Background. Catalyzed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that restricted non-essential travel, awareness of the value of telehealth increased among healthcare providers and consumers. Telerehabilitation, a subset of telehealth and telemedicine, refers explicitly to the remote provision of rehabilitation services. However, since the majority were new to the concept of telerehabilitation, which was commonly interchanged with other related terms (e.g., telehealth, telemedicine, teletherapy, telecare, telepractice, etc.), and relevant internationally recognized guidelines were not available pre-pandemic, many turned to online resources to learn more about it. However, such might create confusion with the terminologies.Objective. This infodemiological study aimed to examine the trends of global online interest in telehealth, telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and related search terms. The authors hypothesized an abrupt rise in stakeholders' awareness regarding the virtual method of delivering or accessing healthcare, including rehabilitation services, during the pandemic.Method. Using Google Trends™, we obtained and analyzed the trends of global online interest in telehealth, telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and other related search terms from 2004 to October 2020.Results. The frequencies of searches for "telehealth," "telemedicine," and "telerehabilitation" peaked in March 2020, which coincided with the lockdown in many countries, including the Philippines. The term "telehealth" was more frequently searched in western countries, while "telemedicine" was relatively common in eastern countries. Among the terms synonymous with telerehabilitation, "teletherapy" was most commonly used worldwide, with "teletherapy speech" being the most searched related topic. The Philippines had the most significant number of times the term "telerehabilitation" was searched in the past decade. Conclusion.During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an overall global demand for the acquisition of knowledge related to telehealth, telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and related search terms. Of particular interest, telerehabilitation, however, varied in terminologies across countries, with "teletherapy" mainly being used worldwide and "telerehabilitation" being primarily searched in the Philippines. Therefore, arriving at a consensus across professional societies and operationally defining different interrelated terms could help streamline our current or future guidelines and programs.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility and safety of use of asynchronous telerehabilitation for community-dwelling persons with stroke in the Philippines during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, and to evaluate the change in participants’ telerehabilitation perceptions, physical activity, and well-being after a 2-week home-based telerehabilitation programme using a common social media application.Design: Pilot study.Participants: Nineteen ambulatory, non-aphasic adult members of a national university hospital stroke support group in the Philippines.Methods: Pre-participation screening was performed using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. The participants were medically cleared prior to study enrollment. They then engaged in telerehabilitation by watching original easy-to-follow home exercise videos prepared and posted by the study authors on a private group page on Facebook™ every other day for 2 weeks. Descriptive statistics was performed. Results: All 19 participants (mean age: 54.9 years) completed the programme with no significant adverse events. The majority of subjects improved their telerehabilitation perceptions (based on the Telepractice Questionnaire), physical activity levels (based on the Simple Physical Activity Questionnaire), and perceived well-being (based on the Happiness Scale).Conclusion: Asynchronous telerehabilitation using a common low-cost social media application is feasible and safe for community-dwelling persons with chronic stroke in a lower-middle-income country. LAY ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic led us to find alternative ways to connect patients and healthcare providers despite physical distance. For instance, telerehabilitation via available telecommunication technologies can be used to provide consultation and therapy services to persons living with disability. In resource-limited countries, such as the Philippines, telerehabilitation was not widely practiced prior to the pandemic, due to several factors, such as lack of acceptance and high costs. This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of telerehabilitation using a common low-cost social media application for patients with chronic stroke. Nineteen adult members of a stroke support group safely completed a 2-week telerehabilitation programme by watching original easy-to-follow home exercise videos posted on a private group page on Facebook™. The majority of subjects had positive experiences with the programme, and had improved perceptions of telerehabilitation, physical activity levels, and perceived well-being after 2 weeks.