Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 4.
doi: 10.1002/msc.1840. Online ahead of print.

Co-development and evaluation of the Musculoskeletal Telehealth Toolkit for physiotherapists

Allison M Ezzat  1   2 , Matthew G King  1   3 , Danilo De Oliveira Silva  1 , Marcella F Pazzinatto  1 , J P Caneiro  4 , Stephanie Gourd  5 , Rhona McGlasson  6 , Peter Malliaras  7 , Amy Dennett  1   8 , Trevor Russell  9 , Joanne L Kemp  1   3 , Christian J Barton  1   3
Affiliations

Co-development and evaluation of the Musculoskeletal Telehealth Toolkit for physiotherapists

Allison M Ezzat et al. Musculoskeletal Care. .

Abstract

Introduction: In-person physiotherapy services are not readily available to all individuals with musculoskeletal conditions, especially those in rural regions or with time-intensive responsibilities. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that telehealth may facilitate access to, and continuity of care, yet many physiotherapists lack telehealth confidence and training. This project co-developed and evaluated a web-based professional development toolkit supporting physiotherapists to provide telehealth services for musculoskeletal conditions.

Methods: A mixed-methods exploratory sequential design applied modified experience-based co-design methods (physiotherapists [n = 13], clinic administrators [n = 2], and people with musculoskeletal conditions [n = 7]) to develop an evidence-informed toolkit. Semi-structured workshops were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed, refining the toolkit prototype. Subsequently, the toolkit was promoted via webinars and social media. The usability of the toolkit was examined with pre-post surveys examining changes in confidence, knowledge, and perceived telehealth competence (19 statements modelled from the theoretical domains framework) between toolkit users (>30 min) and non-users (0 min) using chi-squared tests for independence. Website analytics were summarised.

Results: Twenty-two participants engaged in co-design workshops. Feedback led to the inclusion of more patient-facing resources, increased assessment-related visual content, streamlined toolkit organisation, and simplified, downloadable infographics. Three hundred and twenty-nine physiotherapists from 21 countries completed the baseline survey, with 172 (52%) completing the 3-month survey. Toolkit users had greater improvement in knowledge, confidence, and competence than non-users in 42% of statements. Seventy-two percentage of toolkit users said it changed their practice, and 95% would recommend the toolkit to colleagues. During the evaluation period, the toolkit received 5486 total views.

Discussion: The co-designed web-based Musculoskeletal Telehealth Toolkit is a professional development resource that may increase physiotherapist's confidence, knowledge, and competence in telehealth.

Keywords: co-design; digital tools; mixed methods; professional development; telehealth.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Ashley, C., Williams, A., Dennis, S., McInnes, S., Zwar, N. A., Morgan, M., & Halcomb, E. (2023). Telehealth’s future in Australian primary health care: A qualitative study exploring lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. BJGP Open, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpo.2022.0117
    1. Atkins, L., Francis, J., Islam, R., O’Connor, D., Patey, A., Ivers, N., Foy, R., Duncan, E. M., Colquhoun, H., Grimshaw, J. M., Lawton, R., & Michie, S. (2017). A guide to using the theoretical domains framework of behaviour change to investigate implementation problems. Implementation Science, 12(77), 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0605-9
    1. Bannuru, R. R., Osani, M. C., Vaysbrot, E. E., Arden, N. K., Bennell, K., Bierma-Zeinstra, S. M. A., Kraus, V., Lohmander, L., Abbott, J., Bhandari, M., Blanco, F., Espinosa, R., Haugen, I., Lin, J., Mandl, L., Moilanen, E., Nakamura, N., Snyder-Mackler, L., Trojian, T., …, & McAlindon, T. (2019). OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee, hip, and polyarticular osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 27(11), 1578-1589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2019.06.011
    1. Barton, C., & Merolli, M. (2017). It is time to replace publish or perish with get visible or vanish: Opportunities where digital and social media can reshape knowledge translation. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(10), 594-598. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098367
    1. Barton, C. J., Ezzat, A. M., Bell, E. C., Rathleff, M., Kemp, J. L., & Crossley, K. M. (2022). Knowledge, confidence and learning needs of physiotherapists treating persistent knee pain in Australia and Canada: A mixed-methods study. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 38(12), 2073-2085. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2021.1906805

LinkOut - more resources