Effectiveness of telehealth physical therapy for patients with pelvic floor disorders in a community hospital setting

Abstract

Purpose To examine whether there are differences in meeting treatment goals between pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) patients who participated in a majority of telehealth visits versus those who participated in mostly traditional office visits at a community hospital. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed among patients who received PFPT from April 2019 to February 2021. Cohorts were defined as “Mostly Office Visits” (> 50% office visits) and “Mostly Telehealth” (> / = 50% telehealth visits). Primary outcome measures included demographic data, number/type of visit for each patient, number of no-show/cancelation appointments, and number of patients discharged meeting PFPT goals. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Results 234 subjects met criteria for the “Mostly Office Visit” cohort and 48 subjects met criteria for the “Mostly Telehealth” cohort. There were no significant differences observed in age ( p = 0.919), BMI ( p = 0.817), race/ethnicity ( p = 0.170) or insurance type ( p = 0.426) between cohorts. There was no significant difference in meeting PFPT goals between the “Mostly Office Visit” cohort (24.4%) and the “Mostly Telehealth” cohort (35.4%) ( p = 0.113). There was no difference in the number of canceled visits per patient (mean cancelations “Office visit” 1.98; “Telehealth” 1.63; p = 0.246) and the number of no-show visits per patient (mean no-show’s “Office visit” 0.23; “Telehealth” 0.31; p = 0.297) between cohorts. Conclusion There was no difference in meeting discharge goals regardless of whether a patient participated in mostly telehealth visits versus mostly traditional office visits. Therefore, we can conclude that participating in mostly provider-led telehealth visits can be equally efficacious at providing competent PFPT care.

Telehealth is effective for pelvic health physical therapy

“…Another trial found that a hybrid telerehabilitation protocol showed effectiveness comparable to the traditional model in improving urinary incontinence‐related quality of life 20 . Likewise, a retrospective chart review reported PHPT conducted through majority telehealth visits was found to be non‐inferior to pelvic floor physical therapy conducted through majority office visits 21 . Prior studies in patients with FDD and FI found that home‐based biofeedback therapy improved bowel symptoms and physiology with similar efficacy as office‐based therapy 22 .…”