'It's not hands-on therapy, so it's very limited': Telehealth use and views among allied health clinicians during the coronavirus pandemic.
P Malliaras, M Merolli, C M Williams and 3 others
PMID 33571900WHAT IT FOUND
Most clinicians adopted telehealth rapidly but doubted its value.
Only 42% thought it was as effective as face-to-face care, and just 25% believed patients valued it equally. Lack of hands-on contact was the main barrier, with most clinicians reporting inadequate training.
Key findings
01Telehealth use surged from 0% to 60% of caseloads, but only 42% of clinicians agreed telehealth was as effective as face-to-face care.
02The primary barrier was the lack of physical contact, which clinicians perceived as hampering accurate diagnosis and therapeutic alliance.
03Only 21% of clinicians felt they had received adequate training to deliver telehealth services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The cohort was 82% physiotherapists, so findings may not apply to other professions. Participants were recruited via social media and professional associations, likely biasing towards those already digitally enabled. Two-thirds of respondents had no prior telehealth experience, so views may change with practice. Self-reported data without verification of clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was not funded by a specific grant mentioned in the text, though a free webinar was offered as an incentive to participants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high adoption rate or confidence in diagnosis as evidence that telehealth is clinically equivalent to face-to-face care. The study reports clinician perceptions, not patient outcomes, and most clinicians themselves doubted its effectiveness compared to in-person care.