Darcy Ummels

60 | Chapter 3 Clinical relevance Activity trackers can potentially be of added value to physiotherapy, but the feasibility of the activity tracker must be optimal to ensure implementation in physiotherapy treatment. The findings in this study are novel, physiotherapists should be aware of several factors which might compromise the use of an activity tracker during physical therapy. First, activity trackers should be easy to use in daily life and during treatment. An activity tracker should match with the needs and technical skills of the patient, but currently patients experience them as too complex. Participants who have limited technical skills need regular guidance from their physiotherapist besides help with interpretation of activity tracker data for all patients. At this moment, most of the participants did not see the added value of an activity tracker, since they didn ’ t discuss the activity tracker data during their therapy and valued the physical treatment more. However, when asked, participants could see the potential added value of an activity tracker. Therefore, if a physiotherapist wants to use an activity tracker in therapy, they should use it in a meaningful way to support the physical treatment. An activity tracker can be a good measurement ‐ and motivation tool in physiotherapy treatment since participants found them motivating to be more active and to reach their daily activity goals. However, some activity trackers are not yet valid and reliable during activities of daily living. This should be kept in mind by both the physiotherapists and patient, since this might demotivate the patient and influence the advice of the physiotherapists. Furthermore, due to the perceived high costs, most participants are not willing to buy an activity tracker themselves. A physiotherapist should keep in mind that therefore the use of an activity trackers might not be affordable for every patient depending on their finical situation and willingness to buy an activity tracker. Conclusion Patients with a chronic disease were positive regarding activity trackers in general. However they require an activity tracker adapted to their needs and skills. The developed framework gives insight in all important concepts from the experiences reported by people with a chronic disease and can be used to guide further research and practice. When embedded in physiotherapy, however, more attention should be payed to the integration in treatment.