Substantiating Clinical Effectiveness and Potential Barriers to the Widespread Implementation of Spinal Cord Injury Telerehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis of Randomized Trials in the Recent Past Decade
Telemedicine Reports, 2021 · DOI: 10.1089/tmr.2020.0026 · Published: January 1, 2021
Simple Explanation
This review examines the effectiveness and obstacles to using telerehabilitation for spinal cord injuries (teleSCI). It looks at studies from 2010-2020 to see if teleSCI improves patient outcomes. The review found that teleSCI can positively impact SCI management, helping patients in areas like wound care and mental health. However, challenges such as technology limitations and data privacy concerns hinder its widespread use. More data is needed to promote the adoption of teleSCI. Issues like cost-effectiveness and data security need to be addressed to convince healthcare experts and policymakers.
Key Findings
- 1The majority of studies demonstrated significant positive outcomes to validate teleSCI clinical effectiveness through conventional technology.
- 2Most studies used telephones and computers for intervention delivery, with web-based platforms being the most common technology.
- 3Data security and privacy were often unaddressed in the reviewed studies, raising concerns about HIPAA compliance and the risk of data breaches.
Research Summary
Practical Implications
Validate teleSCI Clinical Effectiveness
Demonstrates significant positive outcomes to validate teleSCI clinical effectiveness through conventional technology.
Improve SCI Individuals’ Lives
Results expand our understanding of teleSCI’s impact and its demonstrated potential for improving SCI individuals’ lives.
Address Implementation Barriers
Further research is needed to address the barriers to widespread implementation, such as technology limitations, data security, and cost-effectiveness.
Study Limitations
- 1Heterogeneity of selected studies limits the conclusive recommendations.
- 2The study’s inclusion criteria served to be a limitation by failing to capture a sizable compilation of journal articles.
- 3Lack of standardized neurological levels of injury reporting across studies.