Practice Considerations for Adapting in-Person Groups to Telerehabilitation

Allison M Gustavson; Michelle R Rauzi; Molly J Lahn; Hillari S N Olson; Melissa Ludescher; Stephanie Bazal; Elizabeth Roddy; Christine Interrante; Estee Berg; Jennifer P Wisdom; Howard A Fink

doi:10.5195/ijt.2021.6374

Practice Considerations for Adapting in-Person Groups to Telerehabilitation

Int J Telerehabil. 2021 Jun 22;13(1):e6374. doi: 10.5195/ijt.2021.6374. eCollection 2021.

Affiliations

¹ Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center for Care Delivery and Outcomes Research, Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
² Physical Therapy Program, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.
³ Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN 5, USA.
⁴ Wisdom Consulting, New York, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁶ Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Abstract

The Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shifted research and healthcare system priorities, stimulating literature on implementation and evaluation of telerehabilitation for a variety of patient populations. While there is substantial literature on individual telerehabilitation, evidence about group telerehabilitation remains limited despite its increasing use by rehabilitation providers. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript is to describe our expert team's consensus on practice considerations for adapting in-person group rehabilitation to group telerehabilitation to provide rapid guidance during a pandemic and create a foundation for sustainability of group telerehabilitation beyond the pandemic's end.

Keywords: Clinical practice; Group; Implementation; Multi-participant; Telehealth; Telerehabilitation.

Copyright © 2021 Allison M. Gustavson, Michelle R. Rauzi, Molly J. Lahn, Hillari S.N. Olson, Melissa Ludescher, Stephanie Bazal, Elizabeth Roddy, Christine Interrante, Estee Berg, Jennifer P. Wisdom, Howard A. Fink.