From Awareness to Adoption: Barriers and Facilitators of Telerehabilitation in Jordanian Physiotherapy Practice

Background/Objectives: Telerehabilitation is increasingly used globally to deliver physiotherapy services remotely, yet its adoption in Jordan remains limited. This quantitative cross-sectional study aimed to explore the awareness, perceptions, and willingness of Jordanian physiotherapists regarding telerehabilitation, and to identify barriers and facilitators to its adoption. Methods: An online self-administered questionnaire was completed by a convenience sample of 200 physiotherapists (111 males, 89 females; age range 23–62 years). Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for analysis. Results: Results revealed that 116 participants (58.0% of the total sample) were aware of telerehabilitation. Among those aware, 79 (68.1%) had used it, with online video (27.0% of total sample; 46.6% of users) being the most common modality. A significant association was found between higher education level (Master’s/Ph.D.) and greater awareness (p < 0.001). Key barriers included lack of reimbursement (33.0% of total sample; 56.9% of aware respondents), technical difficulties (47.0%), infrastructure issues (39.0%), and lack of training (34.0%). Among aware participants who responded to attitude items, the majority agreed that telerehabilitation enhances patient access (85/116, 73.3% of aware respondents) and is a valuable addition to practice (102/116, 87.9% of aware respondents), while 43.0% of the total sample (86/200) believed it can never fully replace in-person consultation. Conclusions: Awareness of telerehabilitation among Jordanian physiotherapists is moderate, and actual clinical use remains low. Higher education level was significantly associated with greater awareness, highlighting a key demographic correlate. However, significant educational, financial, and infrastructural barriers hinder the transition from awareness to adoption. Policy reforms and structured training programs are urgently needed to support the integration of telerehabilitation into routine physiotherapy practice in Jordan.

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Journal
Healthcare
Published
2026-08-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14172685
Primary Topic
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

From Awareness to Adoption: Barriers and Facilitators of Telerehabilitation in Jordanian Physiotherapy Practice

Sami Elmahgoub, Aseel Aburub, Rama Al-rawajfeh, Fares G. Daradkeh et al.
Healthcare
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
article

From Awareness to Adoption: Barriers and Facilitators of Telerehabilitation in Jordanian Physiotherapy Practice

Sami Elmahgoub, Aseel Aburub, Rama Al-rawajfeh, Fares G. Daradkeh, Bodor Bin Sheeha, Wesam A. Debes
article en

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Telerehabilitation is increasingly used globally to deliver physiotherapy services remotely, yet its adoption in Jordan remains limited. This quantitative cross-sectional study aimed to explore the awareness, perceptions, and willingness of Jordanian physiotherapists regarding telerehabilitation, and to identify barriers and facilitators to its adoption. Methods: An online self-administered questionnaire was completed by a convenience sample of 200 physiotherapists (111 males, 89 females; age range 23–62 years). Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for analysis. Results: Results revealed that 116 participants (58.0% of the total sample) were aware of telerehabilitation. Among those aware, 79 (68.1%) had used it, with online video (27.0% of total sample; 46.6% of users) being the most common modality. A significant association was found between higher education level (Master’s/Ph.D.) and greater awareness (p < 0.001). Key barriers included lack of reimbursement (33.0% of total sample; 56.9% of aware respondents), technical difficulties (47.0%), infrastructure issues (39.0%), and lack of training (34.0%). Among aware participants who responded to attitude items, the majority agreed that telerehabilitation enhances patient access (85/116, 73.3% of aware respondents) and is a valuable addition to practice (102/116, 87.9% of aware respondents), while 43.0% of the total sample (86/200) believed it can never fully replace in-person consultation. Conclusions: Awareness of telerehabilitation among Jordanian physiotherapists is moderate, and actual clinical use remains low. Higher education level was significantly associated with greater awareness, highlighting a key demographic correlate. However, significant educational, financial, and infrastructural barriers hinder the transition from awareness to adoption. Policy reforms and structured training programs are urgently needed to support the integration of telerehabilitation into routine physiotherapy practice in Jordan.

HealthcareVol. 14(17)
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (SA), Applied Science Private University (JO), Health Awareness (United States) (US)
Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
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