Darcy Ummels

52 | Chapter 3 “ Well a scheme, with the possibilities and for example a picture and where you can buy it [activity tracker]. Or which brand, what the advantages and disadvantages of some are. Or the complexity. ” Female, 46 years, chronic pain Participants found that activity trackers did not function on Apple products (MacBook, iPad) and that some older computers can ’ t run the activity tracker software. They experienced this as disappointing. However, they would not buy another computer or smartphone so they could use their activity tracker. Instruction and use Older participants said that if they had received more information from their physiotherapists about using the activity tracker, they could have used them independently. Some participants consulted the physiotherapist for additional information. Almost all had to ask their partner, children, or physiotherapist for extra help. “I didn’t understand how to do it, so I called my physiotherapist again and we went through it together one more time, after that it went fine.” Male, 66 years, Diabetes Mellitus and cardiovascular disease “I installed the activity tracker together with my husband. I have to admit, I don’t have that much technical skills, but together we managed to do it.” Female, 61 years, chronic pain Most participants mentioned that their physiotherapist installed the activity tracker for them. Some participants had asked their physiotherapist to read out their data. Others claimed that by embedding activity trackers in the care process, the physiotherapist needed to focus on several aspects in daily clinical practice: a thorough explanation of the activity tracker, advice on the suitable moment(s) of checking individual data on the trackers and help with the translation of the activity tracker data into a conclusion for the patient on how he is doing ( ‘ data interpretation ’ ). “In the light of embedding in healthcare, the physiotherapist should pay more attention to explaining the activity tracker, and the meaning of it, but he should also help with the interpretation of the results.” Male, 56 years, cardiovascular disease With some activity trackers, an instruction guide was included, yet experiences with these guides varied between participants. Some participants found the instructions very clear, while others said they were too vague. Many participants would like a clear step ‐ by ‐ step manual. One major issue was that the guides were written in English instead of