HOME-BASED TELEREHABILITATION FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING PERSONS WITH STROKE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A PILOT STUDY

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 ABSTRACT The 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.