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Practice Considerations for Adapting In-Person Groups to Telerehabilitation
Full text linkThe Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shifted research and healthcare system priorities, stimulating literature on implementation and evaluation of telerehabilitation for a variety of patient populations. While there is substantial literature on individual telerehabilitation, evidence about group telerehabilitation remains limited despite its increasing use by rehabilitation providers. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript is to describe our expert team’s consensus on practice considerations for adapting in-person group rehabilitation to group telerehabilitation to provide rapid guidance during a pandemic and create a foundation for sustainability of group telerehabilitation beyond the pandemic’s end.
 
Early Intervention Service Delivery via Telehealth During COVID-19: A Research-Practice Partnership
Full text linkCoaching has been identified as a best practice for early intervention (EI) services provided through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C. The current study describes the establishment and progress of a research-relationship partnership to deliver coaching via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-based EI providers implemented 9-weeks of telehealth coaching and evaluated the extent to which child and caregiver outcomes differed between families that had previously received in-person services versus telehealth only. Four EI providers completed the intervention with n=17 families of children aged 6-34 months during the pandemic (April-August 2020). We used the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) to collect outcomes on caregiver identified goals; we used Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests to examine pre- to post-intervention data. Results showed significant improvements in parent satisfaction, child performance, and goal attainment (all p<.01). Findings suggest that telehealth coaching procedures implemented by community-based EI providers resulted in improvements in caregiver identified goals for young children
Perceptions of School-Based Telehealth in a Rural State: Moving Forward After COVID-19
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The purpose of this study was to discern the barriers faced by school-based clinicians, chiefly occupational therapists (OTs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who provided telehealth in a primarily rural state during an unexpected declaration of a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey results found the major barriers to implementation of telehealth services to be lack of practitioner training, a lack of access to technology for students, and concerns that the quality of intervention might not be equivalent to in-person service delivery. This article discusses both the benefits and barriers to providing telehealth services in school-based practice and offers considerations for future studies on this topic
Telerehabilitation in the Middle East North Africa Region: A Structured Review
Full text linkA structured review using the PRISMA guidelines, MeSH keywords and eight health databases was conducted (1990 to March 2021). Telerehabilitation research evidence from the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) was summarized. Twelve studies from Iran, Israel, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia met inclusion criteria; nearly all had been published within the past five years. Methodological quality was moderate to good in the four randomized controlled trials, five cohort-studies and three cross-section surveys. There were seven intervention studies in cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurology or burn rehabilitation and three patient perception and two practitioner perception studies. Narrative synthesis revealed content themes relating to rehabilitation availability and accessibility; patient/practitioner perceptions of telerehabilitation; telerehabilitation to augment traditional services; and barriers to telerehabilitation. Telerehabilitation practice in MENA has been demonstrated as feasible, acceptable to patients, and effective in practitioner-designed cohort specific programs. Practitioners are generally positive but lack experience and need training, enabling technological systems, and policy frameworks.
 
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Real-Time Telerehabilitation Intervention for Children and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience Report
Full text linkThis study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a telerehabilitation intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of children and young adults with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Thirteen patients and/or their families agreed to participate in the speech and neuropsychological telerehabilitation sessions. The treatment was synchronous, patient centered and aimed at improving specific abilities. Sessions were held twice a week over a 10-week period. Two questionnaires were completed both by parents and therapists to assess feasibility and acceptability. Neither technical issues nor clinical obstacles were found. The quality of the therapeutic relationship played a key role in the intervention. Synchronous telerehabilitation provided several advantages both for patients and therapists. Moreover, the patient centered intervention eased the burden of the caregivers at a time of high stress. The real-time telerehabilitation treatments were deemed suitable for children and young adults with ABI. Further studies are needed to support the use of telerehabilitation as an integral part of their standard care
Perceptions and Willingness of Physiotherapists in India to Use Telerehabilitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns have restricted regular clinical physiotherapy services. This has necessitated a sudden shift to the use of telerehabilitation to prevent disruption in the delivery of physiotherapy interventions. This survey investigates the perceptions of physiotherapists in India and their willingness to use telerehabilitation during the pandemic. An electronic questionnaire was sent to 176 physiotherapists around India, and 118 completed questionnaires were received (acceptance rate of 67.04%). A majority of the respondents (n=67; 77%) had used telerehabilitation for the first time during the pandemic, and 72.9% (n=86) found telerehabilitation to be a viable option for healthcare delivery during the pandemic. Some of the barriers identified were lack of training (n=64; 52%) and a lack of connection between information and communication technology experts and clinicians (n=62; 52.5%). Overall, physiotherapists in India expressed a positive perception of telerehabilitation and are willing to use such services
Best Practices for Building Interprofessional Telehealth: Report of a Conference
Full text linkThe Arizona Biomedical Research Centre (ABRC) has funded a series of workshops and conferences since 2016 to build the capacity of local, tribal, and state agencies, healthcare delivery organizations, and non-governmental organizations to engage in meaningful research related to health disparities. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth has dramatically increased, particularly in nursing, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the presentations and discussion from the conference titled “Telerehabilitation and Telepractice: An Interprofessional Conference to Build Connections and Best Practices,” held remotely on March 4-5, 2021. Terminology and concepts from the conference were debated, modified, and refined, based on an interprofessional audience. Presenters at the conference, all leaders in their field, discussed the current status of telehealth in their professions, including best practices, challenges, future trends, and research needs
Telepractice in School-age Children Who Stutter: A Controlled Before and After Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of MIDA-SP
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a general reorganization of rehabilitation services in Italy. The lockdown in Italy led to the use of telepractice for the delivery of speech therapy, including stuttering. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MIDA-SP (Tomaiuoli et al., 2012), delivered online for school-age children who stutter. A non-randomized controlled pre- and post-treatment study included an experimental group (11 children) receiving a telepractice adaptation of MIDA-SP and a historical control group (11 children) receiving in-person MIDA-SP. Both groups had been assessed with SSI-4 and OASES-S pre- and post-treatment. No statistically significant differences were found between the two modes of delivery. These findings suggest that MIDA-SP treatment delivered via telepractice is effective for school-age children who stutter
The Effectiveness of Exercise Interventions Supported by Telerehabilitation For Recently Hospitalized Adult Medical Patients: A Systematic Review
Full text linkObjective: To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise interventions delivered via telerehabilitation (via videoconference) for recently hospitalized adult medical patients. Data sources: A search was undertaken across six databases for English language publications from inception to May 2020. Methods: Studies were selected if they included an exercise intervention for recently hospitalized adults, delivered by a physiotherapist via videoconference. Two reviewers independently screened 1,122 articles (21 full text screening) and assessed methodological quality using the Downs and Black Checklist. A narrative synthesis of the included studies was undertaken. Results: Three studies met eligibility criteria involving 201 participants with chronic heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Findings demonstrated limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of exercise delivered via telerehabilitation in improving physical function and patient reported quality of life outcomes in recently hospitalized medical patients. Telerehabilitation in this setting was also associated with high attendance rates and patient satisfaction. Conclusions: Findings provide preliminary support for the benefits of exercise interventions delivered via telerehabilitation for recently hospitalized medical patients. Results do need to be interpreted with caution as further high-quality studies specific to this method of exercise intervention delivery are needed