Jokinen Kaisa, Oduor Michael, Urimubenshi Gerard, Gasana Juliette, Bigirimana Jean Damascene, Tumusiime David K, Aartolahti Eeva, Murtonen Kari-Pekka, Korniloff Katariina
Institute of Rehabilitation, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
Front Digit Health. 2025 Aug 14;7:1489288. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1489288. eCollection 2025.
The need for rehabilitation is unmet, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Rwanda. Digital rehabilitation offers significant potential for delivering rehabilitation services in low-resource settings, and this study examines the challenges affecting the digitalization of rehabilitation. Semi-structured interviews and a survey were conducted in Rwanda with rehabilitation professionals to collect data for two different projects. The different datasets were analyzed using thematic analysis and inductive content analysis. As a result, three main concepts were formed: context-related factors, individual-related factors, and technology-related factors. Results suggest that the challenges in implementing digital solutions in rehabilitation settings in Rwanda encompass various domains, including socioeconomic factors, infrastructure, digital competency, regulatory frameworks, and user-related factors. In conclusion, because of multifaceted challenges, systemic-level change is needed to realize the potential of the digitalization of rehabilitation and other health care services in Rwanda.
康复需求未得到满足，尤其是在卢旺达等低收入和中等收入国家。数字康复在资源匮乏地区提供康复服务方面具有巨大潜力，本研究探讨了影响康复数字化的挑战。在卢旺达对康复专业人员进行了半结构化访谈和一项调查，以收集两个不同项目的数据。使用主题分析和归纳内容分析对不同的数据集进行了分析。结果形成了三个主要概念：与背景相关的因素、与个人相关的因素和与技术相关的因素。结果表明，在卢旺达康复环境中实施数字解决方案面临的挑战涵盖多个领域，包括社会经济因素、基础设施、数字能力、监管框架和用户相关因素。总之，由于面临多方面挑战，需要进行系统层面的变革，以实现卢旺达康复及其他医疗服务数字化的潜力。
