1. Doctor, Can you See My Squats?
Understanding Bodily Communication in
Video Consultations for Physiotherapy
Deepti Aggarwal
Bernd Ploderer, Frank Vetere,
Mark Bradford, Thuong Hoang

2. 2
Increasing demands for healthcare

3. Video Consultations

4. Bodily Communication in Clinical Consultations

5. EXAMINE
FEEL
COMFORT
DIAGNOSE
Different use of Bodily Communication

6. Bodily Communication in Physiotherapy

7. Research Aims

8. Observational Study

9. 2 physiotherapists & 5 patients with chronic pain
Prescribed exercises: tip-toes, squats
FACE TO FACE
(3)
VIDEO (7)

10. FACE-TO-FACE VIDEO
1. OPENING
2. COMPLAINT
3. EXAMINATION
4. DIAGNOSIS
5. TREATMENT
6. CLOSING

11. FACE-TO-FACE VIDEO
Appearance (Full body)
Posture
Movement (walking)
Orientation
Appearance (Upper torso)
Posture
Movement (walking)
Orientation
#1. OPENING

12. VIDEO
Quality of movements
(depth, range, &
smoothness)
#2. HISTORY
TAKING
Quality of movements
(depth and range,
smoothness)
FACE-TO-FACE
Facial expressions (tears,
red cheeks, tensed eyes)
Facial expressions (tears,
red cheeks, tensed eyes)
Eye contact (for
encouragement,
willingness to engage)
Eye contact (for
encouragement,
willingness to engage)

13. VIDEO
Tactile feedback (body
tightness, inflammation,
body temperature)
Response to touch (fear,
protective spasm, facial
expression)
#3, 4.
EXAMINATION & DIAGNOSIS
Tactile feedback (body
tightness, inflammation,
body temperature)
Response to touch (fear,
protective spasm, facial
expression)
Touch on patient’s body Touch on own body
FACE-TO-FACE

14. VIDEO
Full body posture
Efforts (fatigue, tremor)
Facial expressions
Tone of speech (pitch)
Touch on patient’s body
Full body posture
Efforts (fatigue, trmeor)
Facial expressions
Tone of speech (pitch)
Touch on own body
#5. TREATMENTFACE-TO-FACE

15. VIDEO
Body language
Facial expressions Facial expressions
Body language
#6. CLOSINGFACE-TO-FACE

16. Video limits a wide range of bodily
cues
Best suitable for follow up
consultations
Key Takeaways

17. 17
Increasing demands for healthcare

18. Design Dimensions

19. Visual Acuity

20. Field-of-view

21. Deepti Aggarwal
Thank
you.

22. 22
Key references
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London, England.
Christian Heath.1986. Body movement and speech in medical interaction. Cambridge University
Press.
Christian Heath. 2002. Demonstrative Suffering: The Gestural (Re)embodiment of
Symptoms.Journal of Communication, 52(3), 597-616.
Helena M. Mentis, Rita Shewbridge, Sharon Powell, Melissa Armstrong, Paul Fishman, and Lisa
Shulman, 2015. Co-Interpreting Movement With Sensors: Assessing Parkinson’s Patients’ Deep
Brain Stimulation Programming. Human Computer Interaction 2015, 1-34.
Edward Alan Miller. 2011. The continuing need to investigate the nature and content of
Teleconsultation communication using interaction analysis techniques. Telemedicine and Telecare,
17(2): 55-64.