A qualitative exploration of the low-resource tele-assisted home exercise program for balance and functional mobility in Parkinson’s disease (TELEPORT-PD)

This study explores the perspectives of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) on TELEPORT-PD, a low-resource tele-assisted home exercise program designed to improve balance and functional mobility. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with eight participants who completed a two-week feasibility trial of TELEPORT-PD, followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Codes were assigned to themes derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2) model. All participants reported positive experiences, with most encountering no major challenges. Many reported improvements in daily activities and valued physiotherapist-led exercise demonstrations, considering them more beneficial than conventional physiotherapy. A few suggested minor modifications. All participants expressed willingness to continue, and most would recommend the program to others with PD. TELEPORT-PD is well accepted, with most participants reporting functional improvements. The findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample and potential response bias.