Transforming the Provision of Physiotherapy in the Time of COVID-19: A Call to Action for Telerehabilitation
Adria Quigley, Helen M. Johnson, Caitlin McArthur
Abstract
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented a global health threat, and it poses challenges to how physiotherapists deliver health care. Physiotherapists have an ethical obligation not only to reduce the spread of COVID-19 but also to provide client-centred care and to improve or maintain function among those living in the community. Telerehabilitation provides an opportunity to maintain function, prevent future hospitalizations, and assist with discharge from hospitals while maintaining physical distancing recommendations. This editorial outlines the evidence for telerehabilitation, key considerations for its use, challenges to its use, and we issue a call to action.
Topics & Concepts
TelerehabilitationCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Call to actionHealth careMedicineAction (physics)TelemedicineTelehealthFunction (biology)ObligationDistancingPhysical therapyNursingPhysical medicine and rehabilitationBusinessDiseasePolitical scienceInfectious disease (medical specialty)Evolutionary biologyBiologyQuantum mechanicsLawMarketingPathologyPhysicsTelemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationLong-Term Effects of COVID-19COVID-19 and healthcare impacts