Publications by authors named "Isabella Hotz"
Background: Exergames are increasingly used in rehabilitation, yet their usability and user experience for patients and therapists, particularly for functional model systems, are underresearched. The diverse needs and preferences of users make conducting usability studies challenging, emphasizing the need for further investigation in real-world settings.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the usability, safety, and user experience of a novel exergame functional model, the ExerG, from the perspectives of patients and therapists in a rehabilitation setting.
Background: Exergames are interactive technology-based exercise programs. By combining physical and cognitive training components, they aim to preserve independence in older adults and reduce their risk of falling. This study explored whether primary end users (PEU, healthy older adults and patients with neurological and geriatric diagnoses) and secondary end users (SEU, health professionals) evaluated the ExerG functional model to be usable, providing a positive experience and therefore acceptable.
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- The study aimed to collaborate with people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) to create a video-based exercise program that incorporates music, targeting a range of disability levels.
- Conducted in Austria, the research involved 67 participants, including pwMS, healthcare professionals, and family members, who provided insights through interviews and focus groups to tailor the program to their needs.
- The results revealed four key themes—engagement, ease, autonomy, and musical meaning—and produced 148 co-created videos that are accessible online, demonstrating high relevance and usability for pwMS.
Background: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for generating clinical evidence. The focus on high internal validity in RCTs challenges the external validity and generalisability of findings, potentially hindering their application in routine care. In neurorehabilitation, limited literature addresses conducting RCTs feasibly and efficiently.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Walking impairment represents a relevant symptom in patients with neurological diseases often compromising social participation. Currently, mixed methods studies on robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) in patients with rare neurological diseases are lacking. This study aimed to explore the feasibility, acceptability, goal attainment and preliminary effects of RAGT in patients with common and rare neurological diseases and understand the intervention context and process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To explore the experiences and acceptability of music-cued motor imagery (MCMI), music-cued gait training (MCGT), and combined MCMI and MCGT (MCMI-MCGT) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). We also aimed to explore participants' self-rated health status postintervention and gather recommendations for further programme development.
Design: Qualitative study alongside the double-blind randomised controlled real and imagined gait training with music-cueing (RIGMUC) multicentre trial of MCMI, MCGT and MCMI-MCGT.
Objectives: To describe changes in balance, walking speed, functional mobility, and eye movements following an activity-oriented physiotherapy (AOPT) or its combination with eye movement training (AOPT-E) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). To explore the feasibility of a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Methods: Using an assessor-blinded pilot RCT, 25 patients with PD were allocated to either AOPT or AOPT-E.