Tsolakou Evgenia, Gioftsos Georgios, Grammatopoulou Eirini, Koumantakis George A, Karanasios Stefanos, Moutzouri Maria
Department of Physiotherapy, University of West Attica, Athens, GRC.
Laboratory of Advanced Physiotherapy, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, GRC.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 30;17(6):e87012. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87012. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Introduction Chronic musculoskeletal disorders have a significant impact on morbidity, daily functioning, and quality of life. They represent a key priority for intervention, particularly in the context of an aging population and increased life expectancy. Recently, telerehabilitation has been shown to be effective; however, the attitudes of this clinical population toward telerehabilitation have not yet been thoroughly explored in the literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, beliefs, and willingness of people with chronic musculoskeletal disorders in Greece to use telerehabilitation. Materials and methods In this cross-sectional study, 160 individuals (95 women and 65 men) with a mean age of 44.1 years and diagnosed with chronic musculoskeletal problems completed a survey. The sample included participants with low back pain (56, 36.9%), overuse tendinopathies (30, 18.8%), neck pain (34, 21.3%), arthritis (14, 8.8%), and upper back pain (3, 1.9%). Participants were recruited from physiotherapy clinics in Athens. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of West Attica, Greece. The survey questionnaire included 26 items (16 general and 10 telerehabilitation-specific) covering demographic background, familiarization with technology, overall perceptions, willingness to follow telerehabilitation, and preferred mode of delivery. Results The survey was first pilot-tested, and relevant modifications were made. The final version demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.648). Principal Components Analysis (PCA) revealed a three-factor solution, familiarization with technology, preferred mode of telerehabilitation, and willingness to attend telerehabilitation, with eigenvalues of 2.19, 1.98, and 1.22 respectively, explaining 53.97% of total variance. Overall, fewer than half of the participants (59, 36.9%) reported willingness to follow telerehabilitation. The preferred mode of delivery was video-based sessions. Their perspective towards telerehabilitation appeared to be related to seeking information about their problem online (X 11.1, p=0.03) and technological familiarity (Likelihood Ratio, p=0.048) but not with the specific type of musculoskeletal condition (X =12.7, p=ns). Conclusion Telerehabilitation, which leverages technology to deliver rehabilitation services remotely, is indeed seeing its culture constructed and integrated into healthcare systems. However, this survey highlights barriers based on patient attitudes, as less than half of respondents were receptive to the approach. Higher education levels, greater familiarity with technology, and a tendency to seek medical information online were associated with a greater willingness to engage in telerehabilitation. Further research involving larger samples and populations from rural areas across Greece is needed to assess the generalizability of these findings, particularly in regions where health equity is challenged by limited access and technological disparities.
引言 慢性肌肉骨骼疾病对发病率、日常功能和生活质量有重大影响。它们是干预的关键优先事项,尤其是在人口老龄化和预期寿命增加的背景下。最近,远程康复已被证明是有效的;然而,该临床人群对远程康复的态度尚未在文献中得到充分探讨。本研究的目的是调查希腊慢性肌肉骨骼疾病患者对使用远程康复的知识、信念和意愿。
材料和方法 在这项横断面研究中,160名平均年龄为44.1岁且被诊断患有慢性肌肉骨骼问题的个体(95名女性和65名男性)完成了一项调查。样本包括腰痛患者(56例,36.9%)、过度使用性肌腱病患者(30例,18.8%)、颈部疼痛患者(34例,21.3%)、关节炎患者(14例,8.8%)和上背部疼痛患者(3例,1.9%)。参与者从雅典的物理治疗诊所招募。该研究方案得到了希腊西阿提卡大学伦理委员会的批准。调查问卷包括26个项目(16个一般项目和10个远程康复特定项目),涵盖人口统计学背景、对技术的熟悉程度、总体看法、接受远程康复的意愿以及首选的提供方式。
结果 该调查首先进行了预测试,并进行了相关修改。最终版本显示出可接受的内部一致性(Cronbach's alpha = 0.648)。主成分分析(PCA)揭示了一个三因素解决方案,即对技术的熟悉程度、远程康复的首选方式和参加远程康复的意愿,特征值分别为2.19、1.98和1.22,解释了总方差的53.97%。总体而言,不到一半的参与者(59例,36.9%)表示愿意接受远程康复。首选的提供方式是基于视频的课程。他们对远程康复的看法似乎与在线寻求有关其问题的信息(X = 11.1,p = 0.03)和技术熟悉程度(似然比,p = 0.048)有关,但与肌肉骨骼疾病的具体类型无关(X = 12.7,p = 无显著性差异)。
结论 远程康复利用技术远程提供康复服务,其文化确实正在形成并融入医疗保健系统。然而,这项调查突出了基于患者态度的障碍,因为不到一半的受访者接受这种方法。较高的教育水平、对技术的更熟悉程度以及在线寻求医疗信息的倾向与更愿意参与远程康复相关。需要进行进一步的研究,涉及来自希腊农村地区的更大样本和人群,以评估这些发现的普遍性,特别是在那些因获取有限和技术差距而面临健康公平挑战的地区。