This research qualitatively explores the impacts of the Helen B. Landgarten Art therapy Clinic’s transition to art therapy telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this research was to explore the efficacy of interventions and the clinical themes that emerged as a result of telehealth art therapy services delivered to marginalized communities through the Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic. Data that was collected includes anonymous surveys from administrators, teachers, and caregivers of those receiving services and facilitators of services, semi-structured interviews with administrators, teachers, and caregivers of those receiving services, as well as a focus group with facilitators of services. Through the analysis of data several findings suggest that art therapy telehealth can provide a safe space for engagement in mental health and be more accessible to marginalized communities. These findings potentially open new doors for further inquiry into art therapy telehealth.

La téléréadaptation, tout comme d’autres champs en télésanté, est de plus en plus interpelée pour la prestation de services. Le but de ce projet de thèse est d’enrichir l’évaluation de la téléréadaptation afin que les connaissances qui en découlent puissent venir soutenir la prise de décision d’acteurs impliqués à différents niveaux en téléréadaptation. Le premier article présente une revue systématique dont l’objectif était de faire synthèse critique des études en téléréadaptation. La revue rassemble 28 études en téléréadaptation, qui confirment l’efficacité de la téléréadaptation pour diverses clientèles dans différents milieux. Certaines des études suggèrent également des bénéfices en termes de coûts, mais ces résultats demeurent préliminaires. Cette synthèse critique est utile pour soutenir la décision d’introduire la téléréadaptation pour combler un besoin. Par contre, les décideurs bénéficieraient aussi de connaissances par rapport aux changements cliniques et organisationnels qui sont associés à la téléréadaptation lorsqu’elle est introduite en milieu clinique. Les deux autres articles traitent d’une étude de cas unique qui a examiné un projet clinique de téléréadaptation dans l’est de la province de Québec, au Canada. Le cadre conceptuel qui sous-tend l’étude de cas découle de la théorie de structuration de Giddens et des modèles de structuration de la technologie, en particulier de l’interaction entre la structure, l’agent et la technologie. Les données ont été recueillies à partir de plusieurs sources (groupes de discussion, entrevues individuelles, documents officiels et observation d’enregistrements) suivi d’une analyse qualitative. Le deuxième article de la thèse porte sur le lien entre la structure, l’agent et la culture organisationnelle dans l’utilisation de la téléréadaptation. Les résultats indiquent que les différences de culture organisationnelle entre les milieux sont plus évidentes avec l’utilisation de la téléréadaptation, entraînant des situations de conflits ainsi que des occasions de changement. De plus, la culture organisationnelle joue un rôle au niveau des croyances liées à la technologie. Les résultats indiquent aussi que la téléréadaptation pourrait contribuer à changer les cultures organisationnelles. Le troisième article examine l’intégration de la téléréadaptation dans les pratiques cliniques existantes, ainsi que les nouvelles routines cliniques qu’elle permet de soutenir et la pérennisation de la téléréadaptation. Les résultats indiquent qu’il y a effectivement certaines activités de téléréadaptation qui se sont intégrées aux routines des intervenants, principalement pour les plans d’intervention interdisciplinaire, tandis que pour les consultations et le suivi des patients, l’utilisation de la téléréadaptation n’a pas été intégrée aux routines. Plusieurs facteurs en lien avec la structure et l’agent ont contraint et facilité l’intégration aux routines cliniques, dont les croyances partagées, la visibilité de la téléréadaptation, le leadership clinique et organisationnel, la disponibilité des ressources, et l’existence de liens de collaboration. La pérennité de la téléréadaptation a aussi pu être observée à partir de la généralisation des activités et le développement de nouvelles applications et collaborations en téléréadaptation, et ce, uniquement pour les activités qui s’étaient intégrées aux routines des intervenants. Les résultats démontrent donc que lorsque la téléréadaptation n’est pas intégrée aux routines cliniques, elle n’est pas utilisée. Par contre, la téléréadaptation peut démontrée certains signes de pérennité lorsque les activités, qui sont reproduites, deviennent intégrées aux routines quotidiennes des utilisateurs. Ensemble, ces études font ressortir des résultats utiles pour la mise en place de la téléréadaptation et permettent de dégager des pistes pour enrichir le champ de l’évaluation de la téléréadaptation, afin que celui-ci devienne plus pertinent et complet, et puisse mieux soutenir les prises de décision d’acteurs impliqués à différents niveaux en téléréadaptation. / Telerehabilitation, like other telehealth applications, has been increasingly used to provide health services. The goal of this thesis is to enrich the field of telerehabilitation evaluation such that it can better contribute to informed decision making of those involved in telerehabilitation at different levels. The first article is a systematic review of telerehabilitation studies and it was conducted in order to provide a critical synthesis of the current telerehabilitation literature. The revue included 28 studies of telerehabilitation, which, overall, confirmed