusionsThis pilot study is the first to demonstrate high feasibility and usability of a new tablet app–based dexterity home-based training program among both persons with MS and healthy individuals. Whether this kind of training improves dexterity will need to be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of nontraumatic neurological disability in young adults and comes with long-term disability, including dexterous dysfunction[1,2,3]
They were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: (1) provided written informed consent according to the latest Declaration of Helsinki [19], (2) had an multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis following the revised McDonald criteria [20], (3) experienced impaired dexterity in their activities of daily living (ADL) or had a pathological Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) according to established cutoff values [21], (4) aged above 18 years, and (5) were able to understand German for instructions and measurements
Our findings suggest that demographic factors and dexterity levels do not interfere with the use of the app, further adding to the high usability of this Mobile health (mHealth) intervention
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of nontraumatic neurological disability in young adults and comes with long-term disability, including dexterous dysfunction[1,2,3]. The implementation of technical innovations has rapidly grown within MS neurorehabilitation Many of these innovations relate to mobile health (mHealth) solutions and are often apps that can be installed on smartphones and/or tablets [7] for use in the home environment. Conclusions: This pilot study is the first to demonstrate high feasibility and usability of a new tablet app–based dexterity home-based training program among both persons with MS and healthy individuals. Whether this kind of training improves dexterity will need to be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
