BACKGROUND: Filipino speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can reach more persons with disabilities across 7,107 Philippine islands through telerehabilitation (also known as teletherapy, telepractice). This study described the feasibility of telerehabilitation for speech-language pathology in community-based rehabilitation in terms of appropriate information and communication technologies (ICT), stakeholder perspectives, and facilitators and barriers. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Participants were purposely selected as telerehabilitation stakeholders. One metropolitan-based SLP conducted remote and synchronous therapy sessions to two persons with voice disorders (52 and 65 years old) in their homes, assisted by one primary caregiver each and one community-based rehabilitation worker (CBRW). ICT observations were logged as field notes. Stakeholder perspectives were obtained through participant journals and interviews, thematically analyzed using NVIVO, and validated by participants. Facilitators and barriers were derived from data triangulation of field notes, journals, and interviews. RESULTS: The best ICT comprised of fastest wireless internet available (7.2 Mbps), MacBook™ laptop, and FaceTime™ videoconferencing application. Stakeholders had varied yet positive perspectives. The SLP focused on ICT requirements and intervention conduct. The families saw telerehabilitation benefits of cost-effectiveness and intervention effectiveness. Both SLP and the families were satisfied as telerehabilitation providers and consumers. CBRW appreciated intervention effectivity. The only barrier to telerehabilitation was low internet bandwidth. Facilitators to telerehabilitation were stronger CBR policies and SLP capacity development. CONCLUSION Telerehabilitation is feasible in speech-language pathology within communitybased rehabilitation in the Philippines, given community-appropriate ICT and positive experiences of stakeholders. It can flourish with faster internet, stronger community health policies, and empowering stakeholders.
Telerehabilitation

BACKGROUND: The emergence of Telerehabilitation in managing hypertension showed positive outcomes as an alternative approach to deliver healthcare services. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which necessitates less physical contact, the study aims to determine the effectiveness of Telerehabilitation versus the usual care in hypertension management among adults in communities, especially in rural settings. METHODS: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted in the following databases: ProQuest, EBSCOhost, AHA Journals, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, HERDIN, Web of Science, JSTOR, and ScienceDirect in March 2022 and was updated in August 2022. Inclusion criteria are randomized controlled trial studies that involve participants aged ≥ 18 years old with hypertension or baseline blood pressure of >140/90 mmHg and the use of technologies and digital services to address hypertension versus non-Telerehabilitation approaches in rural communities or through community- based rehabilitation. Exclusion criteria are non-randomized controlled trials, qualitative studies, unfinished and article type records. The revised Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool will be used to evaluate the content for risk of bias, quality, and internal validity. An electronic data collection form and Raxter will be utilized to extract and to organize the following: demographics, objectives, design, settings, interventions, outcome measures, and significant findings. Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.4 will be used to perform quantitative synthesis of the pooled data if homogeneity is observed in the outcomes. EXPECTED RESULTS The study will determine the effectiveness of Telerehabilitation in managing hypertension and aiding in its implementation in response to the global trend of urbanization in rural areas.
Telerehabilitation

Pelvic sarcomas are rare malignancies that can result in extensive surgeries involving bone and soft tissue resection, which can greatly improve with rehabilitation. However, due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rehabilitation of patients with pelvic sarcomas was affected. Limited information is also presented in the literature regarding the rehabilitation of patients with lower extremity surgeries undergoing telerehabilitation and during a pandemic. This study presents the rehabilitation process of a 43-year-old woman diagnosed with pelvic round cell sarcoma of the right gluteal area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The patient underwent wide excision, buttockectomy and internal hemipelvectomy, and we measured outcomes using the Tinetti assessment tool (TAT) and Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). A decreased risk of falls and improved functional performance were recorded using the TAT and LEFS respectively. Telerehabilitation was noted to have a good satisfaction rate among the patient and health workers. Telerehabilitation may be an effective alternative to face-to-face therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are needed to look into the conduct of telerehabilitation intervention among patients with bone and soft tissue surgeries.
Telerehabilitation

A 35-year-old female, right-handed, non-hypertensive, and non-diabetic Filipino presented with decreased verbal output and weakness of the right upper and lower extremities during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cerebral angiography showed bilateral steno-occlusive disease, which was consistent with Moyamoya disease. She underwent inpatient rehabilitation consisting of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Rehabilitation posthospital discharge was continued using a hybrid rehabilitation approach with a mixed in-person home rehabilitation and remote telerehabilitation. The hybrid approach helped ensure continuity of rehabilitation care, minimize travel and exposure to the hospital or community amid the COVID-19 risks, and reduce costs, without entirely losing the benefits that could only be obtained from hands-on therapeutic evaluation and treatment. After six months of hybrid rehabilitation, the patient was able to return to work and regain functional independence.
Telerehabilitation ; COVID-19

A 35-year-old female, right-handed, non-hypertensive, and non-diabetic Filipino presented with decreased verbal output and weakness of the right upper and lower extremities during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cerebral angiography showed bilateral steno-occlusive disease, which was consistent with Moyamoya disease. She underwent inpatient rehabilitation consisting of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Rehabilitation posthospital discharge was continued using a hybrid rehabilitation approach with a mixed in-person home rehabilitation and remote telerehabilitation. The hybrid approach helped ensure continuity of rehabilitation care, minimize travel and exposure to the hospital or community amid the COVID-19 risks, and reduce costs, without entirely losing the benefits that could only be obtained from hands-on therapeutic evaluation and treatment. After six months of hybrid rehabilitation, the patient was able to return to work and regain functional independence.
Telerehabilitation ; COVID-19