the efficacy of telerehabilitation when used with a variety of clienteles in different settings. Some of the studies also suggest that there may be some cost benefits associated with telerehabilitation although the findings remain preliminary. Such a synthesis of the literature can contribute to some decisions regarding the pertinence of introducing telerehabilitation. However, decision makers also need information regarding the clinical and organizational changes that are associated with telerehabilitation when implemented in a clinical setting. The next two articles contain the results of a single case study that was centered on a telerehabilitation clinical project implemented in the eastern part of the province of Quebec, in Canada. A conceptual model was developed to guide this study, and it was based on Giddens’ Theory of Structuration and on models of technology structuration, in particular drawing upon the notion of the interaction between structure, agent and technology. Data was collected from several sources (focus groups, interviews, official documents and observation of recordings) and was analyzed using a qualitative analysis approach. The second article in this thesis examined the relationship between structure, agent and organizational culture with respect to telerehabilitation use. The results indicate that differences in organizational culture between the centres are more visible when telerehabilitation is used, which can in some cases lead to conflicts, while in other cases create opportunities for change. In addition, organizational culture also played a role in shared beliefs linked to the technology. Lastly, the results suggest that telerehabilitation could be used to bring about changes in organizational culture. The third article examined how telerehabilitation became integrated into existing clinical practices, how it contributed to the development of new routines and explored the sustainability of telerehabilitation. The results indicate that some activities, namely interdisciplinary care plans were integrated into clinical routines, while consultations and patient follow-up were not. Several factors related to the structure and agent were found to facilitate or hinder the integration of telerehabilitation into routine practices, including shared beliefs, the visibility of telerehabilitation activities, the clinical and organizational leadership, the availability of resources and the existence of collaborations. Sustainability was also observed when telerehabilitation use became more generalized and novel applications were developed, although this was only found to occur for activities which had integrated into routine practice. The results therefore suggest that when telerehabilitation is not integrated into routine practices, it will not be used, but that, on the other hand, telerehabilitation may be sustainable for activities which are repeated and then integrated into routine day-to-day clinical activities. Together, these studies put forth findings which can be useful when implementing new telerehabilitation programs. They also help elucidate directions for future research in order to enrich the field of telerehabilitation evaluation so that it may become more pertinent and comprehensive to support decision-makers involved at all levels of telerehabilitation.

La téléréadaptation, tout comme d’autres champs en télésanté, est de plus en plus interpelée pour la prestation de services. Le but de ce projet de thèse est d’enrichir l’évaluation de la téléréadaptation afin que les connaissances qui en découlent puissent venir soutenir la prise de décision d’acteurs impliqués à différents niveaux en téléréadaptation. Le premier article présente une revue systématique dont l’objectif était de faire synthèse critique des études en téléréadaptation. La revue rassemble 28 études en téléréadaptation, qui confirment l’efficacité de la téléréadaptation pour diverses clientèles dans différents milieux. Certaines des études suggèrent également des bénéfices en termes de coûts, mais ces résultats demeurent préliminaires. Cette synthèse critique est utile pour soutenir la décision d’introduire la téléréadaptation pour combler un besoin. Par contre, les décideurs bénéficieraient aussi de connaissances par rapport aux changements cliniques et organisationnels qui sont associés à la téléréadaptation lorsqu’elle est introduite en milieu clinique. Les deux autres articles traitent d’une étude de cas unique qui a examiné un projet clinique de téléréadaptation dans l’est de la province de Québec, au Canada. Le cadre conceptuel qui sous-tend l’étude de cas découle de la théorie de structuration de Giddens et des modèles de structuration de la technologie, en particulier de l’interaction entre la structure, l’agent et la technologie. Les données ont été recueillies à partir de plusieurs sources (groupes de discussion, entrevues individuelles, documents officiels et observation d’enregistrements) suivi d’une analyse qualitative. Le deuxième article de la thèse porte sur le lien entre la structure, l’agent et la culture organisationnelle dans l’utilisation de la téléréadaptation. Les résultats indiquent que les différences de culture organisationnelle entre les milieux sont plus évidentes avec l’utilisation de la téléréadaptation, entraînant des situations de conflits ainsi que des occasions de changement. De plus, la culture organisationnelle joue un rôle au niveau des croyances liées à la technologie. Les résultats indiquent aussi que la téléréadaptation pourrait contribuer à changer les cultures organisationnelles. Le troisième article examine l’intégration de la téléréadaptation dans les pratiques cliniques existantes, ainsi que les nouvelles routines cliniques qu’elle permet de soutenir et la pérennisation de la téléréadaptation. Les résultats indiquent qu’il y a effectivement certaines activités de téléréadaptation qui se sont intégrées aux routines des intervenants, principalement pour les plans d’intervention interdisciplinaire, tandis que pour les consultations et le suivi des patients, l’utilisation de la téléréadaptation n’a pas été intégrée aux routines. Plusieurs facteurs en lien avec la structure et l’agent ont contraint et facilité l’intégration aux routines cliniques, dont les croyances partagées, la visibilité de la téléréadaptation, le leadership clinique et organisationnel, la disponibilité des ressources, et l’existence de liens de collaboration. La pérennité de la téléréadaptation a aussi pu être observée à partir de la généralisation des activités et le développement de nouvelles applications et collaborations en téléréadaptation, et ce, uniquement pour les activités qui s’étaient intégrées aux routines des intervenants. Les résultats démontrent donc que lorsque la téléréadaptation n’est pas intégrée aux routines cliniques, elle n’est pas utilisée. Par contre, la téléréadaptation peut démontrée certains signes de pérennité lorsque les activités, qui sont reproduites, deviennent intégrées aux routines quotidiennes des utilisateurs. Ensemble, ces études font ressortir des résultats utiles pour la mise en place de la téléréadaptation et permettent de dégager des pistes pour enrichir le champ de l’évaluation de la téléréadaptation, afin que celui-ci devienne plus pertinent et complet, et puisse mieux soutenir les prises de décision d’acteurs impliqués à différents niveaux en téléréadaptation. / Telerehabilitation, like other telehealth applications, has been increasingly used to provide health services. The goal of this thesis is to enrich the field of telerehabilitation evaluation such that it can better contribute to informed decision making of those involved in telerehabilitation at different levels. The first article is a systematic review of telerehabilitation studies and it was conducted in order to provide a critical synthesis of the current telerehabilitation literature. The revue included 28 studies of telerehabilitation, which, overall, confirmed the efficacy of telerehabilitation when used with a variety of clienteles in different settings. Some of the studies also suggest that there may be some cost benefits associated with telerehabilitation although the findings remain preliminary. Such a synthesis of the literature can contribute to some decisions regarding the pertinence of introducing telerehabilitation. However, decision makers also need information regarding the clinical and organizational changes that are associated with telerehabilitation when implemented in a clinical setting. The next two articles contain the results of a single case study that was centered on a telerehabilitation clinical project implemented in the eastern part of the province of Quebec, in Canada. A conceptual model was developed to guide this study, and it was based on Giddens’ Theory of Structuration and on models of technology structuration, in particular drawing upon the notion of the interaction between structure, agent and technology. Data was collected from several sources (focus groups, interviews, official documents and observation of recordings) and was analyzed using a qualitative analysis approach. The second article in this thesis examined the relationship between structure, agent and organizational culture with respect to telerehabilitation use. The results indicate that differences in organizational culture between the centres are more visible when telerehabilitation is used, which can in some cases lead to conflicts, while in other cases create opportunities for change. In addition, organizational culture also played a role in shared beliefs linked to the technology. Lastly, the results suggest that telerehabilitation could be used to bring about changes in organizational culture. The third article examined how telerehabilitation became integrated into existing clinical practices, how it contributed to the development of new routines and explored the sustainability of telerehabilitation. The results indicate that some activities, namely interdisciplinary care plans were integrated into clinical routines, while consultations and patient follow-up were not. Several factors related to the structure and agent were found to facilitate or hinder the integration of telerehabilitation into routine practices, including shared beliefs, the visibility of telerehabilitation activities, the clinical and organizational leadership, the availability of resources and the existence of collaborations. Sustainability was also observed when telerehabilitation use became more generalized and novel applications were developed, although this was only found to occur for activities which had integrated into routine practice. The results therefore suggest that when telerehabilitation is not integrated into routine practices, it will not be used, but that, on the other hand, telerehabilitation may be sustainable for activities which are repeated and then integrated into routine day-to-day clinical activities. Together, these studies put forth findings which can be useful when implementing new telerehabilitation programs. They also help elucidate directions for future research in order to enrich the field of telerehabilitation evaluation so that it may become more pertinent and comprehensive to support decision-makers involved at all levels of telerehabilitation.

