Exploring person-centredness in technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke: A scoping review framework analysis

Júlio Belo Fernandes; Diana Vareta; Sónia Fernandes; Ana Chalaça; Ana Silva Almeida; Ana Catarina Maia; Faiza Magsi; Steven Hall; Brendan McCormack

doi:10.1177/20552076261443750

Exploring person-centredness in technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke: A scoping review framework analysis

Júlio Belo Fernandes
, Diana Vareta
, Sónia Fernandes
, Ana Chalaça
, Ana Silva Almeida
, Ana Catarina Maia
, Faiza Magsi
, Steven Hall
, Brendan McCormack

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background Technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke is expanding, however the extent to which interventions embody person-centred care remains unclear. Aims The objective of this review is to explore the extent to which technology-based interventions for gait rehabilitation in stroke survivors reflect the principles of person-centred practice. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed in MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, Nursing & Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with the last search update on September 1, 2025. Data charting was aligned with the domains of the PCPF, enabling the identification of person-centredness indicators both explicitly stated in the texts and inferred from their context. Results The search identified 1,460 records; after screening, 21 randomised controlled trials were included. Extracted data were mapped to PCPF domains to identify explicit and implicit indicators of person-centredness. Representation was variable: Prerequisites, Practice Environment, Person-Centred Processes, and Outcomes appeared across studies, while Macro Context was absent. Alignment was evident via practitioner expertise and responsive parameter adjustments (Prerequisites), specialised, well-resourced settings (Practice Environment), and personalised goal setting, real-time feedback, and preference-sensitive features (Processes). Regarding outcomes, all studies reported performance-based measures (motor performance); one included biomarker outcomes and two used Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (quality of life). No Patient-Reported Experience Measures were reported. Conclusion Technology-focused gait trials remain predominantly biomedical in framing and reporting. Future studies should embed and report explicit person-centred processes and broaden outcomes to include patient-reported experience measures.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Number of pages	12
Journal	Digital Health
Volume	12
Early online date	30 Apr 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076261443750
Publication status	Published online - 30 Apr 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. by project reference UID/4585/2025 and DOI identifier https://doi.org/ 10.54499/U

Keywords

peerson-centred practice
person-centred care
stroke
gait rehabilitation
technology-based interventions

Access to Document

10.1177/20552076261443750Licence: CC BY

belo-fernandes-et-al-2026-exploring-person-centredness-in-technology-based-gait-rehabilitation-after-stroke-a-scopingFinal published version, 1.47 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{eea9610a0e89487da02d76176b0bf702,

title = "Exploring person-centredness in technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke: A scoping review framework analysis",

abstract = "Background Technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke is expanding, however the extent to which interventions embody person-centred care remains unclear. Aims The objective of this review is to explore the extent to which technology-based interventions for gait rehabilitation in stroke survivors reflect the principles of person-centred practice. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O{\textquoteright}Malley methodological framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed in MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, Nursing \& Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with the last search update on September 1, 2025. Data charting was aligned with the domains of the PCPF, enabling the identification of person-centredness indicators both explicitly stated in the texts and inferred from their context. Results The search identified 1,460 records; after screening, 21 randomised controlled trials were included. Extracted data were mapped to PCPF domains to identify explicit and implicit indicators of person-centredness. Representation was variable: Prerequisites, Practice Environment, Person-Centred Processes, and Outcomes appeared across studies, while Macro Context was absent. Alignment was evident via practitioner expertise and responsive parameter adjustments (Prerequisites), specialised, well-resourced settings (Practice Environment), and personalised goal setting, real-time feedback, and preference-sensitive features (Processes). Regarding outcomes, all studies reported performance-based measures (motor performance); one included biomarker outcomes and two used Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (quality of life). No Patient-Reported Experience Measures were reported. Conclusion Technology-focused gait trials remain predominantly biomedical in framing and reporting. Future studies should embed and report explicit person-centred processes and broaden outcomes to include patient-reported experience measures.",

keywords = "peerson-centred practice, person-centred care, stroke, gait rehabilitation, technology-based interventions",

author = "\{Belo Fernandes\}, J{\'u}lio and Diana Vareta and S{\'o}nia Fernandes and Ana Chala{\c c}a and \{Silva Almeida\}, Ana and Maia, \{Ana Catarina\} and Faiza Magsi and Steven Hall and Brendan McCormack",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).",

year = "2026",

month = apr,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1177/20552076261443750",

language = "English",

volume = "12",

pages = "1--12",

journal = "Digital Health",

issn = "2055-2076",

publisher = "SAGE Publications",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring person-centredness in technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke: A scoping review framework analysis

