Telehealth Physical Therapy for Sports Medicine Rehabilitation: What Is Its Role in the Postpandemic Era?

Abstract

Background: The adoption of telehealth visits for physical therapy (PT) has accelerated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient reception of virtual PT at the outbreak of the pandemic was positive, but it is unclear how telehealth visits compare to in-person visits in the postpandemic era. Purpose: To evaluate utilization trends and patient satisfaction with virtual PT compared with in-person PT during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We identified 59,461 in-person and 2016 telehealth visits at a single physical rehabilitation center between March 2020 and December 2021. Patient socioeconomic and demographic variables, including insurance status, were compared between telehealth users and in-person visitors. A total of 1012 patient satisfaction surveys were available and analyzed using the top-box method. Univariable statistics ( t test or Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests) were used for group comparisons. Results: Overall, telehealth users when compared with in-person visitors were older (median age, 47 vs 42 years, respectively; P < .001), and a higher proportion was female (60.6% vs 54.8%; P < .001), was White (69.7% vs 66.6%; P = .023), spoke English as their primary language (99.2% vs 98.1%; P = .001), and had Medicare insurance (20.3% vs 16.1%; P < .001). Telehealth patients more often lived out-of-county (50.7% vs 45.8%; P < .001) and in small towns rather than in urban areas (1.0% vs 0.3%; P < .001). When we compared telehealth use before and after official reopening of the PT center in September 2020, telehealth users in the postpandemic era had an out-of-county rate of 58.7%, and 68.7% were female. Patient satisfaction survey results demonstrated that telehealth patients compared with in-person patients were less likely to recommend visits to others (75.0% vs 89.1%, respectively; P = .008) and had lower overall assessment of their visits (71.7% vs 88.6%; P = .001). Accordingly, there was a significant reduction in telehealth visits from 2020 to 2021 (from 6.9% to 0.9% of visits; P < .001). Conclusion: We noted a decline in telehealth PT use during the postpandemic era, consistent with reduced patient satisfaction when compared with in-person visits. Telehealth is a useful option for populations with limited time or access to care and may serve a role in a hybrid care model. Further studies on long-term outcomes after telehealth PT are warranted to evaluate its efficacy.

In-Clinic versus Hybrid Cancer Rehabilitation Service Delivery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Outcome Comparison Study

“…In contrast to the existing research literature, in which authors report mixed effects, patient experience did not differ between hybrid and in-clinic-only cases in this study. In a previous study of 205 patients who received telerehabilitation or home rehabilitation following a total knee replacement, Moffet and colleagues (2016) reported that patient satisfaction was high for both groups and not significantly different [43]. Yet, in a cross-sectional study including over 1000 patients with sports medicine needs treated during COVID-19 and the immediate post-pandemic period, Kim and colleagues (2022) observed significant differences in patient experience scores in the proportion of promoters on the NPS (telehealth: 75% vs. in-clinic: 89% promoters, p = 0.008), suggesting that patient experience was poorer for telehealth patients [44].…”

Telehealth usability in a university student physiotherapy clinic during COVID‐19

“…Following the dramatic increase in use of telehealth healthcare during 2020, there has been published research into a range of aspects of telehealth (attitudes, confidence, use, acceptability, satisfaction) across many health professions, including registered physiotherapists (Albahrouh & Buabbas, 2021; Barton et al., 2022; Davies et al., 2022; Kim et al., 2022; Merolli et al., 2022; Pegorari et al., 2020). However, there has been less focus on telehealth delivery by allied health students, particularly physiotherapy students.…”