Knee Injuries, Meniscus Tear, Patellofemoral Pain, Rotator Cuff Disease, Shoulder Injuries
Conditions
Keywords
Rehabilitation, eRehab, Physical Therapy, e-Health, Telemedicine, Telerehabilitation, Patient-Centered
Brief summary
The investigators have previously reported on patient utilization of an eRehab patient education web portal that utilizes streaming, clinician prescribed video instruction to motivate and inform patients in self-care of their orthopedic condition, focusing on the importance of a home exercise program. The greatest barrier to patient use of this web-based home exercise treatment plan was the initial access to the program. The purpose of this study is to compare an Internet-based patient education rehab portal (eRehab) to formal physical therapy (PT) in terms of patient costs and outcomes.
Detailed description
This is a prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study. Twenty-four patients who were candidates for a knee or shoulder orthopedic outpatient physical therapy referral were randomized to a 6-week treatment course of either PT or eRehab. Patients were evaluated for outcome scores (KOOS or DASH), pain NRS-11 scores, patient subjective outcomes and cost of treatment.
Interventions
OTHEReRehab
Growth in e-Health applications, defined as any computer or Internet application integrated into health services, has resulted in the development of treatment strategies to improve healthcare while reducing costs. The utilization of e-Health to provide a rehabilitative intervention has recently been identified in the cardiac literature as e-rehabilitation or eRehab. This study specifically compares an orthopedic eRehab Internet application to standard outpatient physical therapy as an adjunct in the treatment of non-complicated knee and shoulder disorders.
This intervention involves referral to a licensed physical therapist or supervised ATC-L.
Sponsors
Advanced Orthopedic Specialists
The Orthopaedic Center
Charlotte Sports Medicine Institute, PA
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* patient diagnosed by board certified orthopedic surgeon to be in need of formal physical therapy referral * had the ability to access and use the Internet and email * English-speaking * non-pregnant adults * had not received formal physical therapy for their current diagnosis
Exclusion criteria
* work-related injuries * pain NRS-11 score greater than or equal to 6
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Outcome scores for knee (KOOS) and shoulder (DASH) | six weeks |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| NRS-11 pain scores | 6 weeks |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient utilization of an eRehab portal measured by number of logons and performance of a home exercise program as documented with an exercise log. | 6 weeks | — |
| Patient cost of care per episode | 6 months | A patient's insurance explanation of benefits will be reviewed for 6 months from completion of the current episode of care to determine patient out of pocket expenses |
| Total cost of care per episode | 6 months | Each patient's EOB will be reviewed to determine total cost of care for each episode of care |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed