Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
HA Young Investigators Session (Projects to be presented by HA staff who had joined HA for 10 years or less)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Ho ATC, Ma BHM, Ng DMT, Lam ICY, Chung MTK, Kwok CKC, Chan ACM
Affiliation :
Physiotherapy Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Introduction :
Knee osteoarthritis (OA knee) is one of the most disabling conditions that profoundly impact pain and quality of life. The primary goal of the Structured Non-Surgical Therapy Program (SNTP) aims to offer a regular monitoring of symptoms and maintaining physical functions by emphasizing exercise therapy with patient empowerment for patients with OA knee condition. The patients will embark on a course of structured physiotherapy, supplemented by a series of educational classes to reinforce their understanding of pathology, disease progression, therapeutic exercise, as well as self-management strategies. Telehealth service was implemented in the SNTP to provide flexibility to patients, reducing patients’ cost of travelling and possibilities of increasing carers support.
Objectives :
This study aims to evaluate the patient’s acceptance and satisfaction of the implementation of telehealth service in SNTP.
Methodology :
Patients recruited in SNTP with installed HA GO were recruited to TeleHealth OA Knee Class.
Upon completing these classes, patients’ acceptance and satisfaction was assessed through surveys to gauge the receptivity of the telehealth educational class. Communication and Interaction, Accessibility, Practicality and Overall satisfaction was evaluated using Likert Scale (Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree and Strongly Agree).
Result & Outcome :
A total of 17 patients (n=17) completed the TeleHealth OA Knee Class. High majority of patients (over 94% of patients) rated agree or strongly agree about effective communication and interaction between patients and physiotherapists. Over 88% of users agreed the service for its accessibility and the service provided them with comprehensive exercise guidance and recommendations. More than 94% of patients opined that TeleHealth OA Knee Class could fulfil their therapeutic needs in supplementing department-based physiotherapy service. The overall satisfaction with the TeleHealth OA Knee Class was notably high, with an average rating of 8.7 out of 10.
The incorporation of telehealth classes into SNTP aligns with the growing reliance on technology and provides various options to the evolving patients’ preferences. The results of this study have ramification for utilizing telehealth as a valuable component in SNTP, offering an accessible, cost-effective, patient-centred approach that contributes to patients’ empowerment skills. Patients were generally satisfied with the service of the telehealth educational class. Concerns that therapeutic alliance or patient satisfaction could be compromised with TeleHealth were refuted.
Physiotherapy TeleHealth Class function in HA Go commenced in 2023. With the growing popularity of using smart phones and mobile applications, further study on effectiveness of telehealth educational class is suggested to evaluate the clinical outcomes.
Reference:
Hinman, R. S., Campbell, P. K., Kimp, A. J., Russell, T., Foster, N. E., Kasza, J., Harris, A., & Bennell, K. L. (2024). Telerehabilitation consultations with a physiotherapist for chronic knee pain versus in-person consultations in Australia: the PEAK non-inferiority randomised controlled trial. The Lancet (British Edition). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02630-2
