Patient’s Perspective of In-Home Telerehabilitation Physiotherapy Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Tele-rehabilitation is delivered remotely using digital media that can be audio or video recorded. With interactive communication technology, it is employed in a community setting to serve patient needs through diagnostic, restorative, preventive, motivating, and consulting services. Objective: To find the patients’ perception of in-home tele-rehabilitation physiotherapy services. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of six months, data collected from the residents of Lahore. A total of 112 participants were enrolled in the study using a non-probability convenience sampling. Individuals aged 15 years and above, of either gender, who had experienced any form of musculoskeletal disorder. Participants were excluded if they presented with psychological disorders, chronic systemic illnesses (such as cardiovascular or respiratory conditions), or critical musculoskeletal injuries. Before participation, informed written consent was obtained from all eligible subjects. The data collection tool consisted of a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess participants’ perceptions of tele-rehabilitation. Age distribution was presented using a histogram, while other categorical variables were represented through bar charts. Results: The mean age of participants included in the study was 38.48±8.92 years. 21.4% of the participants were males, and 78.6% were females. 43.8% participants had secondary education, and 56.3% had graduated or had higher education. The study included participants from 10 different cities in Pakistan. The maximum number of participants was included from Lahore (33%) and Islamabad (25%). 58.9% participants took musculoskeletal or orthopedic services by tele-rehabilitation, 10 (8.9%) participants took pediatric services, 2 (1.8%) took neurology services, and 34 (30.4%) took occupational services. Conclusion: Majority of the participants were satisfied with tele-rehabilitation (53.6%) with most of the aspects of their experience, including the therapists’ competency (75%), the improvement in their medical condition (69.6%), the effectiveness of exercise program (67.9%), the technology, and the support provided by the technical team (85.7%). Most of the participants believed that management by tele-rehabilitation is as effective as face-to-face rehabilitation (54.5%).