Models of Telehealth Service Delivery in Adults With Spinal Cord Injuries: Scoping Review.
Shaghayegh Mirbaha, Ashley Morgan, Ada Tang and 2 others
PMID 37384377WHAT IT FOUND
Telehealth and telerehabilitation services for adults with spinal cord injury showed inconsistent effectiveness.
While some studies reported improved physical activity, pain, and wound care outcomes, others showed no benefit for psychosocial health or quality of life.
Key findings
01Most telehealth interventions for physical activity and leisure time participation reported favorable outcomes, elevating engagement levels.
02Results for psychosocial outcomes were inconsistent, with some studies showing improved depressive symptoms while others showed no improvement in quality of life.
03Telehealth services for pressure ulcers and wound care demonstrated favorable results in managing injuries, particularly for those requiring long-term follow-up.
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 review included studies with small sample sizes (mean 59), limiting generalizability. Most studies were conducted in high-income countries (US, Canada), so findings may not apply to other healthcare systems. There was inconsistency in reporting participant characteristics like injury level and type. Many studies lacked underlying theories or frameworks for the interventions. The review was limited to English-language articles. This is a scoping review, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so it maps the literature rather than determining the effectiveness of interventions.
Declared interests
The text does not report any conflicts of interest or funding sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this scoping review as evidence that telehealth is effective for all spinal cord injury outcomes. The review maps available literature, which showed inconsistent results, particularly for psychosocial and physical activity outcomes, and included many small, heterogeneous studies.