New study launched by leading rehabilitation providers to improve existing telehealth services

The telemedicine industry has proven to be an essential tool in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by providing an alternative to in-person doctor appointments, remote patient monitoring of patients with various health conditions. Furthermore, virtual patient care is not only innovative but also enables providers to interact with patients in a way that eliminates exposure to the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus and reduces personal protective equipment (PPE) use amid a worldwide shortage. Recognising the importance of the future development and improvement of telehealth services, leading rehabilitation providers Brooks Rehabilitation, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have partnered for a research study that will help to advance telehealth for rehabilitation in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the leading rehabilitation providers, the goal of the study is to obtain the essential data and feedback necessary to improve telehealth rehab services in the future. Before the pandemic, the healthcare industry was not eager to accept the innovative solutions provided by telemedicine services due to obstacles that prevented patients from receiving optimal health care such as lack of appropriate technology or access to online portals. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed telehealth services to advance at an unprecedented rate with virtual care platforms being launched in all parts of the world and governments lifting provisions that limited telemedicine services.

As telehealth continues to expand, healthcare providers and patients are starting to see the benefits and convenience of telemedicine services. Therefore, it is important to identify underlying telehealth issues and barriers to improve them in the future. The study will survey patients and providers who have received or delivered care since the pandemic was first declared by President Trump on 11 March. The essential information provided by the study will help to drive the creation of future telehealth services and shape the way telehealth operates in rehabilitation services.