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García-Rudolph A, Wright MA, Yepes C, Murillo N, Conesa L, Soriano I, Bautista R, Opisso E, Tormos JM, Medina J. Effectiveness and efficiency of telerehabilitation on functionality after spinal cord injury: A matched case-control study. PM R 2024; 16:815-825. [PMID: 38155582 DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.13125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telerehabilitation in spinal cord injury (teleSCI) is a growing field that can improve access to care and health outcomes in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The clinical effectiveness of teleSCI is not known. OBJECTIVES To compare independence in activities of daily living and mobility capacity in patients following teleSCI and matched controls undergoing traditional rehabilitation. DESIGN Matched case-control study. SETTING TeleSCI occurring in home setting (cases) versus traditional rehabilitation on inpatient unit (controls). PARTICIPANTS Forty-two consecutive patients with SCI followed with teleSCI were compared to 42 historical rehabilitation inpatients (controls) matched for age, time since injury to rehabilitation admission, level of injury (paraplegia/tetraplegia), complete or incomplete injury, and etiology (traumatic/nontraumatic). The teleSCI group (n = 42) was also compared to the complete cohort of historical controls (n = 613). INTERVENTIONS The teleSCI group followed home-based telerehabilitation (3.5 h/day, 5 days/week, 67 days average duration) and historical controls followed in-person rehabilitation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) and the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI). We formally compared gains, efficiency and effectiveness. International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury and the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) were used. RESULTS The teleSCI group (57.1% nontraumatic, 71.4% paraplegia, 73.8% incomplete, 52.4% AIS grade D) showed no significant differences compared with historical controls in AIS grades, neurological levels, duration, gains, efficiency and effectiveness in FIM, SCIM, or WISCI, although the teleSCI cohort had significantly higher admission FIM scores compared with the complete cohort of historical controls. CONCLUSIONS TeleSCI may provide similar improvements in mobility and functional outcomes as traditional rehabilitation in medically stable patients (predominantly with paraplegia and motor incomplete SCI) when provided with appropriate support and equipment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro García-Rudolph
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mark Andrew Wright
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Yepes
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Narda Murillo
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucas Conesa
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignasi Soriano
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Bautista
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eloy Opisso
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Maria Tormos
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Medina
- Department of Research and Innovation, Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
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Swarnakar R, Yadav S, Wadhwa S, Venkataraman S. Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic (TELE-SCOPE): A Single-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial. Cureus 2023; 15:e41513. [PMID: 37551233 PMCID: PMC10404416 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.41513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges in accessing adequate healthcare services, particularly for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). On the other hand, telerehabilitation has emerged as a promising solution to address healthcare needs. Since there was no study during the pandemic, we started this study with the aim of assessing the efficacy of telerehabilitation for individuals with SCI during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a prospective double-blind, randomized, controlled trial conducted in a tertiary rehabilitation care center hospital. Thirty participants with traumatic spinal cord injuries (age 18 years or more, either gender) were equally randomized to the telerehabilitation or control group (1:1). Biweekly telerehabilitation sessions (each session: 30 minutes) were provided. Participants in the control group were advised to continue standard usual care as advised previously during outpatient or inpatient rehabilitation. The Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III) (primary outcome measure) and Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) (secondary outcome measure) were evaluated at baseline, four weeks, and eight weeks. Results The mean age of the intervention group was 28.2±6.9 years, and the mean age of the control group was 26.3±7.7 years. The self-care (P = 0.03) and mobility domains (P=0.01) of the SCIM III in the intervention group compared to the control group, as determined through a between-group analysis, showed statistically significant differences. CAS also showed improvement in the intervention group compared to the control group. Within-group analysis showed a mean difference of 6.3 points in the intervention group compared to the control group (1.3 points). Conclusion Telerehabilitation intervention is safe, feasible, and effective in improving self-care and mobility domains in persons with spinal cord injuries during the pandemic. It is also effective in reducing the anxiety related to the coronavirus in this population. Further research with a larger sample size and a longer duration is needed to evaluate long-term effectiveness during such crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raktim Swarnakar
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, IND
| | - Shivlal Yadav
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, IND
| | - Sanjay Wadhwa
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, IND
| | - Srikumar Venkataraman
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, IND
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Biswas A. Tele-rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in India: An Essential but Uphill Task. Cureus 2023; 15:e38821. [PMID: 37303386 PMCID: PMC10251731 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.38821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients is gradually increasing in India. But due to the unavailability of rehabilitation facilities at the grass root level and most of the patient's financial status, institution-based SCI rehabilitation is still not feasible for many of SCI patients. Tele-rehabilitation can help to rehabilitate the SCI patients to a satisfactory extent where providing hospital-based rehabilitation is not possible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tele-rehabilitation showed its true potential already. Poverty, lack of education, and lack of technical knowledge of the patients can be a major barrier to its implication. However, with the government's support, suitable manpower, and will to serve, we can deliver tele-rehabilitation services for SCI patients in the remotest and poorest areas of India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurug Biswas
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Patna, IND
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Current Approaches in Telehealth and Telerehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injury (TeleSCI). CURRENT PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION REPORTS 2022; 10:77-88. [PMID: 35493027 PMCID: PMC9039273 DOI: 10.1007/s40141-022-00348-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Telehealth and telerehabilitation in spinal cord injury (teleSCI) is a growing field that can improve access to care and improve health outcomes in the spinal cord injury population. This review provides an overview of the recent literature on the topic of teleSCI and provides insights on current evidence, future directions, and considerations when using teleSCI for clinical care. Recent Findings TeleSCI is used most often for preventive health; management of chronic pain, anxiety, and depression; and rehabilitation-related interventions. As video telehealth becomes mainstream, growth in wearable monitors, bio and neurofeedback mechanisms, and app-based care is expected. Summary TeleSCI is growing in prevalence, demonstrates positive impact on health outcomes, and requires ongoing study to identify, refine, and implement best practices.
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