Dr Riley C C Brown1,2,3, Dr Megan H Ross1,2, Prof Jeff S Coombes3, A/Prof Ingrid J Hickman4,5,6, A/Prof Nicola W Burton7,8, Dr Jaimon T Kelly9,10, Prof Trevor G Russell1,2, Dr Shelley E Keating3
1RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University Of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2STARS Education and Research Alliance, The University of Queensland and Metro North Health, Brisbane, Australia, 3Centre for Research on Exercise, Physical Activity and Health (CRExPAH), School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 4Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 5Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, 6The ULTRA Team, The University of Queensland Clinical Trials Capability, Brisbane, Australia, 7School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 8Centre for Mental Health, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 9Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 10Centre for Health Services Research, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Dr Brown is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the RECOVER Injury Research Centre at The University of Queensland. Dr Brown contributes to the Technology Enabled Rehabilitation research stream at the RECOVER, which aims to develop more effective and efficient health services supported by technology innovation. This includes designing, developing and testing emerging technologies, including digital health exercise interventions.
Objective: Technical issues during videoconsultations can have a negative impact on clinician willingness to use technology. This study evaluated the presence and impact of technical issues during exercise videoconsultations on exercise intensity achieved in session for people with complex chronic conditions (kidney and/or liver disease).
Abstract:
Design: Retrospective audit.
Methods:
Twenty-one people (9 men, 12 women, mean age: 50±14 years) with kidney or liver disease and at least one feature of the metabolic syndrome who participated in an exercise videoconsultation intervention were included. Clinician treatment notes from all consultations were audited for exercise intensity, presence and types of technical issue experienced, troubleshooting techniques attempted and resolutions. Between-group comparisons were conducted to examine differences in exercise intensity indicators between sessions without and those with technical issues.
Results:
Out of 270 videoconsultations, 15% (n=40) had technical issues, primarily related to audio-visual quality. Presence of technical issues did not result in lower exercise intensity for any mode (aerobic or resistance). Many sessions (46%) did not meet prescribed intensity targets, primarily due to participant fatigue, pain, and time constraints.
Conclusion:
Technical issues in this exercise videoconsultation intervention were not common and did not adversely affect exercise intensity attainment in-session. However, many participants did not achieve target intensities, possibly due to metabolic multimorbidity. These findings support the viability of videoconsultations for exercise delivery, emphasizing the need for tailored training and support to optimize exercise performance among complex patient populations. Future research could explore strategies to enhance exercise intensity during videoconsultations for people with metabolic multimorbidity.