Commonly Used Outcome Measurement Tools in Pediatric Physical Therapy Telerehabilitation in the Philippines: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Abstract

Aim: The objective of the research is to identify the most common Outcome Measure Tools used in telerehabilitation by Filipino pediatric physical therapists. Methods: The research is a quantitative descriptive study with two phases. Phase I is the validation and pilot testing of an adapted questionnaire. A panel of three experts rated the questionnaire's items using a Likert scale; afterward, the content validity index was determined. In addition, pilot testing was done to determine the survey's average duration. Phase II is the questionnaire implementation using a Google Form. The study used frequencies and percentages to report participants' responses. Results: The final version of the adapted questionnaire had 23 items that were considered relevant. Of the 45 respondents, 51% used Outcome Measure Tools (OMT) during telerehabilitation. The most common OMT used in pediatric telerehabilitation is the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) (100%), followed by the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) (30%), Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) (13%), and Test of Gross Motor Development - Second Edition (TGMD-2) (13%). The top enabler for OMT use in the telerehabilitation setting is the criterion of being easily understood by patients, clients, and caregivers (87%). Contrariwise, the main reason for the non-usage of OMTs is the difficulty for the stakeholders to complete OMTs independently (68%). Conclusion and Implications: The commonly used OMTs in telerehabilitation are the GMFM, PBS, GAS, and TGMD-2. The main reason for OMT use is the ease of understanding by the stakeholders.