Date Presented 04/21/21
This systematic review analyzes patient satisfaction with telehealth rehabilitation (OT, physical therapy, speech-language pathology) in global rural communities. Telehealth services should be used to deliver therapy to patients in rural settings for greater outreach. Patients report high satisfaction related to ease of travel, quality of care, safety, and reduced costs. This study has implications for telehealth program development within OT practice.
Primary Author and Speaker: Angela Patterson
Additional Authors and Speakers: Stephanie C. DeLuca, Hoàng Khánh Chi
Contributing Authors: Lê Tường Giao Lê Tường, Đang Nguyễn Thị, and Thi Bich Ngoc Nguyen
BACKGROUND: Telehealth provides health care services to clients through telecommunications. Rehabilitation services such as occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP) can be delivered via telehealth in various ways such as through telephone calls and asynchronous or synchronous videoconferencing.
PURPOSE: The aim of this systematic review is to investigate patients' reports of their satisfaction with telehealth rehabilitation services compared to standard face to face therapy for patients living in rural areas. This research is necessary for the advancement of occupational therapy rehabilitation practices through telehealth for people living in rural communities with limited or no access to therapy services.
METHODS: The following databases, accessed via a university library portal, were utilized for this systematic review for a comprehensive search for sources: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane. The search strategy included searching the following words on the databases: telehealth, rural, and patient satisfaction. Each term was exploded into further search terms such as telerehabilitation and patient preference in order to ensure inclusion of all relevant research articles. PRISMA guidelines and flow charts were utilized for article inclusion and exclusion.
RESULTS: Initial article abstract searches identified 251 articles and 55 were read in full text. Following exclusion of non-relevant articles, a total of four articles met inclusion criteria. Results showed that there was high satisfaction for patients in all studies regarding their use of telehealth for rehabilitation across various diagnoses, age groups, and technology. Patients reported satisfaction with health care providers' personal manners, especially over videoconferencing, quality of telehealth equipment, and convenient access to health care practitioners when needed.
CONCLUSION: Findings showed that overall, telehealth services resulted in increased rates of patient satisfaction for OT, PT, and SLP services delivered to rural communities for patients across the lifespan with a variety of conditions. Therefore, increased access to telehealth services may reduce travel and therapy costs, improve program development for occupational therapy practitioners, and increase patient access to necessary services during pandemics. Although this is promising for the scope of rehabilitation practice in rural settings, additional rigorous research with multiple study designs as well as greater measures are needed to support the highest quality of remote rehabilitation services.
References
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