Telerehabilitation for functional neurological disorders: A scoping review

Affiliations

¹ Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada. Electronic address: shangge.jiang@mail.utoronto.ca.
² Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada. Electronic address: denis.margalik@mail.utoronto.ca.
³ Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
⁴ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada. Electronic address: McKyla.McIntyre@uhn.ca.
⁵ Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, 547 Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines. Electronic address: aiespiritu@up.edu.ph.
⁶ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada. Electronic address: Angie.Andreoli@uhn.ca.
⁷ Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada; KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada. Electronic address: Mark.Bayley@uhn.ca.
⁸ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada. Electronic address: Ailene.Kua@uhn.ca.
⁹ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St. Luke's Medical Center, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634, Philippines. Electronic address: CarlFroilan.Leochico@uhn.ca.
¹⁰ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada. Electronic address: Meiqi.Guo@uhn.ca.

PMID: 40527206
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112184

Free article

Telerehabilitation for functional neurological disorders: A scoping review

Shangge Jiang et al. J Psychosom Res. 2025 Aug.

Free article

. 2025 Aug:195:112184.

doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112184. Epub 2025 Jun 11.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada. Electronic address: shangge.jiang@mail.utoronto.ca.
² Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada. Electronic address: denis.margalik@mail.utoronto.ca.
³ Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
⁴ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada. Electronic address: McKyla.McIntyre@uhn.ca.
⁵ Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, 547 Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines. Electronic address: aiespiritu@up.edu.ph.
⁶ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada. Electronic address: Angie.Andreoli@uhn.ca.
⁷ Temerty School of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada; KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada. Electronic address: Mark.Bayley@uhn.ca.
⁸ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada. Electronic address: Ailene.Kua@uhn.ca.
⁹ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St. Luke's Medical Center, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634, Philippines. Electronic address: CarlFroilan.Leochico@uhn.ca.
¹⁰ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada. Electronic address: Meiqi.Guo@uhn.ca.

PMID: 40527206
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112184

Abstract

Introduction: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a prevalent condition requiring various rehabilitation needs. Telerehabilitation may be a promising solution. This scoping review explored how telerehabilitation is used for FND and identified gaps.

Methods: A systematic search was performed from May 18 to June 3, 2024, using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and clinicaltrials.gov. Ongoing research (protocols and conference abstracts) was included. Citation screening was done for reviews and narrative articles to identify missing articles. Screening and data extraction were conducted in duplicate. Data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Results: We identified 180 records, and 26 met inclusion criteria (six were reviews or narratives). We identified 11 completed primary studies (one from citation tracing), seven protocols, and three abstracts. Telerehabilitation was predominantly delivered one-on-one, often using synchronous or hybrid formats. The most common form of therapy was cognitive behavioural therapy. Most completed studies involved a small number of participants, and all were conducted in high-income countries. Identified gaps included disparities in telerehabilitation access and limited completed studies for some subtypes (e.g., functional cognitive and speech disorders) or forms of therapy (e.g., physical therapy, etc.).

Conclusion: Telerehabilitation as a viable approach to management for some FND patients has been primarily described in the literature in one-on-one and synchronous/hybrid formats, providing insights for future research and clinical practices. Emerging trends explore understudied subtypes, other remotely deliverable therapies, and the use of innovative technologies such as wearable sensors and a Tremor Retrainer smartphone application.

Keywords: Functional neurological disorders; Scoping review; Telehealth; Telemedicine; Telerehabilitation; Virtual rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Telerehabilitation for functional neurological disorders: A scoping review

Affiliations

Telerehabilitation for functional neurological disorders: A scoping review

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Miscellaneous