Australia and many other developed communities are ageing rapidly, placing a strain on the delivery of health services. This thesis examines the use of innovative health services management coupled with information and communication technology (ICT) to more efficiently deliver services to disabled older people in the hospital, community and residential care. The hypothesis explored is that ICT can provide clinical services to older people in poorly serviced communities and groups, thus extending the influence and capabilities of specialist health care professionals. The relevance of these studies is predominantly for those people who live outside the metropolitan regions, particularly in remote and rural communities, and also for those frail older people, who because of disability, are unable to travel to specialist health services. There are a series of studies presented in this thesis which have all been published. They have demonstrated that in a community and rural setting, ICT use in the assessment and management of geriatric syndromes such as dementia is valid and practical. This included the validation of commonly used assessment tools via Telehealth. A Telehealth protocol for assessment of Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) was developed and published. The use of ICT to link health services clinical and administrative data for determining stroke outcomes and disability has been evaluated and a resource utilization prediction model developed. Finally, in residential care a survey and a qualitative study of poor uptake of ICT services in hostels and nursing homes revealed insights into ICT perception by the older people in care facilities and their professional staff. The implications and future development of these studies have been discussed, especially barriers to increased uptake of ICT, cost comparisons and the potential of future technologies such as video conferencing mobile phones.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:55:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RenataPB_DISSERT.pdf: 1489254 bytes, checksum: 88fdf1027875fb6b83dbe203da3c24f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-14 / It s notorious the advance of computer networks in recent decades, whether in relation to transmission rates, the number of interconnected devices or the existing applications. In parallel, it s also visible this progress in various sectors of the automation, such as: industrial, commercial and residential. In one of its branches, we find the hospital networks, which can make the use of a range of services, ranging from the simple registration of patients to a surgery by a robot under the supervision of a physician. In the context of both worlds, appear the applications in Telemedicine and Telehealth, which work with the transfer in real time of high resolution images, sound, video and patient data. Then comes a problem, since the computer networks, originally developed for the transfer of less complex data, is now being used by a service that involves high transfer rates and needs requirements for quality of service (QoS) offered by the network . Thus, this work aims to do the analysis and comparison of performance of a network when subjected to this type of application, for two different situations: the first without the use of QoS policies, and the second with the application of such policies, using as scenario for testing, the Metropolitan Health Network of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) / ? not?rio o avan?o das redes de computadores nas ?ltimas d?cadas, seja em rela??o ?s taxas de transmiss?o, ao n?mero de dispositivos interconectados ou mesmo ?s aplica??es existentes. Em paralelo, percebemos tamb?m este avan?o nos diversos segmentos da ?rea de automa??o, tais como: industrial, comercial e residencial. Em uma de suas ramifica??es, encontram-se as redes hospitalares, que podem fazer uso de uma gama de servi?os, que v?o desde o simples cadastro de pacientes at? uma cirurgia feita por um rob? sob a supervis?o de um m?dico especialista. No contexto dos dois universos, aparecem as aplica??es em Telemedicina e Telessa?de, que trabalham com a transfer?ncia, em tempo real, de imagens de alta resolu??o, som, v?deo e dados de pacientes. Surge ent?o um problema, visto que as redes de computadores, inicialmente criadas para a transfer?ncia de dados menos complexos, est? sendo agora usada por um servi?o que envolve altas taxas de transfer?ncia e apresenta requisitos em rela??o ? qualidade do servi?o (QoS) oferecido pela rede. Desta forma, este trabalho realiza uma an?lise e compara??o de desempenho de uma rede quando submetida a esse tipo de aplica??o, para duas situa??es distintas: a primeira sem o uso de pol?ticas de QoS, e a segunda com a aplica??o de tais pol?ticas, usando como cen?rio para os testes, a Rede Metropolitana de Sa?de da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)

Introduction The prevalence of depressive symptoms in persons with heart failure is higher than in age- and gender-matched populations not suffering from heart failure. Heart failure in itself is associated with an unpredictable trajectory of symptoms, a poor prognosis, high mortality and morbidity, and low health-related quality of life (HrQoL). With the addition of depressive symptoms to heart failure the negative health effects increase further. Though the negative consequences of depressive symptoms in heart failure are well known, there is a knowledge gap about the course of depressive symptoms in heart failure and about how to effectively manage these symptoms. Pharmacological treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors has not been able to demonstrate efficacy in persons with heart failure. In a few studies, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivered face-to-face, has demonstrated effects on depressive symptoms in persons with heart failure. However, currently there