Telehealth as a New Model of Healthcare Delivery for Physical Therapist Practice in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, there were considerable changes in healthcare delivery worldwide. A shift to remote healthcare delivery modalities was necessary due to the lockdown and related social distance requirements. However, the current and future use of telehealth will rapidly increase. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the use, attitude and willingness, experience and confidence, and barriers to delivering healthcare via telehealth services among physical therapists (PTs) in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to PTs. The questionnaire included items on demographic data, telehealth uses, experience and confidence, and attitudes and expectations. Descriptive statistics were used for the participants’ demographic data and responses. Results: A total of 372 participants with an average age of 29 ± 5.5 years were enrolled in the study. Only 143 participants (38.4%) provided telehealth services, and the majority (n = 121; 84.6%) used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the majority of the PTs had not received training in telehealth (n = 231; 62.1%). The most commonly rated platform used in telehealth for consultation was Zoom (38.1%). The participants (n = 224; 60.2%) believe that telehealth is an important and useful tool in physical therapy practice. Furthermore, the PTs showed a desire to learn more about telehealth practices (n = 266; 71.5%). They confirmed that they would like to use telehealth in the future (n = 211; 56.7%). Conclusions: The PTs showed a good experience with and use of telehealth. However, there is a need for training courses in this regard. These positive findings make telehealth practice feasible and acceptable in healthcare services in physical therapy interventions.