Open Access
28-09-2024 | Telemedicine | Systematic Review
The Era of Technology in Healthcare—An Evaluation of Telerehabilitation on Client Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors:
Sharan Jaswal, Joyce Lo, Aaron Howe, Yifan Hao, Shangkai Zhu, Gobika Sithamparanathan, Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia
Published in:
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation
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Abstract
Purpose
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence and examine the effect of telerehabilitation interventions compared to face-to-face rehabilitation interventions on physical functioning, mental health, and pain reduction among employed individuals, 18 years old and older.
Methods
Following the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search syntax was created and inputted into Ovid Medline, APA PsycINFO, Ovid Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus. Critical appraisal of the included studies was conducted by two researchers to assess the risk of bias. A meta-analysis was completed for the randomized controlled trials and GRADE was used to determine the certainty of the evidence.
Results
A total of 16 out of 4319 articles were included in this review. This systematic review and meta-analysis found no significant differences between telerehabilitation interventions for physical functioning, mental health, and pain reduction outcomes compared to traditional rehabilitation interventions.
Conclusion
The study findings indicate that telerehabilitation is less effective than in-person care for occupational therapy and physical therapy services. Future research may look at addressing the limitations of the current study to produce more conclusive results, such as exploring the length of the intervention, knowledge and confidence of intervention application, and follow-ups.
Systematic Review Registration
This systematic review has been registered with PROSPERO under registration number CRD42022297849 on April 8th, 2022.