AU - Belo Fernandes, Júlio

AU - Vareta, Diana

AU - Fernandes, Sónia

AU - Chalaça, Ana

AU - Silva Almeida, Ana

AU - Maia, Ana Catarina

AU - Magsi, Faiza

AU - Hall, Steven

AU - McCormack, Brendan

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PY - 2026/4/30

Y1 - 2026/4/30

N2 - Background Technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke is expanding, however the extent to which interventions embody person-centred care remains unclear. Aims The objective of this review is to explore the extent to which technology-based interventions for gait rehabilitation in stroke survivors reflect the principles of person-centred practice. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed in MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, Nursing & Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with the last search update on September 1, 2025. Data charting was aligned with the domains of the PCPF, enabling the identification of person-centredness indicators both explicitly stated in the texts and inferred from their context. Results The search identified 1,460 records; after screening, 21 randomised controlled trials were included. Extracted data were mapped to PCPF domains to identify explicit and implicit indicators of person-centredness. Representation was variable: Prerequisites, Practice Environment, Person-Centred Processes, and Outcomes appeared across studies, while Macro Context was absent. Alignment was evident via practitioner expertise and responsive parameter adjustments (Prerequisites), specialised, well-resourced settings (Practice Environment), and personalised goal setting, real-time feedback, and preference-sensitive features (Processes). Regarding outcomes, all studies reported performance-based measures (motor performance); one included biomarker outcomes and two used Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (quality of life). No Patient-Reported Experience Measures were reported. Conclusion Technology-focused gait trials remain predominantly biomedical in framing and reporting. Future studies should embed and report explicit person-centred processes and broaden outcomes to include patient-reported experience measures.

AB - Background Technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke is expanding, however the extent to which interventions embody person-centred care remains unclear. Aims The objective of this review is to explore the extent to which technology-based interventions for gait rehabilitation in stroke survivors reflect the principles of person-centred practice. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed in MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, Nursing & Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with the last search update on September 1, 2025. Data charting was aligned with the domains of the PCPF, enabling the identification of person-centredness indicators both explicitly stated in the texts and inferred from their context. Results The search identified 1,460 records; after screening, 21 randomised controlled trials were included. Extracted data were mapped to PCPF domains to identify explicit and implicit indicators of person-centredness. Representation was variable: Prerequisites, Practice Environment, Person-Centred Processes, and Outcomes appeared across studies, while Macro Context was absent. Alignment was evident via practitioner expertise and responsive parameter adjustments (Prerequisites), specialised, well-resourced settings (Practice Environment), and personalised goal setting, real-time feedback, and preference-sensitive features (Processes). Regarding outcomes, all studies reported performance-based measures (motor performance); one included biomarker outcomes and two used Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (quality of life). No Patient-Reported Experience Measures were reported. Conclusion Technology-focused gait trials remain predominantly biomedical in framing and reporting. Future studies should embed and report explicit person-centred processes and broaden outcomes to include patient-reported experience measures.

KW - peerson-centred practice

KW - person-centred care

KW - stroke

KW - gait rehabilitation

KW - technology-based interventions

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037668775

U2 - 10.1177/20552076261443750

DO - 10.1177/20552076261443750

M3 - Article

C2 - 42109492

SN - 2055-2076

VL - 12

SP - 1

EP - 12

JO - Digital Health

JF - Digital Health

ER -

Exploring person-centredness in technology-based gait rehabilitation after stroke: A scoping review framework analysis

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this