Characterization of Telerehabilitation Visits and Patient Satisfaction in Outpatient Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics From March 2020 to November 2021.

Objective: The aim of the study is to explore the usability of and satisfaction with telerehabilitation services provided to rehabilitation patients with various diagnoses at two large urban medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: This was a usability study and all patients that received telerehabilitation services from March 2020 to November 2021 were included. Of the 4070 surveys sent via mail or email links to REDCap, 405 were completed (10% response rate). Participants completed demographic surveys, surveys on the telerehabilitation visit characteristics, telerehabilitation usability, and overall satisfaction with the visit.

Results: Patients were mostly women (64.4%), White, non-Hispanic (74.3%), and English-speaking (99%). Most patients were seen via telerehabilitation due to COVID-19 restrictions (37.1%). Patients were generally satisfied with their telerehabilitation visit (3.64 out of 4). Additionally, patients generally found telerehab to be useful (6.4 out of 7), easy to use (6.3 out of 7), effective (6.2 out of 7), satisfactory (6.3 out of 7), and comparable to in-person visits (6.5 out of 7).

Conclusions: Patients generally reported feeling satisfied and comfortable with telerehabilitation visits and felt that they were comparable to in-person visits. Future research should examine the impact of socioeconomic factors on telerehabilitation use, with a focus on education level and non-English speakers.