Stroke survivors’ acceptance and satisfaction of telerehabilitation delivery of physiotherapy services: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction Telerehabilitation has been explored as a solution to several of the barriers to stroke rehabilitation access, and as a necessary alternative to in-person rehabilitation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This review aims to explore stroke survivors’ acceptance and satisfaction of telerehabilitation delivery of physiotherapy services. Methods A systematic search using key terms relating to stroke and telerehabilitation was completed of the following electronic databases in July 2021: CINAHL complete (EBSCOhost), Embase (Ovid), Informit, ProQuest, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS and SpringerLink. Studies of stroke survivors participating in physiotherapy via telerehabilitation were evaluated for acceptance, usability, and satisfaction outcomes. Duplicates were removed and inclusion criteria applied. Studies were included if they were published between 2010 and July 2021 with an intervention that included a technology element, a component of weightbearing/standing/lower limb exercises, and monitoring from a therapist throughout the intervention period. The included articles were then appraised and categorised into four subgroups. Results There were 980 studies initially identified, with eight studies involving 209 participants meeting the criteria for inclusion in this review. There was significant heterogeneity in the included studies across eligibility criteria, intervention parameters, telerehabilitation systems and outcome measures. Overall, stroke survivors had high levels of satisfaction and found physiotherapy delivered via telerehabilitation generally acceptable and easy to use. Conclusions Findings of this review indicate stroke survivors are accepting and satisfied with telerehabilitation as a delivery method for physiotherapy. Telerehabilitation in this population may be an effective and acceptable alternative to in-person rehabilitation and ameliorate access barriers associated with COVID-19 restrictions.