are barriers in delivering face-to-face CBT as there is a lack of therapists with the required training. As a solution to this, the use of Internet-based CBT (ICBT) has been proposed. ICBT has been shown to be effective in treatment of mild and moderate depression but has not been evaluated in persons with heart failure. Aim The overall aim of this thesis was to describe depressive symptoms over time and to develop and evaluate an ICBT intervention to treat depressive symptoms in persons with heart failure. Design and Methods The studies in this thesis employ both quantitative (Studies I, II and III) and qualitative (Studies II and IV) research methods. The sample in Study I (n=611) were recruited in the Netherlands. The participants (n=7) in Study II were recruited via advertisements in Swedish newspapers. Studies III and IV used the same cohort of participants (Study III n=50, Study IV n=13). These participants were recruited via an invitation letter sent to all persons who had made contact with healthcare services in relation to heart failure during the previous year, at the clinics of cardiology or medicine in four hospitals in southeast Sweden. Study I had a quantitative longitudinal design. Data on depressive symptoms was collected at baseline (discharge from hospital) and after 18 months. Data on mortality and hospitalisation was collected at 18 and 36 months after discharge from hospital. Study II employed three differentBehind the Screen2patterns of design, as follows: I) The development and context adaptation of the ICBT program was based on research, literature and clinical experience and performed within a multi-professional team. II) The feasibility of the program from the perspective of limited efficacy and function was investigated with a quantitative pre-post design. III) Participants’ experience of the ICBT program was investigated with a qualitative content analysis. Data on depressive symptoms was collected pre and post intervention. The time used for support and feedback was logged during the intervention, and qualitative interviews were performed with the participants after the end of the intervention. Study III was designed as a randomised controlled trial. A nine-week ICBT program adapted to persons with heart failure and depressive symptoms was tested against an online moderated discussion forum. Data on depressive symptoms, HrQoL and cardiac anxiety was collected at baseline (before the intervention started) and after the end of the intervention (approximately 10 weeks after the start of the intervention). Study IV had a qualitative design to explore and describe participants’ experiences of ICBT. The participants were recruited from within the sample in Study III and all had experience of ICBT. Data collection occurred after the ICBT program ended and was carried out using qualitative interviews by telephone. Results The mean age of the samples used in this thesis varied between 62 and 69 years of age. Concerning the symptom severity of heart failure, most persons reported New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II (40-57%) followed by NYHA class III (36-41%). Ischaemic heart disease was the most common comorbidity (36-43%). The vast majority had pharmacological treatment for their heart failure. Six percent of the persons in Study I used pharmacological antidepressants. In Studies II and III, the corresponding numbers were 43% and 18% respectively. Among persons hospitalised due to heart failure symptoms, 38% reported depressive symptoms. After 18 months, 26% reported depressive symptoms. Four different courses of depressive symptoms were identified: 1) Non-depressed 2) Remitted depressive symptoms. 3) Ongoing depressive symptoms. 4) New depressive symptoms. The highest risk for readmission to hospital and mortality was found among persons in the groups with ongoing and new depressive symptoms. A nine-week ICBT program consisting of seven modules including homework assignments on depressive symptoms for persons with heart failure was developed and tested. The RCT study (Study III) showed no significant difference in depressive symptoms between ICBT and a moderated discussion forum. Within-group analysis of depressive symptoms demonstrated a significant decrease of depressive symptoms in the ICBT group but not in the discussion forum group. The participants’ experience of ICBT was described in one theme: ICBT- an effective, but also challenging tool for self-management of health problems. This theme was constructed based on six categories: Something other than usual healthcare; Relevance and recognition; Flexible, understandable and safe; Technical problems; Improvements by live contact; Managing my life better. Conclusion After discharge from hospital, depressive symptoms decrease spontaneously among a large proportion of persons with heart failure, though depressive symptoms are still common in persons with heart failure that are community dwelling. Depressive symptoms in persons with heart failure are associated with increased risk of death and hospitalisation. The highest risks are found among persons with long-term ongoing depressive symptoms and those developing depressive symptoms while not hospitalised. ICBT for depressive symptoms in heart failure is feasible. An intervention with a nine-week guided self-help program with emphasis on behavioural activation and problem-solving skills appears to contribute to a decrease in depressive symptoms and improvement of HrQoL. When ICBT is delivered to persons with heart failure and depressive symptoms the participants requests that the ICBT is contextually adapted to health problems related to both heart failure and depressive symptoms. ICBT is experienced as a useful tool for self-care and something other than usual healthcare. ICBT also requires active participation by the persons receiving the intervention, something that was sometimes experienced as challenging.

