About outREACH

outREACH system for the delivery of personalized upper extremity assessment and rehabilitation management for stroke patients in sub-Saharan Africa

The Issue

80 percent of stroke burden occurs in low and middle-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa stroke prevalence has doubled in the past four decades causing serious, long-term physical disabilities, and has pervasive negative influences on an individual’s quality of life, participation in society and independence. Evidence shows post-stroke rehabilitation facilitates recovery and improves quality of life and independence.  However, in sub-Saharan Africa there is a scarcity of rehabilitation professionals and access to healthcare is limited by geographical distances.

This study

This study will leverage mHealth technologies to develop a community-based stroke management system in order to enhance access to healthcare. Using an iterative user-centered design approach we developed a community-based tool for the personalized delivery of upper extremity stroke assessment and rehabilitation.

Aim 1: Evaluate the usability and acceptability of the outREACH system in Gondar, Ethiopia

Aim 2: Establish the extent to which the outREACH system leads to improvements in post-stroke upper limb function

System features

• The creation and modification of tailored rehabilitation programs
• Tracking patient progress based on performance
• Visual feedback about psychological and physiological progress
• Asynchronous patient and clinician communication

Implications

• The outREACH system will provide an innovative and entirely new approach to stroke management. If successful, our community-based mHealth application may lead to a shift in the way that patients with physical disabilities are treated
• Community-based mHealth solutions can serve as a model for rehabilitation during stroke recovery improving access to healthcare across sub-Saharan Africa and in other areas with limited access to quality rehabilitation services