TY - JOUR
T1 - Outcomes of Telehealth Physical Therapy Provided Using Real-Time, Videoconferencing for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain
T2 - A Longitudinal Observational Study
AU - Fritz, Julie M.
AU - Minick, Kate I.
AU - Brennan, Gerard P.
AU - McGee, Terrence
AU - Lane, Elizabeth
AU - Skolasky, Richard L.
AU - Thackeray, Anne
AU - Bardsley, Tyler
AU - Wegener, Stephen T.
AU - Hunter, Stephen J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Supported through a patient-centered outcomes research institute (PCORI) program award, award no. OTSLBP-2017C1-6486. All statements in this report, including its findings and conclusions, are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the patient-centered outcomes research institute (PCORI), its board of governors, or methodology committee.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Objective: To describe the feasibility of an evidence-based physical therapy (PT) program for persons with chronic low back pain (LBP) originally designed for in-person delivery, adapted for telehealth using videoconferencing. Design: Prospective, longitudinal cohort. Setting: Three health care systems in the United States. Participants: Adults, aged 18-64 years (N=126), with chronic LBP recruited from August through December 2020. Intervention: Up to 8 weekly sessions of telehealth PT. Main Outcome Measures: Follow-up assessments were 10 and 26 weeks after baseline. Participant outcomes collected were the Oswestry Disability Index, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29 health domains, and pain self-efficacy. Implementation outcomes included acceptability, adoption, feasibility, and fidelity assessed using participant surveys and compliance with session attendance. Results: We enrolled 126 participants (mean age, 51.5 years; 62.7% female). Baseline perceptions about telehealth were generally positive. Eighty-eight participants (69.8%) initiated telehealth PT, with a median of 5 sessions attended. Participants in telehealth PT were generally satisfied (76.3%), although only 39.5% perceived the quality equal to in-person PT. Telehealth PT participants reported significant improvement in LBP-related disability, pain intensity, pain interference, physical function, and sleep disturbance at 10- and 26-week follow-ups. Conclusions: The findings generally support the feasibility of telehealth PT using videoconferencing. Implementation and participant outcomes were similar to in-person PT as delivered in the participating health care systems. We identified barriers that may detract from the patient experience and likelihood of benefitting from telehealth PT. More research is needed to optimize and evaluate the most effective strategies for providing telehealth PT for patients with chronic LBP.
AB - Objective: To describe the feasibility of an evidence-based physical therapy (PT) program for persons with chronic low back pain (LBP) originally designed for in-person delivery, adapted for telehealth using videoconferencing. Design: Prospective, longitudinal cohort. Setting: Three health care systems in the United States. Participants: Adults, aged 18-64 years (N=126), with chronic LBP recruited from August through December 2020. Intervention: Up to 8 weekly sessions of telehealth PT. Main Outcome Measures: Follow-up assessments were 10 and 26 weeks after baseline. Participant outcomes collected were the Oswestry Disability Index, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29 health domains, and pain self-efficacy. Implementation outcomes included acceptability, adoption, feasibility, and fidelity assessed using participant surveys and compliance with session attendance. Results: We enrolled 126 participants (mean age, 51.5 years; 62.7% female). Baseline perceptions about telehealth were generally positive. Eighty-eight participants (69.8%) initiated telehealth PT, with a median of 5 sessions attended. Participants in telehealth PT were generally satisfied (76.3%), although only 39.5% perceived the quality equal to in-person PT. Telehealth PT participants reported significant improvement in LBP-related disability, pain intensity, pain interference, physical function, and sleep disturbance at 10- and 26-week follow-ups. Conclusions: The findings generally support the feasibility of telehealth PT using videoconferencing. Implementation and participant outcomes were similar to in-person PT as delivered in the participating health care systems. We identified barriers that may detract from the patient experience and likelihood of benefitting from telehealth PT. More research is needed to optimize and evaluate the most effective strategies for providing telehealth PT for patients with chronic LBP.
KW - Low back pain
KW - Physical therapy modalities
KW - Rehabilitation
KW - Telemedicine
KW - Telerehabilitation
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U2 - 10.1016/j.apmr.2022.04.016
DO - 10.1016/j.apmr.2022.04.016
M3 - Article
C2 - 35667399
AN - SCOPUS:85133352842
SN - 0003-9993
VL - 103
SP - 1924
EP - 1934
JO - Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
JF - Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
IS - 10
ER -