Comparative analysis of burnout levels in diverse neurological patient groups undergoing telerehabilitation

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a standardised 6-week telerehabilitation intervention (30 sessions, 60 min/day, 5 days/week) on general burnout levels (Pines and Aronson Burnout Measure) in adults with neurological conditions and to determine whether pre-post changes differed according to diagnostic group (hemiplegia/paraplegia/tetraplegia, Parkinson's disease, aphasia), sex, and age category (<65 vs ≥65 years). This study was designed as a retrospective observational study based on secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from 211 adults who completed a standardised telerehabilitation intervention. Burnout was assessed using the 21-item Pines and Aronson Burnout Measure before and after the intervention. Pre-post changes were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Differences in burnout change scores between diagnostic groups were examined using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc analyses. Comparisons according to sex and age groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Burnout scores significantly decreased following telerehabilitation in all diagnostic groups (all p < 0.001). Reductions were greater in individuals with Parkinson's disease compared with the other groups (p < 0.01). Male participants and those aged ≥65 years demonstrated larger decreases in burnout scores compared with their counterparts (p < 0.05). Telerehabilitation was associated with reductions in general burnout across neurological diagnostic groups. The observed improvements may be explained by structured therapist supervision, regular feedback, increased engagement through digital interaction, and reduced barriers to rehabilitation access, supporting telerehabilitation as a strategy to alleviate psychological burden in neurological rehabilitation. Implications for RehabilitationTelerehabilitation significantly reduces burnout levels in adult neurological patients. This demonstrates that digital interventions effectively support not only motor functions but also psychosocial well-being.The higher improvement observed in Parkinson's patients reveals that holistically targeting motor and non-motor symptoms with telerehabilitation is effective in reducing psychosocial burden. Increasing dual-task-based and neurocognitive content in this group can strengthen clinical benefit.The more significant reduction in burnout in older adults (≥65 years) shows that telerehabilitation is a powerful tool in terms of accessibility, reducing social isolation, and providing regular professional interaction. Therefore, it is recommended to expand telerehabilitation programs in older individuals.The higher reduction in burnout in men indicates that personalised motivation strategies based on demographic characteristics should be integrated into telerehabilitation programs.The significant improvement observed in all 21 items of the burnout scale in all three diagnostic groups reveals that the intervention simultaneously reduces the emotional, physical, and cognitive components of exhaustion. This finding supports the implementation of telerehabilitation in conjunction with holistic psychosocial assessment and follow-up protocols.In clinical practice, it is recommended to add psychoeducation, motivational feedback, family involvement, and digital social interaction components to telerehabilitation programs for diagnostic groups with high psychosocial burden (Parkinson's disease, advanced age, aphasia patients with communication difficulties).From a healthcare system perspective, the burnout-reducing effect of telerehabilitation can improve long-term functional outcomes by increasing adherence to rehabilitation programs; it can optimize resource utilization by reducing the need for face-to-face sessions.