The Effects of a Home-based Occupational Therapy Tele-rehabilitation for Outpatients After Hip Fracture Surgery

The Effects of a Home-based Occupational Therapy Tele-rehabilitation Via Smartphones for Outpatients After Hip Fracture Surgery in Hong Kong: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Study

The investigators will investigate the effects of a home-based occupational therapy telerehabilitation (TR) via smartphones in enhancing functional and motor performances, and fall efficacy, for outpatients receiving day hospital rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery.

This is a feasibility randomized controlled trial with two groups - experimental and comparison groups, involving older adults after hip fracture surgery within 12 weeks attending the Geriatric Day Hospital. Patients will be assessed at baseline, immediately post 3-weeks intervention, and follow-up after 3-weeks for motor performances, daily activities functioning and fall efficacy. The experimental group will receive home program using the use of Caspar Health e-system and a mobile app in smartphones, while the comparison group will receive paper-and-pencil instructions for the home program on weekly basis, for 3 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primary diagnosis of hip fracture
• Post-hip surgery within 12 weeks
• Aged 60 years old or above
• Medically stable
• With Abbreviated Mental Test scored 6 or above
• Having at least one functional limitation in the basic activities of daily living assessments

Exclusion Criteria:

• The hip fracture is the result of malignancy
• There is risk of falls due to postural hypotension
• Either patients or caregiver do not understand Cantonese, English or Mandarin instructions
• They do not use a smartphone
• They are unable to read the instructions on the screen of the smartphone because of visual difficulty