Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects
ALZAHRANI, A., ALQAHTANI, S., ALI HAKAMI, H., Alaklopi, A., OSAIS, Q., Asiri, H., Asiri, M., Alhadi, N., Alanazi, S., Hakami, R., Al-Shomrani, M., ALSAMA, Y. (2025). Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects. EKB Journal Management System, 7(3), 397-405. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.442787
ABDULLAH SUWAYYID ALZAHRANI; SALEH AYED ALQAHTANI; HUSSAIN MOHAMMED ALI HAKAMI; Abdulaziz Saad Alaklopi; QASSIM ALI OSAIS; Hadi Hassan Asiri; Mohammed Ahmed Asiri; Najla Awn Alhadi; Sami Fahad Saleh Alanazi; Raed Ahmed A. Hakami; Mohammed Abdullah Al-Shomrani; YAHYA SALEH A ALSAMA. "Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects". EKB Journal Management System, 7, 3, 2025, 397-405. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.442787
ALZAHRANI, A., ALQAHTANI, S., ALI HAKAMI, H., Alaklopi, A., OSAIS, Q., Asiri, H., Asiri, M., Alhadi, N., Alanazi, S., Hakami, R., Al-Shomrani, M., ALSAMA, Y. (2025). 'Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects', EKB Journal Management System, 7(3), pp. 397-405. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.442787
ALZAHRANI, A., ALQAHTANI, S., ALI HAKAMI, H., Alaklopi, A., OSAIS, Q., Asiri, H., Asiri, M., Alhadi, N., Alanazi, S., Hakami, R., Al-Shomrani, M., ALSAMA, Y. Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects. EKB Journal Management System, 2025; 7(3): 397-405. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.442787

Telerehabilitation: Effectiveness, Barriers, and Prospects

Journal of Medical and Life Science
Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2025, Pages 397-405    PDF (418.5 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/jmals.2025.442787
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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