Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33571900›Full record

ArticleMusculoskeletal science & practice2021

'It's not hands-on therapy, so it's very limited': Telehealth use and views among allied health clinicians during the coronavirus pandemic.

P Malliaras, M Merolli, C M Williams, J P Caneiro, T Haines, C Barton

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Musculoskeletal science & practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
104citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
36.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

104 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 218 citations in OpenAlex.

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44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

P MalliarasPhysiotherapy Department, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Australia. Electronic address: peter.malliaras@monash.edu.
M MerolliCentre for Health, Exercise, and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
C M WilliamsPhysiotherapy Department, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Australia.
J P CaneiroSchool of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Science, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
T HainesSchool of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Australia.
C BartonLa Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Australia; Department of Surgery, St Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Monash University · AUThe University of Melbourne · AUCurtin University · AUMonash Health · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTelehealth services have helped enable continuity of care during the coronavirus pandemic. We aimed to investigate use and views towards telehealth among allied health clinicians treating people with musculoskeletal conditions during the pandemic.

methodsCross-sectional international survey of allied health clinicians who used telehealth to manage musculoskeletal conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Questions covered demographics, clinician-related factors (e.g. profession, clinical experience and setting), telehealth use (e.g. proportion of caseload, treatments used), attitudes towards telehealth (Likert scale), and perceived barriers and enablers (open questions). Data were presented descriptively, and an inductive thematic content analysis approach was used for qualitative data, based on the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation Behavioural Model.

results827 clinicians participated, mostly physiotherapists (82%) working in Australia (70%). Most (71%, 587/827) reported reduced revenue (mean (SD) 62% (24.7%)) since the pandemic commenced. Median proportion of people seen via telehealth increased from 0% pre (IQR 0 to 1) to 60% during the pandemic (IQR 10 to 100). Most clinicians reported managing common musculoskeletal conditions via telehealth. Less than half (42%) of clinicians surveyed believed telehealth was as effective as face-to-face care. A quarter or less believed patients value telehealth to the same extent (25%), or that they have sufficient telehealth training (21%). Lack of physical contact when working through telehealth was perceived to hamper accurate and effective diagnosis and management.

conclusionAlthough telehealth was adopted by allied health clinicians during the coronavirus pandemic, we identified barriers that may limit continued telehealth use among allied health clinicians beyond the current pandemic.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelAdultAllied Health PersonnelAustraliaCOVID-19Cross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMaleMiddle AgedMusculoskeletal DiseasesPatient Acceptance of Health CarePractice Patterns, Physicians'TelemedicineAllied health cliniciansCoronavirus pandemicMusculoskeletal careTelehealth

Identifiers

PMID33571900
PMCPMC7862900
OpenAlexW3128858570

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.