Authors (including presenting author) :
Ng CM (1), So YY (1), Lo TM (1), Lau FO (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Physiotherapist, Physiotherapy Department, Tai Po Hospital
Introduction :
Due to CoVID-19, Geriatric Day Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre (GDH & RC) of Tai Po Hospital (TPH) has suspended rehabilitation services to patients from February 2020. GDH service was gradually resumed in May 2020. Without access to rehabilitation services, the recovery of patients may be hindered. With availability of current technology, we suggest to provide Tele-Rehabilitation services to suitable patients for comprehensive GDH rehabilitation training and minimizing the effect of service suspension in the future.
Objectives :
(1) To supplement GDH-based training and widen patient training coverage with HA GO app; (2) To enhance continuity and experience of care
Methodology :
Patients under the care of GDH & RC of TPH with good rehabilitation potential were invited by case physiotherapists to participate in tele-rehabilitation. Participants must (1) own a smart mobile or tablet device that supports installation of HA GO and tele-communication available (2) plus high speed internet and (3) be using Whatsapp, Skype, WeChat or Facetime. Patients who had difficulty in speaking or understanding Chinese or English, or refused to participate, were excluded from tele-rehabilitation. Case physiotherapists delivered HA GO pamphlets to potential subjects. Home safety issue and the need of carer training were also be screened via tele-communication. Verbal consent was obtained from patients +/- carers.
Result & Outcome :
From July 2020 to October 2020, 52 patients (aged 37 to 89) participated in tele-rehabilitation and 37% were female. Total number of contacts were 606. Average compliance to exercise on HA GO was 56.5%. Improvements were seen in MRMI, EMS, MFAC, TUG and BBS scores. And there were statistically significant differences in MRMI and MFAC before and after receiving tele-rehabilitation (p<0.05, paired t-test).
Conclusion
Implementation of tele-care in GDH was successful with improvements seen in mobility of patients.
