Increase Patient Care at Home with TV Trainer

TV Trainer helps increase patient care by supporting self-paced exercise at home and in assisted living units, easing the transition from hospital to home.

TV Trainer delivers guided and personalised exercise sessions directly to clients in their homes and assisted living units. The solution guides users through an exercise programme from start to finish with step-by-step instructions. With clear on-screen video demonstrations, as well as text and voice guidance, the solution ensures that exercises are performed correctly and effectively.  

The exercises on the TV Trainer are prescribed by physiotherapists who send personalised exercise routines directly to the device via internet. Alternatively, pre-loaded exercise programs can be added to the device, thus eliminating the need for an internet connection.

Therapists can remotely monitor the client's activity and adjust the exercises as needed.

GoodLife Technology originated from a collaboration with Nitro Games on a project for Kymenlaakso Central Hospital, which explored rehabilitation for cerebrovascular disorders. This led to the creation of Liitäjä, a game-based rehabilitation solution, that utilizes Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing camera. After the success of Liitäjä, GoodLife Technology became an independent company and partnered with Physiotools. The first product, Kinect Kiosk, offered physiotherapy exercises in public spaces and healthcare facilities. This success inspired the development of a smaller, consumer-oriented device, resulting in the TV Trainer.

To ensure that rehabilitation at home can be done with ease and with guidance from a physiotherapist, the aim was to design an intuitive device. The initial realization was that most households possessed a sizable TV with free space around it. Thus, the idea emerged to connect a compact computer to the customer's TV, thereby recreating the exercise environment of the Kinect Kiosk within a home.​

Recognizing potential challenges of privacy concerns and proper placement, the camera was excluded from this product. Instead, Intel's Compute Stick mini PCs are being used, which are compact devices that plug directly into the HDMI port of the customer’s TV. These mini PCs only need a power cable, and to enhance the user experience, a wireless start button is included. Customers simply power on the TV Trainer, select the correct HDMI channel on their TV, and begin their exercise journey.

The TV Trainer has been in use and testing across several well-being regions in Finland. Furthermore, the previous model, Liitäjä, continues to be used at Kymenlaakso Central Hospital.​

The most recent significant research and trial effort was conducted in collaboration with the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) through the REDI SOTE project. At Suursuo and Laakso hospitals in Helsinki, an experiment was undertaken to determine if the device connected to the television could replace paper-based instructions used by physiotherapists and encourage patients to complete all exercises. The study involved using the TV Trainer for both in-hospital and at-home rehabilitation.

While research results have not yet been published, the current information suggests that the outcomes obtained using the TV Trainer to aid individual rehabilitation are promising.​

Read More at Forum Virium: https://forumvirium.fi/release/televisio-toi-tehoa-kuntoutukseen-fysioterapeuteilta-kiitosta-ratkaisulle/​