Telehealth Physiotherapy
WHAT IS TELEHEALTH PHYSIOTHERAPY?
Telehealth Physiotherapy uses online, video-conferencing to allow for one-to-one communication between a physiotherapist and patient without them having to be in the same physical location.
It is sometimes referred to as Telerehabilitation, Telephysiotherapy or Virtual Physiotherapy.
To access these services through The Physio Nook, you must be an Ontario resident.
WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM ONLINE SERVICES?
Online services may be a good fit for you if:
you have difficulty accessing in-clinic services due to:
pain/mobility issues that prevent you from getting to and from appointments.
transportation barriers: inclement weather, car trouble, or not cleared to drive after surgery
location: rural areas that don’t have easy access to specific services like pelvic health.
lifestyle barriers: new moms or moms who struggle to go out with infants/toddlers, also those with inflexible work schedules
you have a condition that does not require “hands-on” treatment to improve
you are an existing patient who only requires progression of exercise programs
you do not consent to have an internal vaginal/rectal exam but still want treatment ideas
you are a practitioner wishing to consult about possible pelvic health factors and how you could tailor your treatment in orthopaedic populations.
MY PURPOSE
My purpose in offering these services is to:
1. fill existing gaps in care
2. decreasing barriers & improve access to care (e.g. rural areas)
3. improve continuity & efficiency of services (eg. C-Section recovery)
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Book your Telehealth Appointment online using our Jane App or call 519-703-9729.
After booking, you’ll receive an email containing intake forms, and a link to access your appointment.
Complete your forms online prior to your appointment.
On the day of your appointment, you will receive an email with the link 1-hour before your appointment time.
Click the link to join the appointment at your scheduled time. That’s it!
WATCH A DEMO OF A TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT.
Based on your condition, needs, goals, and assessment findings, you may be appropriate for in-person sessions only OR a mixture of in-person and online sessions.
These recommendations are always based on what will be most beneficial for your care.
CONDITIONS CURRENTLY TREATED
SITUATIONS NOT ADVISABLE FOR TELEHEALTH PHYSIO
While many conditions and injuries have excellent outcomes with Telehealth Physiotherapy, not all are appropriate.
For example:
conditions requiring “hands-on” examination, treatment or therapeutic modalities
patients who would benefit more from an in-person session and they have reasonable access to clinic services.
If, in the first session, it is determined that your case is not appropriate for online services, you will NOT be charged for the session and will either be encouraged to meet in-clinic OR I’ll find a practitioner in your area who can help.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Yes! Regardless of how a physiotherapist provides services (i.e. in-person or online), they are still held to the same level standards, in this case, as set out by the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.
If it is determined that you will not be able to receive good quality care via this platform, then your physiotherapist will recommend a different treatment approach.
Research has shown that Telehealth is effective and comparable to in-clinic sessions at improving both physical function and pain levels for patients. (Cottrell et al., 2017).
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In most cases, a physiotherapist has developed a pretty solid idea of what’s going on after talking with you about your condition.
Our “hands-on” assessment is often used to confirm this initial clinical judgement.
There are MANY creative ways to gather similar information via the online platform. We can also use creative ways to have you perform various techniques (e.g. stretches) that have a similar purpose to what we would perform in-clinic.
Exercise-based treatment is also easily taught and corrected via an online platform.
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Prior to experiencing a Telehealth Physiotherapy session, concerns most commonly expressed are in regards to:
PERSONAL SAFETY
Your physiotherapist is required to ensure that the location where you receive care is safe and that procedures are in place to access help quickly in case of an emergency.
Your physiotherapist may recommend having another person with you during the session in order to enhance the safety and value of the visit. For example, if you have poor balance and need to stand for assessment or treatment techniques, your partner can stand close by to ensure you don’t lose your balance.
studies have noted that there is no difference in the prevalence of unsafe events when sessions are conducted in-clinic as compared to online.
PRIVACY RISKS
Physiotherapists are responsible for keeping your personal information private and safe at all times. This includes the types of technologies that are used to collect and store your information. T
he platforms we have chosen to use for online physiotherapy sessions implement high standards of privacy and encryption and are compliant with privacy laws. We do not record these sessions without your consent. Please refer to our privacy policy for more details regarding online information collection and storage.
The setting in which your Telehealth session occurs must also be reasonably safe and secure. It is advised that you select a quiet location where no one can interrupt or overhear your session (unless you’ve invited them to be present).
Likewise, your physiotherapist will be conducting the session in their office or other secure location versus sitting in a public setting, like a coffee shop, where someone could easily overhear the information that you share.
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YES!
As of April 2020, Telehealth physiotherapy sessions are now being covered by most major insurance providers including SunLife, Manulife, Green Shield and Canada Life.
Please contact your insurance provider to ensure you know the details of your coverage.
Still have questions?
Email us at info@thephysionook.com
REFERENCES
Bennell, K. L., Nelligan, R., Dobson, F., Rini, C., Keefe, F., Kasza, J., Hinman, R. S. (2017). Effectiveness of an Internet-Delivered Exercise and Pain-Coping Skills Training Intervention for Persons With Chronic Knee Pain. Annals of Internal Medicine,166(7), 453. doi:10.7326/m16-1714
Buvik, A., Bergmo, T.S., Bugge, E., Smaabrekke, A., Wilsgaard, T., Olsen, J.A. (2019). Cost-Effectiveness of Telemedicine in Remote Orthopedic Consultations: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res 21(2):e11330. DOI: 10.2196/11330
Conlan, Thompson J. et al (2016). An exploration of the Efficacy of Telehealth in the Assessment and Management of Stress Urinary Incontinence among Women in Rural Locations. Australian & New Zealand Continence Journal. 22(3): p.58-65. http://www.continencexchange.org.au/journals.php/70/
Cottrell, M. A., Galea, O. A., O'Leary, S. P., Hill, A. J., & Russell, T. G. (2017). Real-time telerehabilitation for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions is effective and comparable to standard practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical rehabilitation, 31(5): p. 625–638. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215516645148
Hwang, R., Bruning J., Morris, N.R., Mandrusiak, A., and Russell, T. (2017). Home-based telerehabilitation is not inferior to a centre-based program in patients with chronic heart failure: a randomized trial. Journal of Physiotherapy, Vol. 63(2); p.101-107.
Lindh et al. (2016) Non-face-to-face treatment of stress urinary incontinence: predictors of success after 1 year. Int Urogynecol J (12):1857-1865. DOI: 10.1007/s00192-016-3050-4
Sjostrom et al. (2015) Internet-based treatment of stress urinary incontinence: 1- and 2-year results of a randomized controlled trial with a focus on pelvic floor muscle training. BJU Int 116(6):955-64. doi: 10.1111/bju.13091.