Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24141/1/10/2/2
Physiotherapists’ attitudes towards telerehabilitation
Ema Kovačić
; Polyclinic Prof.dr.sc. Milena Stojčević Polovina
Olivera Petrak
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Telerehabilitation (TR) can be defined as the use of information and communication technology in the rehabilitation process. It refers to clinical rehabilitation services including assessment, diagnosis and treatment, and its application intensifies over time. The use of technology to provide rehabilitation services has many advantages for both physiotherapists and patients, but it also has certain limitations.
The aim of this research was to examine the physiotherapists’ attitudes towards telerehabilitation, as well as the differences in attitudes regarding the gender and work sector. The research included 153 physiotherapists (116 women and 37 men) who filled out an online questionnaire in March 2021. The average age is 32 years. The instrument, compiled for this research, consisted of a scale of attitudes about TR (27 statements), a scale of potential advantages of TR (10 statements), of potential difficulties in TR (20 statements), and two questions about the past experience and the desire to apply TR.
The physiotherapists’ attitudes towards TR are ambivalent, negative attitudes are somewhat more pronounced, but when assessing the importance of advantages and disadvantages, the advantages gained more importance. Respondents cited the possibility of working with patients in another city, saving time and reducing travel expenses as the biggest advantages. The absence of live contact and touch, the insufficient technological equipment of the older population and the impossibility of applying certain procedures are the most obvious shortcomings. Physiotherapists in the private sector view certain aspects of TR more positively than those in the public sector. The majority of respondents have never used TR before, but all of them would like to use it in the future.
Keywords
attitudes, physiotherapists, telemedicine, telerehabilitation
Hrčak ID:
324263
URI
Publication date:
19.12.2024.
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