Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment delivered via real-time
telerehabilitation for the management of musculoskeletal conditions, and to
determine if real-time telerehabilitation is comparable to conventional methods
of delivery within this population. DATA SOURCES: Six databases (Medline, Embase,
Cochrane CENTRAL, PEDro, psycINFO, CINAHL) were searched from inception to
November 2015 for literature which reported on the outcomes of real-time
telerehabilitation for musculoskeletal conditions. REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers
screened 5913 abstracts where 13 studies ( n = 1520) met the eligibility
criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using the Downs & Black 'Checklist
for Measuring Quality' tool. Results were pooled for meta-analysis based upon
primary outcome measures and reported as standardised mean differences and 95%
confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Aggregate results suggest that
telerehabilitation is effective in the improvement of physical function (SMD
1.63, 95%CI 0.92-2.33, I2=93%), whilst being slightly more favourable (SMD 0.44,
95%CI 0.19-0.69, I2=58%) than the control cohort following intervention.
Sub-group analyses reveals that telerehabilitation in addition to usual care is
more favourable (SMD 0.64, 95%CI 0.43-0.85, I2=10%) than usual care alone, whilst
treatment delivered solely via telerehabilitation is equivalent to face-to-face
intervention (SMD MD 0.14, 95% CI -0.10-0.37, I2 = 0%) for the improvement of
physical function. The improvement of pain was also seen to be comparable between
cohorts (SMD 0.66, 95%CI -0.27-1.60, I2=96%) following intervention. CONCLUSIONS:
Real-time telerehabilitation appears to be effective and comparable to
conventional methods of healthcare delivery for the improvement of physical
function and pain in a variety of musculoskeletal conditions.

Langue : ANGLAIS