Research

What does the research say about telehealth physio?

Telephysio Australia delivers evidence-based telehealth physiotherapy.
Research shows it is as effective as in-person care, with high patient satisfaction.

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“Remotely delivered physiotherapy with support via phone, text and an app is as good as face-to-face physiotherapy for the management of musculoskeletal conditions.” Withers, H. G., et al (2024).

“High satisfaction for patients in all studies regarding the use of telehealth…telehealth supported increased rates of patient satisfaction for OT, PT, and SLP services delivered to rural communities.” Harkey, L. C., et al., (2020).

“Telephysiotherapy was more effective than traditional rehabilitation, significantly improving the physical and psychological status of elderly patients.” Man, S. S., et al (2024).

Research by body region

General

“Remotely delivered physiotherapy with support via phone, text and an app is as good as face-to-face physiotherapy for the management of musculoskeletal conditions. “ Remotely delivered physiotherapy is as effective as face-to-face physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions (REFORM): a randomised trial. Journal of physiotherapy, 70(2), 124–133. Withers, H. G., Glinsky, J. V., Chu, J., Jennings, M. D., Starkey, I., Parmeter, R., Boulos, M., Cruwys, J. J., Duong, K., Jordan, I., Wong, D., Trang, S., Duong, M., Liu, H., Hayes, A. J., Lambert, T. E., Zadro, J. R., Sherrington, C., Maher, C., Lucas, B. R., … Harvey, L. A. (2024). “The results of this systematic review report a remarkably high patient satisfaction rate with telehealth as a service delivery model to provide occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language therapy to rural populations.” Patient satisfaction with telehealth in rural settings: A systematic review. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 12(2), 53-64. Harkey, L. C., Jung, S. M., Newton, E. R., & Patterson, A. (2020). “Telehealth consistently produced health outcomes akin to in-person care. In all but one, telehealth was less costly, with savings achieved by reducing in-person consultations and travel costs.” The Health Economic Impact of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Delivered by Telehealth: A Systematic Review. International journal of telerehabilitation, 14(2), e6524. Marks, D., Kitcher, S., Attrazic, E., Hing, W., & Cottrell, M. (2022). “Telephysiotherapy was more effective than traditional rehabilitation, significantly improving the physical and psychological status of elderly patients. The factors influencing the effectiveness of telephysiotherapy were intervention type, intervention duration, outcome, and gender.” Effectiveness of Telephysiotherapy in Improving Older Adults’ Physical and Psychological Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 12(17), 1775. Man, 1. S2., Wen, H., Chiu, K, T., Wang, F., & Chan, H. S. (2024)

Knee

“For persons with chronic knee pain, Internet-delivered, physiotherapist-prescribed exercise and PCST provide clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function that are sustained for at least 6 months.” Effectiveness of an internet-delivered exercise and pain-coping skills training intervention for persons with chronic knee pain: A randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 166(7), 453-462. Bennell, K. L., Nelligan, R., Dobson, F., Rini, C., Keefe, F., Kasza, J., French, S., Bryant, C., Dalwood, A., Abbott, J. H., & Hinman, R. S. (2017). “Periodised circuit training delivered via telerehabilitation had equivalent effects to face-to-face delivery for pain intensity, physical function, muscle strength, pain catastrophising, thigh composition, intermuscular adipose tissue and muscle architecture. Whole body composition did not change appreciably in either group. Adherence to the training was excellent and participants in each group reported good perceptions of their randomised intervention.” Face-to-face and telerehabilitation delivery of circuit training have similar benefits and acceptability in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy. Aily, J. B., de Noronha, M., Approbato Selistre, L. F., Ferrari, R. J., White, D. K., & Mattiello, S. M. (2024). “Our results demonstrated the noninferiority of in-home telerehabilitation and support its use as an effective alternative to face-to-face service delivery after hospital discharge of patients following a total knee arthroplasty.” In-home telerehabilitation compared with face-to-face rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty: A noninferiority randomized controlled trial. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery – American Volume, 97(14), 1129-1141. Moffet, H., Tousignant, M., Nadeau, S., Mérette, C., Boissy, P., Corriveau, H., Marquis, F., Cabana, F., Ranger, P., Belzile, É. L., Dimentberg, R. (2015).

