Physical Therapy Patient Engagement App Development

Exercise library with video demonstrations and written cues. The therapist assigns a personalised programme with sets, reps, hold duration, frequency, progression notes, and specific instructions for this patient's version of the exercise. The patient sees the programme in the app with the video, written instructions, and therapist notes. Exercises are grouped into named sessions, such as morning programme and evening programme, so the patient works through them in the right order. Programme updates are pushed to the app immediately when the therapist progresses or modifies an exercise. Modification options for exercises the patient finds too difficult or too painful are accessible without calling the clinic.

The patient logs each exercise session, ticking each exercise as completed, noting reps if different from prescribed, and rating pain during the exercise on a consistent scale. The therapist views a compliance dashboard showing sessions completed, exercises skipped, pain reported for specific exercises, and overall programme adherence trend across the week. This data is available before the session starts so the therapist can adjust the plan based on what actually happened rather than what the patient remembers. An automated prompt is sent to the patient if no exercises have been logged for two consecutive days, with a configurable message from the clinic. Adherence trend is stored across the full episode of care for clinical review.

Standardised outcome questionnaires, including PSFS, DASH, LEFS (Lower Extremity Functional Scale), KOOS (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score), HOOS (Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score), and any condition-specific measures the clinic uses, are delivered to the patient at scheduled intervals across the care episode. Scores are displayed with normative comparison values so both the patient and therapist can see where current function sits relative to the population average for the condition and age group. The patient completes the questionnaire in the app between sessions, without requiring a clinic visit or a paper form. Scores return automatically to the therapist dashboard via FHIR R4 Observation resources and are displayed as trend charts against the patient's baseline. Clinically significant changes trigger a review prompt to the therapist before the next appointment. HL7 FHIR CareTeam resource coordinates outcome data across interdisciplinary care teams when multiple providers are involved in the episode. Aggregate outcome reporting for the clinic shows average score improvement by condition and by therapist, supporting quality reporting and value-based care documentation.

The patient sends a query or progress update from the app: a question about an exercise, a report that their pain changed after the last session, or a concern about a new symptom. The therapist responds from the clinic's management dashboard. The message thread is linked to the patient record so any clinic team member can see the context without asking the patient to repeat themselves. Image and video sharing supports form checks: the patient sends a short video of themselves performing an exercise, and the therapist reviews and responds with specific corrections. A push notification reaches the patient when the therapist responds. An after-hours auto-reply confirms response hours and provides an emergency contact for urgent clinical concerns.

Automated pre-appointment reminders are sent 48 hours and 24 hours before each session with confirm or reschedule options. Self-service rescheduling within the cancellation policy window lets the patient select a new time from available slots without calling the front desk. A missed appointment follow-up message is sent after a no-show with a rebooking link and any notes from the therapist about the session's intended focus. A pre-appointment check-in questionnaire, covering current pain score, activities achieved since last visit, and concerns for the session, is completed in the app and available to the therapist before the patient arrives. A session summary is sent to the patient after each visit covering what was covered and the goal for the next session.

A daily check-in prompt is sent to the patient at a configurable time. Two taps log a pain score on a VAS 0-10 scale and a brief activity rating tied to the outcome measures the clinic uses. ROM (Range of Motion) progress entries are supported with goniometer-style input so patients can log measured angles from home assessments between formal clinic measurements. FHIR R4 Observation resources store pain scores and ROM data, making the record portable and compatible with EHR systems that support FHIR import. Symptom entries are graphed across the episode of care so the patient and therapist can see the trajectory together during sessions. The therapist receives an alert when scores worsen significantly between visits, such as a spike in pain or a reported inability to do a previously tolerated activity, so they can decide whether an unscheduled check-in or appointment is needed. Insurance authorisation tracking is integrated into the diary view, showing remaining authorised units so both the patient and therapist are aware of coverage status before scheduling additional sessions. The symptom log is stored in the patient record and exportable as a clinical summary for payer reporting or discharge documentation.