The suspension of facility-based rehabilitation services and restricted mobility at the onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced healthcare workers to explore new methods of providing patient care. This case report presents a 40-year-old female who underwent osteotomy with iliac crest bone graft and intramedullary nailing with quadricepsplasty to correct the leg length discrepancy and knee extension contracture that developed secondary to multiple bone injuries sustained in a vehicular accident 17 months before admission. The in-hospital postoperative rehabilitation was prematurely terminated due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The client was discharged with pain and swelling of the right lower limb, knee flexion of 0–25°, and an ankle plantar flexion contracture. She had moderate to severe difficulty in walking, bathing, toileting, and lower garment dressing, needing assistance to complete these tasks. Telerehabilitation was done over three months using both synchronous and asynchronous methods. Gains from the remote program were independence in all the self-care activities with no difficulty in performing them. The patient was able to return to work. Gains in knee and ankle mobility were minimal. Telerehabilitation using available technologies can be used to continue patient care amidst barriers to face-to-face rehabilitation in a low-resource country
Telerehabilitation ; Telemedicine ; COVID-19 ; Osteotomy

Background: Catalyzed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that restricted non-essential travel, awareness of the value of telehealth increased among healthcare providers and consumers. Telerehabilitation, a subset of telehealth and telemedicine, refers explicitly to the remote provision of rehabilitation services. However, since the majority were new to the concept of telerehabilitation, which was commonly interchanged with other related terms (e.g., telehealth, telemedicine, teletherapy, telecare, telepractice, etc.), and relevant internationally recognized guidelines were not available pre-pandemic, many turned to online resources to learn more about it. However, such might create confusion with the terminologies. Objective: This infodemiological study aimed to examine the trends of global online interest in telehealth, telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and related search terms. The authors hypothesized an abrupt rise in stakeholders' awareness regarding the virtual method of delivering or accessing healthcare, including rehabilitation services, during the pandemic. Method: Using Google Trends™, we obtained and analyzed the trends of global online interest in telehealth, telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and other related search terms from 2004 to October 2020. Results: The frequencies of searches for “telehealth,” “telemedicine,” and “telerehabilitation” peaked in March 2020, which coincided with the lockdown in many countries, including the Philippines. The term “telehealth” was more frequently searched in western countries, while “telemedicine” was relatively common in eastern countries. Among the terms synonymous with telerehabilitation, “teletherapy” was most commonly used worldwide, with “teletherapy speech” being the most searched related topic. The Philippines had the most significant number of times the term “telerehabilitation” was searched in the past decade. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an overall global demand for the acquisition of knowledge related to telehealth, telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and related search terms. Of particular interest, tele rehabilitation, however, varied in terminologies across countries, with “teletherapy” mainly being used worldwide and “telerehabilitation” being primarily searched in the Philippines. Therefore, arriving at a consensus across professional societies and operationally defining different interrelated terms could help streamline our current or future guidelines and programs.
Telemedicine ; Telerehabilitation ; COVID-19 ; Infodemiology

In April 2020, the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (DRM) of the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) transitioned to a telerehabilitation program called ITAWAG, an acronym for Introducing Telerehab As a Way to Access General rehabilitation medicine services. This was in response to the designation of UP-PGH as a COVID-19 referral center and the abrupt closure of all its in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation services. Eleven previous in-patients and out-patients with musculoskeletal and neurologic impairments continued their rehabilitation programs remotely, either through a phone call or video call. Their clinical outcomes and the implementation of the ITAWAG program were monitored to determine the effectiveness of an offsite continuing care program. Using the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) scale, eight patients had a reduction in the severity of their illness, while the remaining three clients had no change. Feedback surveys showed that most clients and caregivers (68%) and health providers (77%) were satisfied with the program's implementation and its outcome. A frequent complaint was the poor phone reception and internet connection. As threats of a COVID-19 outbreak continue, telerehabilitation gives patients a safe, affordable, and convenient alternative for follow-up and continuity of care in medical rehabilitation. Integrating the ITAWAG program into the initial facility-based rehabilitation management can enhance its value in optimizing functional gains and resolving its shortcomings.
Telerehabilitation ; COVID-19 ; Continuity of Patient Care

Stroke has the characteristics of high prevalence, high morbidity, and high mortality, which seriously affects life quality of patients and also creates a huge social burden. Telerehabilitation technology is on the basis of traditional rehabilitation equipment and it integrates with cloud computing and big data technologies. It provides a new way for rehabilitation by providing comprehensive rehabilitation technology and service based on the cloud platform. Therefore, it provides a solution for the situation that the rehabilitation medical resources and the rehabilitation talents in China are relatively insufficient. This article mainly discusses the telerehabilitation technologies of lower extremity motor dysfunction in patients with stroke, the problems and the future development direction.
China ; Humans ; Leg ; physiopathology ; Stroke ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Telerehabilitation ; instrumentation

After two years of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, cases have generally begun to decline in the different regions of the world, and consequently a lot of people are gradually returning to face-to-face interactions, including health-related activities. Based on scarce local literatures published recently, telerehabilitation was envisioned to be a viable solution to bridge the perennial gaps in the delivery of rehabilitation services across the Philippine archipelago, such as the lack of manpower and resources, aggravated by the pandemic.
Delivery of Health Care ; Telemedicine ; Telerehabilitation ; COVID-19 ; Developing Countries