Lower back pain

“There was no measurable difference between an exercise program delivered remotely compared to in-person.” Remote versus in-person exercise instruction for chronic nonspecific low back pain lasting 12 weeks or longer: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of the National Medical Association, 113(3), 278-284. Dadarkhah, A., Rezaimoghadam, F., Najafi, S., Mohebi, B., Azarakhsh, A., & Rezasoltani, Z. (2021). “An individualised, progressive walking and education intervention significantly reduced low back pain recurrence. This accessible, scalable, and safe intervention could affect how low back pain is managed.” Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Physiotherapy, 67(1), 41-48. Vibe Fersum, K., Øiestad, B. E., Skouen, J. S., Smith, A., Kvåle, A., & O’Sullivan, P. (2021)

Shoulder

“The results demonstrate that digital therapeutics can be used to achieve similar, if not superior, short- and long-term outcomes as conventional approaches after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, while being far less human resource intensive than conventional care.” Digitally assisted versus conventional homebased rehabilitation after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 101(3), 237-249. Correia, F. D., Molinos, M., Luís, S., Carvalho, D., Carvalho, C., Costa, P., Seabra, R., Francisco, G., Bento, V., & Lains, J. (2022). “This study demonstrated the noninferiority of a simulated telehealth based examination for rotator cuff pathology. This may increase the geographic footprint of health care networks and give providers an opportunity to evaluate patients in the midst of a pandemic” Comparison of the accuracy of telehealth examination versus clinical examination in the detection of shoulder pathology’, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 30(5), Bradley, K.E. et al. (2021)

Neck

“Spinal stabilisation exercises for chronic non-specific neck pain, whether supervised by therapists in the clinic or by telerehabilitation, was equally effective.” Effects of spinal stabilization exercises delivered using telerehabilitation on outcomes in patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled trial. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 23(3), 269-280. Onan, D., Ulger, O., & Martelletti, P. (2023). “Comprehensive rehabilitation via Telerehabilitation increases satisfaction and participation in patients with chronic neck pain. Besides, Telerehabilitation provides more positive effects on function and kinesiophobia.” The effect of exercise and education combination via telerehabilitation in patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 180, 105281. Özden, F., Özkeskin, M., Tümtürk, İ., & Yalın Kılınç, C. (2023)

Exercise

“All participants (n=39) reported high levels of acceptability for the TOP UP program and cited multiple perceived benefits….telephysiotherapy expands opportunity; tailored physiotherapy care with local support enhances motivation; engaging, older adult-friendly educational resources build capability; flexible reablement approach fosters autonomy; telephysiotherapy is safe, effective, and acceptable for many…The motivation to exercise was enhanced by Zoom’s convenience, use of tailored web-based exercise resources, and companionable local support.” “This study highlights the inherent value of telephysiotherapy in aged care, emphasizing the need for investment in staff training, local support, and older adult-friendly resources in future telephysiotherapy iterations. TOP UP represents a convenient and flexible web-based care model that empowers many older adults to receive sustainable, high-quality care precisely when and where they need it.” Experiences of older adults, physiotherapists, and aged care staff in the TOP UP Telephysiotherapy Program: Interview study of the TOP UP interventions. Dawson, R., Gilchrist, H., Pinheiro, M., Nelson, K., Bowes, N., Sherrington, C., & Haynes, A. (2024). “Telehealth combined with exercise and smart home systems demonstrated the best evidence of effectiveness in reduction of falls in community-dwelling older adults.” The effectiveness of e-interventions on fall, neuromuscular functions, and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 113, 103784. Chan, J. K. Y., Klainin-Yobas, P., Chi, Y., Gan, J. K. E., Chow, G., & Wu, X. V. (2021). “Live video exercise groups in older adults demonstrated an improvement in physical function that was not statistically different from the comparison in-person sessions with the added benefit of averaging a higher attendance rate, providing initial support for the use of live video in older adult exercise programs.” Physical function effects of live video group exercise interventions for older adults: A systematic review and Veteran’s Gerofit Group case study. Telemedicine Journal and e-Health, 29(6), 829-840. Fernandez, D., Wilkins, S. S., Melrose, R. J., Hall, K. M., Abbate, L. M., Morey, M. C., Castle, S. C., Zeng, A., Lee, C. C. (2023).

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