Informing the Development of Telehealth Education in Physiotherapy Programs. Assessments and Interventions for Individuals Accessing Physiotherapy Care via Synchronous Telehealth. A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

In order to develop contemporary telehealth curricula for entry-to-practice physiotherapy programs that develop the capabilities required to practice telehealth, it is important to evaluate the delivery of telehealth practices within the physiotherapy profession.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the current literature to (i) determine what types of assessments and interventions have been delivered via synchronous forms of telehealth (videoconferencing and telephone) by physiotherapists (ii) determine which platforms were used for service delivery and which practice areas have delivered synchronous telehealth physiotherapy assessments and interventions.

DESIGN

Scoping review adhering to Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. Three electronic databases (Medline, Embase, and CINAHL) were searched for articles involving physiotherapists using synchronous forms of telehealth (videoconferencing/telephone) to deliver assessments and/or interventions.

STUDY SELECTION

Articles were included if they related to physiotherapists using synchronous forms of telehealth (videoconferencing and/or telephone) to deliver assessments and/or interventions.

DATA SYNTHESIS

A narrative synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

From 2748 records, 134 studies were included. Standardised assessments (e.g. subjective assessments, range of motion, functional assessment) were the most commonly (82%) delivered. Most interventions delivered were exercise (82%), followed by education (27%). Freely available synchronous videoconferencing platforms including Zoom (n = 30, 34%), WhatsApp (n = 10, 11%), and Skype (n = 9, 10%) were commonly used. Telehealth-delivered physiotherapy assessment and interventions were primarily utilised in musculoskeletal (33%), neurological (23%) and respiratory (14%) practice areas.

CONCLUSION

The diverse use of physiotherapy telehealth-delivered assessments and interventions across varied clinical practice settings and patient populations highlights the importance of preparing future physiotherapists with telehealth skills fit for contemporary practice.