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App-based telerehabilitation program for older adults on waiting list for physiotherapy after hospital discharge: a
Pollyana Ruggio Tristão Borges1, Rosana Ferreira Sampaio1, Jane Fonseca Dias1
1Department of Physiotherapy, Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos, 6627 - Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil.
Background:
Inactivity while waiting for outpatient physiotherapy worsens the physical deconditioning of older adults after hospital discharge. Exercise programs can minimize the progression of deconditioning. In developing countries, telerehabilitation for older adults on the waiting list is still in the early stages. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the study procedures of a telerehabilitation program for older adults waiting for outpatient physiotherapy after hospital discharge.
Methods:
This pragmatic randomized controlled trial recruited older adults (≥ 60 years) with several clinical diagnoses on the waiting list for outpatient physiotherapy in the Brazilian public health system after hospital discharge. The telerehabilitation group (n = 17) received a personalized program of multicomponent remote exercises using a smartphone app. The control group (n = 17) followed the usual waiting list. We assessed recruitment and dropout rates, safety, adherence, and satisfaction. The preliminary effects were verified on clinical outcomes.
Results:
We recruited 5.6 older adults monthly; dropouts were 12%. No serious adverse events were associated with the telerehabilitation program. The weekly adherence was 2.85 (1.43) days, and in 63.3% of the weeks the participants were enrolled, they performed the exercise program at least twice a week. Participants rated the telerehabilitation program as 9.71 (0.21), and the safety of remote exercises without professional supervision as 8.6 (2.2) on a 0-10 scale.
Conclusions:
The telerehabilitation program using a smartphone app was safe and presented high participants' satisfaction and adequate adherence, recruitment, and dropout rates. Therefore, the definitive study can be conducted with few modifications.
Trial Registration:
Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC), RBR-9243v7. Registered on 24 August 2020. https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-9243v7 .
