Evaluating the impact of a novel telerehabilitation service to address neurological, musculoskeletal, or coronavirus disease 2019 rehabilitation concerns during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Katelyn Brehon; Jay Carriere; Katie Churchill; Adalberto Loyola-Sanchez; Petra O'Connell; Elisavet Papathanasoglou; Rob MacIsaac; Mahdi Tavakoli; Chester Ho; Kiran Pohar Manhas

doi:10.1177/20552076221101684

Evaluating the impact of a novel telerehabilitation service to address neurological, musculoskeletal, or coronavirus disease 2019 rehabilitation concerns during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Digit Health. 2022 May 17:8:20552076221101684. doi: 10.1177/20552076221101684. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
² Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, University of Calgary, Edmonton, Canada.
³ Rehabilitation Care Alliance, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
⁵ Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, and Vision Strategic Clinical Network, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada.
⁶ Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
⁷ Spinal Cord Injury Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
⁸ Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction: A novel telerehabilitation service provides wayfinding and self-management advice to persons with neurological, musculoskeletal, or coronavirus disease 2019 related rehabilitation needs.

Method: We utilized multiple methods to evaluate the impact of the service. Surveys clarified health outcomes (quality of life, self-efficacy, social support) and patient experience (telehealth usability; general experience) 3-months post-call. We analysed associations between, and within, demographics and survey responses. Secondary analyses described health care utilization during the first 6 months.

Results: Sixty-eight callers completed the survey (42% response rate). Self-efficacy was significantly related to quality of life, interpersonal support and becoming productive quickly using the service. Becoming productive quickly was significantly related to quality of life. Education level was related to ethnicity. Survey respondents' satisfaction and whether they followed the therapist's recommendations were not significantly associated with demographics. Administrative data indicated there were 124 callers who visited the emergency department before, on, or after their call. The average (SD) frequency of emergency department visits before was 1.298 times (1.799) compared to 0.863 times (1.428) after.

Discussion: This study offers insights into the potential impact of the telerehabilitation service amidst pandemic restrictions. Usability measurements showed that callers were satisfied, corroborating literature from pre-pandemic contexts. The satisfaction and acceptability of the service does not supplant preferences for in-person visits. The survey sample reported lower quality of life compared with the provincial population, conflicting with pre-pandemic research. Findings may be due to added stressors associated with the pandemic. Future research should include population-level comparators to better clarify impact.

Keywords: Telehealth; eHealth; quantitative; self-efficacy; telemedicine.