Introduction: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has been rapidly implemented in outpatient services worldwide. However, little is known about the experiences of telehealth in a tertiary outpatient physiotherapy setting.
Objective: 1) describe the experience of physiotherapists and patients who utilized telehealth services in a tertiary health facility; and 2) identify the challenges and opportunities of physiotherapy service provision via telehealth in a tertiary health facility.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach was undertaken in the physiotherapy outpatient department between June and October 2020. Patients utilizing telehealth services were invited to complete a purposely designed survey. Physiotherapists completed the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) and provided open-ended responses. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data was completed and thematic analysis was used for qualitative data.
Results: Patients reported positive experiences with telehealth, with 93% finding it easy to use and 90% satisfied with the time it took to get an appointment. Scores on the TUQ by physiotherapists were highest for usefulness with a mean (SD) score of 6.02 (1.09), while lower scores were seen for reliability with a score of 3.24 (1.48). Five broad themes were identified: 1) connecting with patients during a pandemic; 2) keeping treatment on track; 3) unprepared for the technology challenges; 4) telehealth - not quite the real thing; and 5) better resources to facilitate moving forwards.
While the overall patient experience was high, physiotherapist's satisfaction with telehealth was more varied. Additional work may be needed to improve the technical and logistical aspects of telehealth to support ongoing use in physiotherapy clinical practice.
Keywords: COVID-19; Telehealth; experiences; patient satisfaction; physiotherapy.