Affiliations: [a] National Addictions Management Service (NAMS), Institute of Mental Health, Singapore | [b] Stroke Support Station (S3), Singapore | [c] Department of Neurology, National University Healthcare Systems (NUHS), Singapore | [d] Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Melvyn Zhang, Psychiatry Senior Resident National Addictions Management Service, 10 Buangkok Green Medical Park, 539747, Singapore. Tel.: +65 63892504; Fax: +65 63892222; E-mail:melvynzhangweibin@gmail.com
Abstract: With the increasing incidences of cerebrovascular disease, as well as the
morbidity and mortality associated with it, it is of no surprise that there
have been much global governmental interest in the primary prevention of
this disorder; or at least in the secondary and tertiary prevention and
rehabilitation of individuals who have suffered disabilities arising from a
recent cerebrovascular attack. Developers and clinicians have not considered
one of the key areas in Stroke prevention and management, which is that of
secondary prevention, and in particular that of tapping onto smartphone
technologies for stroke rehabilitation. There has been much interest in the
development of devices for rehabilitation of stroke patients instead. One of
the concerns with regards to conventional bio and mechanical sensors are the
costs involved in development, as well as the costs involved when stroke
survivors and their caregivers are required to purchase the devices for
monitoring and rehabilitation. In view of the current limitations, the S3
Rehab application, which makes use of the smartphone build in sensors, has
been conceptualized and has been developed for the two major platforms
(Apple and Android platforms). The authors believe that by tapping onto
these sensors and by programming a smartphone application that is
specifically catered for rehabilitation, it would keep costs minimal for
researchers, patients and caregivers. Whilst there is a growing interest in
wearable devices and sensors, it is important for developers and researchers
to be cognizant that certain interventions, such as rehabilitation could
still be done through a smartphone device, instead of investing in new
research and development. There are various untapped potential in the
smartphone that researchers and developers need to be cognizant of.
Keywords: Smartphone, mobile phone, applications, neurology, stroke, rehabilitation, sensors
