Reliability and Validity of Telehealth Spinal Examination Components: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Physical Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Telehealth has become increasingly prevalent in healthcare delivery.
• Assessing the reliability and validity of telehealth spine examinations is crucial for its clinical adoption.
• Previous reviews have not systematically evaluated the evidence for telehealth spine examination components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the existing literature on the reliability and validity of telehealth spine examination components.
• To synthesize evidence supporting the use of virtual assessments in spine care.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE database up to May 17, 2022.
• Studies were included if they assessed synchronous telehealth spine examinations and reported reliability or validity data.
• Quality and risk of bias were assessed using established appraisal tools.

Main Results:

• Six studies with sample sizes ranging from 11 to 100 were included.
• Several components, including inspection, range of motion, and specific orthopedic tests, demonstrated high validity and/or reliability.
• Some components, like postural inspection, showed poor reliability.

Conclusions:

• Components of telehealth spine examinations are generally valid and reliable.
• The findings support the clinical utility of telehealth for spine assessments in physical therapy and chiropractic settings.