Currently submitted to: JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies
Date Submitted: May 20, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 5, 2026 - Jul 31, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
IS E-HEALTH THE FUTURE FOR STROKE REHABILITATION? Experiences of implementing a mobile phone-supported and family-centred rehabilitation intervention
ABSTRACT
Background:
Stroke is currently increasing in low-income countries and hence there is an urgent need to develop modes of stroke rehabilitation adapted to the context. Information and communication technology can potentially improve stroke rehabilitation, yet it has mostly been studied in high-income countries. The increasing usage of mobile phones in the sub-Saharan region calls for studies of the implementation and use of telerehabilitation in stroke. However, research concerning health professionals’ experience regarding implementation and use of telerehabilitation for stroke survivors is lacking.
Objective:
This study aims to explore health professionals’ experiences of implementing a mobile phone-supported and family-centred rehabilitation after stroke, F@ce 2.0, in Uganda. An additional objective is to describe health professionals’ views on how to further develop and optimise implementation of e-health.
Methods:
Data were collected in semi-structured interviews with nine health professionals participating in F@ce 2.0. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach.
Results:
The intervention was delivered according to the predetermined design. The findings revealed several facilitators and challenges in the implementation process. Three categories emerged: Bridging gaps in rehabilitation, Obstacles in the implementation process and Facilitators in the implementation. An additional independent category Improving the model and enabling sustainability emerged regarding the participants’ views regarding implementation of future e-health interventions in stroke rehabilitation.
Conclusions:
This study indicates that mobile phone–supported telerehabilitation after stroke is feasible in a sub-Saharan context as perceived positively by health professionals. Family members play a crucial role in telerehabilitation. They may act as both facilitators and barriers, underscoring the importance of actively involving and supporting families to enhance engagement, sustainability, and rehabilitation outcomes. Health professionals in the sub-Saharan context overall appear positive to implement telerehabilitation for stroke survivors. In their opinion improved implementation of programmes such as F@ce 2.0 should include a combination of physical meetings, interdisciplinary collaboration, access to medical expertise, and reliable technical support. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04337034
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