Lifestyle Evaluation Using Wearable Technologies: Opportunities for Stroke Patients

Stroke is the leading cause of disabilities in the western world and may cause severe motor impairments. In the current clinical practice, progress during physical rehabilitation is assessed by a therapist for specific motor functions and through questionnaires that address patient’s general well-being or lifestyle. However, this approach is not only prone to subjectivity due to both the patient and the rater during the assessment, but it is also non-continuous and coarse grained, since it can only be administered every few months. In this paper, the concept of a complementary solution based on wearable technologies is proposed, and the remaining challenges to provide an objective, fine-grained and long-term evaluation of patient’s lifestyle through physical activity monitoring are highlighted.