Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects | ||||
Journal of Medical and Life Science | ||||
Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2025, Page 397-405 PDF (418.5 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/jmals.2025.442787 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
ABDULLAH SUWAYYID ALZAHRANI* 1; SALEH AYED ALQAHTANI2; HUSSAIN MOHAMMED ALI HAKAMI2; Abdulaziz Saad Alaklopi3; QASSIM ALI OSAIS2; Hadi Hassan Asiri2; Mohammed Ahmed Asiri2; Najla Awn Alhadi2; Sami Fahad Saleh Alanazi4; Raed Ahmed A. Hakami5; Mohammed Abdullah Al-Shomrani6; YAHYA SALEH A ALSAMA4 | ||||
1Physical Therapy, Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Aseer | ||||
2Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Aseer, Saudi Arabia | ||||
3Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Saudi Arabia | ||||
4Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Saudi Arabia | ||||
5Security Forces Hospital Program Dammam, Saudi Arabia | ||||
6General Administration of Prison Health, Saudi Arabia | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Telerehabilitation (TR) has emerged as a significant mode of health care delivery, particularly since the time of the pandemic of COVID-19 pandemic, by delivering rehabilitation services remotely using telecommunication technologies. This systematic review on the effectiveness, barriers, and prospects of telerehabilitation for a variety of clinical populations including those with neurological, musculoskeletal, and cardiorespiratory conditions, reveals that telerehabilitation has robustly demonstrated similar efficacy as that of face-to-face rehabilitation to improve physical function, quality of life (QoL), and patient satisfaction, whilst also being enormously cost-effective and accessible. Although telerehabilitation has demonstrated its effectiveness, there remain barriers, including technological limitations, administrative barriers, and issues related to patient adherence. The meta-analyses have highlighted positive effects on motor function (SMD = 0.24-0.87) and quality of life (SMD = 0.03-0.91) in various populations; however, the quality of the evidence remains variable. Future lines of inquiry for telerehabilitation may include incorporating novel technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and specifically targeting disadvantaged populations and low-resource settings. Collectively, this systematic review suggests that telerehabilitation can be an effective alternative to traditional rehabilitation, while identifying areas for exploration of systematic reviews to enhance the implementation and equity aspects of evidence-based rehabilitation. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Telerehabilitation; Telehealth; Rehabilitation; Digital Health; Patient Outcomes | ||||
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