Knowledge and barriers regarding telerehabilitation among physical therapists
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33897/fujrs.v6i1.484Keywords:
Barriers, knowledge, physical therapists, telerehabilitationAbstract
Background: Using technology and communications networks to deliver rehabilitation treatments remotely is known as telerehabilitation (TR). It covers a range of patient care topics, such as evaluation, monitoring, and treatment.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine physical therapists’ perceived knowledge and obstacles to tele-rehabilitation installation and utilization and the association between experience and knowledge of telerehabilitation.
Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study (Ref/IRS/REC-0002156) was conducted over six months in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, targeting physical therapists working in public and private healthcare facilities. Using non-probability convenience sampling, 146 physical therapists were recruited comprising both genders with six months of experience and those older than 24. A modified 14-item questionnaire created by Majmaah University was used to gather data, and SPSS version 25 was used for analysis.
Results: Out of 146 participants, 59 (40.4%) were male and 87 (59.6%) were female. 55.5% of participants were familiar with the notion of telerehabilitation, whereas 44.5% of participants reported that they had no knowledge about telerehabilitation. 4.8% of providers were unwilling to use telerehabilitation, 43.2% had technical problems, 23.3% had staff competence problems, 13.7% had high costs, and 4.1% identified healthcare location as a barrier. After testing for normality using the Shapiro–Wilk test, a non-parametric chi-square test was applied, which showed no significant association between physical therapists’ knowledge of tele-rehabilitation and years of experience (p = 0.185).
Conclusion: Physical therapists comprehend tele-rehabilitation at an average level, yet a significant percentage still don’t know enough about it. Financial difficulties, human incompetence, and technological problems are the primary barriers to the utilization of telerehabilitation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mamoona Tasleem Afzal, Nimra Rehman, Soma Saleem, Muntaha Noor, Muhammad Mozaffar Rizvi
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