Telehealth physical therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: an experience description

Abstract

Introduction: The actions and measures taken to mitigate
the coronavirus pandemic significantly affected physio-therapy practice. Several initiatives were undertaken after the Federal Council of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy approved remote care. Thus, we aimed to identify, analyze, and discuss barriers, facilitators, and perceived challenges of telehealth physical therapy during the pandemic by describing an experience. Report description: The interruption of weekly face-to-face consultations led to remote care strategies using asynchronous methods, in the form of phone calls (health education), and a synchronous approach via video calls formats (mind-body practices without a pre-established frequency in the public service and twice weekly in the private sector). The type of personal device determined the health care delivery. The facilitators were interpersonal relationships, patient profile, type of personal device and previous experience with mind-body practices. The barriers were low education level, access to internet and type of connection. Challenges were restriction or absence of therapeutic touch and eye gaze, which are characteristic of the profession. Conclusion: Despite its significant potential for the continuity and longitudinality of health care and development of social networks, telehealth depends on technological resources and, as such, tends to be exclusive due to the inequities in Brazil. Additionally, telehealth has relevant repercussions for physical therapy practice, especially therapeutic touch and eye gaze, which are soft skills inherent to the profession.