Role of Telephysical Therapy in Quality of Life and Satisfaction Among Patients With Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Abstract

Background: The efficacy of telephysical therapy has been tailored in several previous researches. However, its role in improving the quality of life and satisfaction of musculoskeletal disorder patients is ambiguous. The study aimed to determine the role of telephysical therapy in quality of life and satisfaction among patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Method: A pre-post study was conducted recruiting 327 musculoskeletal disorder patients through the platform of MARHAM. The participants were requested to fill telehealth usability questionnaire (TUQ) and the European quality of life-5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) before the start of tele sessions and at the end via email and WhatsApp. All the participants answered 10 open-ended questions related to their experience and perception of telephysical therapy at the end of the intervention. The participant was excluded if he/she had any cognitive impairment, any serious medical/psychological comorbidity, or was unable to commit to the study protocol. Results: The majority of the participants belonged to Lahore with a mean age of 41.80 (+14.84). Paired sample t-tests showed significant differences between pre and post-values of TUQ and EQ-5D scores. Overall health score was also improved after tele sessions. Multiple regression analysis showed 35.4% of variance in satisfaction and 35% in quality of life. Age, gender, and number of sessions were the most influencing independent variables. 85.33% of participants were highly satisfied and 83% had excellent experience. They suggested in-person initial assessment and follow-up sessions. Conclusion: Telephysical therapy had a positive role in improving the quality of life and satisfaction among patients with musculoskeletal disorders.