Blended therapy: an innovative approach to implement and promote adherence to physical exercise training in patients with Inflammatory Myopathy

The main aims of this thesis were, 1) to develop an interactive tabled-based exercise application, 2) to evaluate the usability of this application, and 3) to test the feasibility of a blended therapy combining this application with face-to-face physiotherapy sessions for patients with an inflammatory myopathy. To know the best training regime for these patients, we performed a systematic review evaluating the application of exercise training principles and accordingly, evidence-based exercise guidelines were developed. Because the measurement properties of commonly used measurement instruments were not yet known, we also evaluated the measurement quality of two strength tests and a German questionnaire about activity limitation.