Telerehabilitation Platforms in Times of COVID-19: Usability Evaluation

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.