In this study, we developed an AI-based real-time motion feedback system for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) during rehabilitation, aiming to enhance their interest and motivation. The effectiveness of the system in improving upper-limb muscle strength during the Thera band exercises was evaluated. The motion analysis program, including exercise repetition counts and calorie consumption, was developed using MediaPipe, focusing on three key motions (chest press, shoulder press, and arm curl) for upper extremity exercises. The participants with SCI were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG = 4) or control group (CG = 5), engaging in 1 h sessions three times a week for 8 weeks. Muscle strength tests (chest press, shoulder press, lat pull-down, and arm curl) were performed before and after exercises. Although both groups did not show significant differences, the EG group exhibited increased strength in all measured variables, whereas the CG group showed constant or reduced results. Consequently, the computer program-based system developed in this study could be effective in muscle strengthening. Furthermore, these findings may serve as a valuable foundation for future AI-driven rehabilitation exercise systems.

Background: Electronic personal health records (e-PHRs) can improve health management; however, people with disabilities face adoption barriers. Identifying acceptance drivers in this population is essential. Objective: This study aims to determine factors shaping intention to use e-PHRs among people with disabilities within a technology acceptance model (TAM) framework, including external determinants (health consciousness [HC], health information consent [HIC], content characteristics [CC], information security [IS], eHealth literacy [eHL], and effectiveness [EF]). Methods: A nationwide survey of people with disabilities in South Korea (N=800) was conducted across rehabilitation hospitals, disability welfare centers, and public health centers (August 30 to November 30, 2023) using proportionate stratified and systematic stratified cluster sampling. Hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling with bootstrapped mediation (2000 resamples) and multigroup analyses by disability severity. Results: Usage intention (UI) was primarily driven by perceived usefulness (PU; β=0.662; P <.001) and additionally by perceived ease of use (PEU; β=0.203; P <.001). Ease of use increased usefulness (β=0.452; P <.001). External predictors of PEU were HC (β=0.233; P <.001), CC (β=0.163; P <.001), HIC (β=0.167; P <.001), IS (β=0.089; P =.005), and EF (β=0.276; P <.001); eHL was not significant (β=0.025; P =.41). Predictors of PU were EF (β=0.368; P <.001) and HIC (β=0.243; P <.001), while CC (β= −0.121; P =.002) and eHL (β= −.068; P =.003) were negative; HC and IS were not significant. Indirect effects supported PEU→PU→UI (β_indirect=0.299; 95% CI 0.210‐0.404). The largest total upstream effects on associations with intention were EF (β_total=0.382; P <.001) and HIC (β_total=0.245; P <.001). Multigroup structural equation modeling (mild, n=432; severe, n=368) indicated PU was a stronger driver of intention in the mild group (β=0.727) than the severe group ( β =.511). PEU also contributed (severe β=0.272; mild β=0.171). CC predicted PEU only in the mild group (β=0.201; P <.001), whereas IS predicted PEU only in the severe group (β=0.119; P =.003). Conclusions: This study highlights that PU and PEU are crucial mediators driving the adoption of e-PHR among people with disabilities. These findings suggest the need for designing user-friendly digital health solutions that integrate robust support systems, address privacy concerns, and deliver high-quality, relevant content tailored to this population. The restriction to people with disabilities using rehabilitation, public health, or welfare centers introduces selection bias. Future studies should broaden sampling to include a diverse population.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 8 weeks of resistance circuit training in people with paraplegia due to spinal cord injury.Methods Participants were randomized into experimental and control groups. Although the intensity and sequence of movements of the exercise programs were identical in both groups, the resting time between sets was limited to 1 minute in the experimental group. In the control group, the participants were allowed to rest until they were comfortable. Both groups received 8 weeks of training twice per week. Before and after the program, muscle mass, body fat percentage, fat mass, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle strength and muscular endurance were evaluated, and 6-minute propulsion test was conducted. Additionally, the safety of the program was assessed.Results Twenty-two individuals with paraplegia were enrolled (11 in each group). After the training program, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in the resting blood pressure and improvement in the upper extremity muscle mass, strength, and endurance (p<0.05). Each variable showed significant inter-group differences (p<0.05). Furthermore, none of the participants showed autonomic adverse events, musculoskeletal side effects, or discomfort.Conclusion The results show that resistance circuit training programs with short resting intervals are superior to the usual resistance exercise programs in improving the blood pressure and physical strength and are safe for people with upper thoracic level injuries at T6 or higher.

People with disabilities experience poorer health outcomes than the general population, much of which is attributed to how services are configured rather t

This longitudinal study attempted to identify changes in employment status and overall health status. The participants were workers who had experienced work-related injuries in the past. In this study, we used the Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance from 2013 to 2017. This study utilized propensity score matching for a quasi-experimental design study of the first year to exclude the effects of the confounding variables and exclude the effect of employment status, which is the main independent variable. After applying propensity score matching the research subjects totaled 1070. Changes in employment status were found to have a negative effect on overall health status. This raises new implications for existing industrial accident-related support policies. Thus, it is considered that the scope should be expanded from policies related to re-employment of workers after an industrial accident to improving quality of life through maintaining employment from a long-term perspective. The notable point of this study was to apply the PSM methods. By applying PSM, we clearly identified the effect of changes in employment status on health status.