Den ökade användningen av E-Hälsa i Sverige, delvis driven av den rådande Coronaviruspandemin, illustreras tydligt av det digitala vårdmötet - “nätdoktorn”. Lagen om tillgänglighet till digital offentlig service (DOS-lagen) trädde i kraft 2019. Den bestämmer krav för att statliga, regionala, och kommunala aktörer ska säkerställa att tjänsterna de erbjuder är tillgängliga för alla. Om de inte är det ska en redogörelse finnas som förklarar varför, och hur de planerar att åtgärda bristerna. Lagen inkluderar privata aktörer som finansieras med offentliga medel. Den träder först i kraft för mobilapplikationer i slutet av juni 2021. Målet med denna studien var att ta reda på hur tillgängliga dessa privata aktörer faktiskt är, och till vilken grad de riskerar att exkludera människor. Detta målet uppnåddes genom att jämföra de tre mest populära mobila applikationer som erbjuder digitala vårdmöten, emot kriterierna i WCAG 2.1 till nivå AA. Kriterierna testades med två mobiltelefoner: en med operativsystemet Android, och en med iOS. Samtliga applikationer visade sig till stor del inte följa riktlinjerna. En fullständig redogörelse gjordes för vilka applikationer som bröt mot vilka riktlinjer, med relevanta skärmdumpar inkluderade. Resultaten analyserades efter hur detta kan påverka användaren, och diskuterades utefter hur detta kan påverka samhället i stort. Tidigare forskning kring den digitala klyftan, samt tillgång till digital sjukvård, jämfördes med resultaten för att forma studiens slutsatser. Undersökningen visar tydligt att avvikelser från riktlinjerna skapar problem för funktionsvarierade användare, och att endast en av applikationerna erbjuder stöd för fler språk utöver svenska och engelska. Studien instämmer även med tidigare forskare om att framtida forskning och utveckling av E-Hälsa och digital tillgänglighet måste vara användardriven - specifikt driven av funktionsvarierade användare. / The sharp increase in E-Health usage driven by the COVID-19 pandemic has in Sweden most notably been observed in the rise of mobile applications offering remote health care-consultations. The law of accessible digital public service has been in effect since 2019. It compels governmental, regional, and municipal bodies to ensure that their services are accessible for everyone and, if not, to produce a full accounting of how and why. This includes private agents who provide a publicly funded service. This law only starts applying to mobile applications from June in 2021. The aim of the study was to find out how accessible the services these agents provide are, and to what degree they may risk excluding people. The aim was achieved by comparing the three most popular mobile applications that provide remote consultations, against the success criterions of the WCAG 2.1 to level AA. One phone running Android and one running iOS were used in testing. All three applications were found to be largely non-conforming to the guidelines. A full accounting was made of how the tested success criterions were met by each application, with included screenshot examples. The results were analysed in view of the direct implication on the user, and discussed concerning what implications they may have on a societal level. Corollaries were drawn to past research of access to digital healthcare and the digital divide to form conclusions. A lack of accessibility in these applications was concluded to threaten work towards social sustainability. Breaching the guidelines directly creates problems for disabled users, and only one of the applications supports a great range of languages. In agreement with past researchers, future accessibility research and WCAG-analysis is strongly suggested to be user-centered - specifically centered around disabled users.

