The Efficacy of Telerehabilitation in Older Adults after a Hip Injury: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: As the global population ages, the prevalence of hip fractures in older adults is increasing. At the same time, the use of telemedicine and telerehabilitation is also increasing due to the development of new computer technologies and more advanced telemedicine devices. Therefore, older adults can benefit from telerehabilitation interventions after a fall and injury to their hip. Aim: The aim of this review is to study the available literature and describe research data on the feasibility and efficacy of telerehabilitation in geriatric patients after a hip injury. Method: The PubMed and Google Scholar were searched in English with the following keywords: telerehabilitation AND hip fracture OR bone fracture AND old adults OR elderly. The search was performed on studies published in the last six years. Results: A total of six studies were included in the review for further analysis. All studies involved hip fractures in older adult patients (n = 181). In three studies the telerehabilitation method was by telephone, while in the other three a computer was used. Furthermore, two of the studies did not involve a control group. All studies have concluded that telerehabilitation is not only feasible and applicable in older adults, but its effects in many cases are like those of regular rehabilitation. Discussion-Conclusions: Even though telerehabilitation is quite common these days, few studies seem to examine the effect of telerehabilitation on geriatric patients after a hip injury. For this reason, its exact effects have not yet been fully clarified. However, in situations of health crisis where standard physiotherapy is impossible, telerehabilitation is offered as an option without any negative impact on patients and with equally satisfactory results as regular rehabilitation. The subject requires further investigation.