Artists' satisfaction with telerehabilitation in physiotherapy during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

• Published in: Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. e70002 - n/a
• Main Authors: Jiang, Coco, de Youngster, Sesinam, Hawkins, Vicki, Li, Shelly‐Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Adult; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - rehabilitation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; musculoskeletal; occupational health; Ontario; Pandemics; Physical Therapy Modalities; physiotherapy; questionnaire; rehabilitation services; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys and Questionnaires; Telerehabilitation; Ontario; questionnaire; musculoskeletal; rehabilitation services; occupational health; physiotherapy
• ISSN: 1358-2267; 1471-2865; 1471-2865
• DOI: 10.1002/pri.70002

Background and Purpose
To our knowledge, there is currently no research on telerehabilitation concerning artists. This study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of utilizing video‐based telerehabilitation in physiotherapy among artists during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Methods
Fifty‐one artists who accessed virtual physiotherapy between November 2020 and February 2022 at a healthcare center that provides specialized healthcare services to artists of all disciplines who reside or work in Ontario, Canada were asked to complete a 26‐item online questionnaire about their experience with virtual physiotherapy.
Results
The 51 respondents were from a range of artistic disciplines, with the largest portion being musicians (n = 22; 43%). Of the respondents, 86% (n = 44) felt the virtual physiotherapy met their expectations in therapeutic benefits, 78% (n = 40) were confident in performing all the exercises that the physiotherapist demonstrated on the virtual platform, 80% (n = 41) did not run into many technological challenges when booking or attending virtual sessions, and 54% (n = 20) reported similar treatment outcomes between virtual and in‐person sessions. Although artists liked the convenience of accessing physiotherapy from home, 53% (n = 17) of respondents rated the lack of physical contact as a major limitation in telerehabilitation.
Conclusion
Telerehabilitation for artists during the COVID‐19 pandemic has shown potential to be an effective and viable alternative to in‐person physiotherapy, as demonstrated by high satisfaction levels and comparable treatment outcomes, especially when public health restrictions were in place. Future research can explore hybrid models (mix of in‐person and virtual sessions) in physiotherapy to meet the needs for physical contact during sessions.