Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review

Background Telerehabilitation offers patients alternative access to therapy and has become more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the increasing attractiveness of such programs, there are research gaps regarding the required competencies in the demand-oriented technology use in rehabil...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anna Lea Stark, Stephan Krayter, Christoph Dockweiler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2023-12-01
Series:Digital Health
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231218841
_version_ 1797391345408540672
author Anna Lea Stark
Stephan Krayter
Christoph Dockweiler
author_facet Anna Lea Stark
Stephan Krayter
Christoph Dockweiler
author_sort Anna Lea Stark
collection DOAJ
description Background Telerehabilitation offers patients alternative access to therapy and has become more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the increasing attractiveness of such programs, there are research gaps regarding the required competencies in the demand-oriented technology use in rehabilitative care. Objective The study aims at collecting evidence on competencies required by patients and health professionals for using telerehabilitation. We analyse tasks and requirements associated with telerehabilitation and derive and systematise relevant competencies. Methods We conducted a scoping review and analysed MEDLINE, Psyndex, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for empirical studies and grey literature from 2017 to May 2022. Articles had to be in English/German and refer to medical rehabilitation accompanied by health professionals taking place in the patient's home. Results One hundred ten articles were included, covering video conferencing systems, applications with video, audio, or visual therapy content, or wearables. Depending on the program, tasks before, during, and after therapy sessions differ, as do whether these are performed by health professionals, patients, or the technology. Users need digital, health-related, social, personal, and health professionals also professional competencies. This comprises telerehabilitation, technical, health-related, and clinical knowledge, a range of physical, cognitive, social-interactive, technical, and clinical skills, a positive attitude towards telerehabilitation and experience. Whether sociodemographic factors promote successful use is unclear. Conclusions Telerehabilitation requires a variety of different competencies from patients and health professionals — going beyond the sphere of technical skills. This highlights the need for an evaluation of existing programs for promoting competencies in the use of telerehabilitation and refinement of the programs in line with demands.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T23:31:38Z
format Article
id doaj.art-4f0b7642a13948e7a2efa7d9c556529f
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2055-2076
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T23:31:38Z
publishDate 2023-12-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Digital Health
spelling doaj.art-4f0b7642a13948e7a2efa7d9c556529f2023-12-14T13:06:39ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762023-12-01910.1177/20552076231218841Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping reviewAnna Lea StarkStephan KrayterChristoph DockweilerBackground Telerehabilitation offers patients alternative access to therapy and has become more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the increasing attractiveness of such programs, there are research gaps regarding the required competencies in the demand-oriented technology use in rehabilitative care. Objective The study aims at collecting evidence on competencies required by patients and health professionals for using telerehabilitation. We analyse tasks and requirements associated with telerehabilitation and derive and systematise relevant competencies. Methods We conducted a scoping review and analysed MEDLINE, Psyndex, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for empirical studies and grey literature from 2017 to May 2022. Articles had to be in English/German and refer to medical rehabilitation accompanied by health professionals taking place in the patient's home. Results One hundred ten articles were included, covering video conferencing systems, applications with video, audio, or visual therapy content, or wearables. Depending on the program, tasks before, during, and after therapy sessions differ, as do whether these are performed by health professionals, patients, or the technology. Users need digital, health-related, social, personal, and health professionals also professional competencies. This comprises telerehabilitation, technical, health-related, and clinical knowledge, a range of physical, cognitive, social-interactive, technical, and clinical skills, a positive attitude towards telerehabilitation and experience. Whether sociodemographic factors promote successful use is unclear. Conclusions Telerehabilitation requires a variety of different competencies from patients and health professionals — going beyond the sphere of technical skills. This highlights the need for an evaluation of existing programs for promoting competencies in the use of telerehabilitation and refinement of the programs in line with demands.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231218841
spellingShingle Anna Lea Stark
Stephan Krayter
Christoph Dockweiler
Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review
Digital Health
title Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review
title_full Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review
title_fullStr Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review
title_full_unstemmed Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review
title_short Competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation: A scoping review
title_sort competencies required by patients and health professionals regarding telerehabilitation a scoping review
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231218841
work_keys_str_mv AT annaleastark competenciesrequiredbypatientsandhealthprofessionalsregardingtelerehabilitationascopingreview
AT stephankrayter competenciesrequiredbypatientsandhealthprofessionalsregardingtelerehabilitationascopingreview
AT christophdockweiler competenciesrequiredbypatientsandhealthprofessionalsregardingtelerehabilitationascopingreview