Telerehabilitation Platforms in times of COVID-19: Usability Evaluation
Authors: Carrion Toro Mayra , Morales Martinez David , Santórum Marco , Acosta Vargas Patricia , Maldonado-garcés Verónica , Acosta-vargas Gloria , Ayala-chauvin Manuel , Ortiz-prado Esteban , González-rodríguez Mario 
Published: July 2023

Following the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus,
telerehabilitation (TR) has become a tool for safely providing health
services. TR has positioned itself as an innovative health strategy that
seeks to improve access to healthcare by applying advances in information
and communication technologies (ICT). The rise of TR, an emerging field of
telehealth, brings new challenges, mainly related to supporting physiatrists
in planning, monitoring, and evaluating rehabilitation.Currently, it is
common for patients who have shown improved health following hospitalization
caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to be sent home. However, many of these
patients may experience consequences of prolonged hospitalization and
isolation, such as physical symptoms (fatigue, weakness), cognitive
difficulties (delirium), and emotional complications (depression).The
research conducted by some authors has demonstrated the effectiveness of TR
for physical and mental health problems, improving patients' quality of life
by overcoming obstacles such as distance to the institution providing care,
strain associated with face-to-face rehabilitation appointments on family
members, and lack of homecare for rehabilitation.Using software within TR
programs supports professionals in constructing a rehabilitation program and
serves as a source of learning and knowledge. When designing and developing
technologies to improve TR, it is important to consider usability, a key
aspect that facilitates the use of the product and relates to the ability to
learn, efficiency, error reduction, and satisfaction. The correct
incorporation of usability must consider principles, metrics, and patterns
that facilitate effectiveness, quality, and service usefulness. Lack of
usability and a user-centered approach can lead to problems such as
confusion, repetitive errors, or even abandonment of the TR program.In this
paper, our proposal is to evaluate three TR platforms using the concept of
"usability" from the field of Human-Computer Interaction. To carry out this
evaluation, we will follow the process proposed by Rautela A. and utilize
the CSUQ (Computer System Usability Questionnaire), which is an inquiry
method used by IBM to compare the results with the SUS (Systems Usability
Scale). The SUS will allow us to determine the acceptability of the TR
platforms based on the final users' ratings. Platforms that score above 70
are considered "acceptable," while those that score between 50 and 70 are
categorized as "marginal," and those below 50 are labeled "unacceptable."
Our evaluation will focus on analyzing the usability of these platforms and
identifying areas for improvement to enhance their overall user
experience.The usability evaluation results will help us consider web
platform design and development features for the TR of physical and
cognitive disorders. Consequently, we encourage health professionals to
adapt their job to TR, improving patients' autonomy and quality of life.The
results of the usability evaluation will assist in the consideration of web
platform design and development features for TR of physical and cognitive
disorders. As a result, we encourage health professionals to adapt their
practices to TR, ultimately enhancing patients' autonomy and quality of
life.