L’activité physique est de plus en plus utilisée comme moyen d’intervention en réadaptation pour aider à gérer les symptômes persistants des adultes de 18 à 65 ans à la suite d’un traumatisme craniocérébral léger (TCCL). Toutefois, il n’existe pas d’intervention en activité physique destinée à être offerte en modalité de télésanté auprès des adultes qui ont des symptômes persistants de ce traumatisme depuis plus de trois mois et qui reçoivent des services de réadaptation. Cette thèse vise à répondre à ce besoin clinique. Ainsi, elle est structurée autour de deux objectifs distincts. Le premier objectif est de documenter les composantes essentielles des interventions existantes qui utilisent l’activité physique auprès des personnes ayant des symptômes persistants d’un TCCL. Le second objectif est de développer et d’évaluer la faisabilité, la sécurité, l’acceptabilité ainsi que d’explorer les effets sur la santé d’une intervention progressive de marche offerte en télésanté à des adultes ayant des symptômes persistants d’un TCCL. Quatre projets ont été réalisés pour atteindre ces objectifs. Le premier est une revue de la portée des écrits scientifiques et de la littérature grise au sujet des interventions en activité physique pour la réadaptation des personnes ayant subi un TCCL. Le deuxième est une étude transversale utilisant un sondage électronique auprès de professionnels travaillant dans 16 points de service offrant de la réadaptation spécialisée à ses usagers au Québec. Le troisième est une étude qualitative portant sur les perspectives d’experts cliniques et d’usagers d’une intervention en activité physique fournis par un de ces programmes. Les résultats de ces trois premiers projets ont généré les connaissances nécessaires pour informer la conception d’une intervention progressive de marche de huit semaines en télésanté pour cette clientèle. L’évaluation de la faisabilité, de la sécurité, de l’acceptabilité et l’exploration des effets sur la santé de cette nouvelle intervention font l’objet du quatrième projet. Vingt adultes ayant des symptômes persistants d’un TCCL ont participé à ce dernier projet qui utilise un devis mixte parallèle convergent. Puisque les résultats de l’évaluation de la nouvelle intervention en activité physique démontrent qu’elle est faisable, sécuritaire, acceptable et potentiellement bénéfique pour la santé des adultes ayant un TCCL, cette nouvelle intervention prometteuse devrait faire l’objet d’autres études pour déterminer son efficacité. Si elle s’avère efficace, elle pourrait ultimement être implantée en milieux cliniques. Les résultats des projets de cette thèse représentent un pas important vers une plus grande accessibilité aux services en activité physique pour les adultes avec des symptômes persistants d’un TCCL. / Physical activity is increasingly being used as a rehabilitation intervention to help manage persistent symptoms of adults following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). However, there is no physical activity intervention designed to be delivered via telehealth to adults receiving rehabilitation services who have persisting symptoms for more than three months following a mTBI. This thesis aims to address this clinical need. As such, it is structured around two distinct objectives. The first objective is to identify the essential components of existing physical activity interventions for people with persistent symptoms of mTBI. The second objective is to develop and evaluate the feasibility, safety, acceptability and explore the health effects of a progressive walking intervention offered via telehealth to adults with persistent symptoms of mTBI. Four projects were conducted to meet these objectives. The first is a scoping review of the scientific and grey literature on physical activity interventions for the rehabilitation of individuals with mTBI. The second is a cross-sectional study using an electronic survey of professionals working in 16 sites across Quebec offering specialized rehabilitation for people who have suffered an mTBI. The third is a qualitative study of the perspectives of clinical experts and users of a physical activity intervention provided by one of these programs. The results of these first three projects generated the knowledge necessary to inform the development of an eight-week progressive telehealth walking intervention for adults with mTBI symptoms. Evaluating the feasibility, safety, acceptability, and exploring the health effects of this new intervention is the focus of the fourth project. Twenty adults with persistent symptoms of mTBI participated in this latter project, which uses a parallel convergent mixed-method design. Since the results of the evaluation of the new physical activity intervention demonstrate that it is feasible, safe, acceptable, and potentially beneficial to the health of adults with mTBI, this promising new intervention should be further studied to determine its effectiveness. If proven effective, it could ultimately be implemented in clinical settings. The results of the projects within this thesis contribute significantly to increasing accessibility to physical activity services for adults with persistent symptoms of mTBI.

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