RÉSUMÉ
Background: Walking speed assessments are thought to predict eventual health outcomes and patient quality of life when assessing the physical mobility of an individual. Such performance measurements are functional and objective which gives us accurate interpretation to anticipate future goals. The L-test is a feasible, easy administration in clinical setup would be quick and effortless for physiotherapist professionals. As there is no normative value of L- the test that could interpret the score of the test, our study focuses on finding the cut-off value in older adults aged 60-70 years. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from January 2021 to June 2021 in Mumbai, India. A total of 200 participants were selected based on inclusion criteria. The study used an L-shaped path that is 20 meters long which goes 3 meters straight, then a right turn, followed by 7 meters straight. The subjects walked along the marked pathway and the test completion time was noted. Results: A notable difference was found between the male and female participants with a p value of 0.015 and the test duration for males was 19.15 (16.87-22.64) seconds and for females was 20.22 (18.03-23.94) seconds. A positive weak correlation was found between the body mass index (BMI) and duration. Also, a positive weak correlation was found statistically significant between the age and duration of the test. Conclusions: The study showed that there is an increased time duration of the L test with advancing age and BMI.
RÉSUMÉ
Background: Robust evidence illustrates the significance and efficacy of telerehabilitation to optimize the participation in rehabilitation program taking into account organisational, geographical and transportation aspects. Despite knowing the remarkable benefits, there exist an array of challenges to implement telerehabilitation services in a setting with meagre resources. In order to augment the uptake of telerehabilitation services, our study aims to explore the perceived barriers and facilitators to telerehabilitation among Physiotherapy professional in a resource limited setting. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among physiotherapy professionals in Maharashtra using a questionnaire with a content validation index of 0.95. The survey sought to ascertain the awareness, barriers, facilitators and strategies to improve practice of telerehabilitation. Results: A total of 450 Physiotherapists were invited, of which, 201 participated in the study. The major barriers to telerehabilitation were inaccuracy in obtaining adequate information (n=149, 74%), lack of face-to-face monitoring (n=131, 65%) and physical limitation in older adults (n=114, 57%); on the other hand, the facilitators were reduced transportation time to hospital/clinic (n=132, 67%) and improved accessibility to healthcare services (n=125, 62%). The factors that enabled the patients to participate were flexible appointment schedule (n=139, 69%) and minimal transportation costs (n=129, 64%). Furthermore, the participants majorly considered encouraging patients’ appropriate environment, insurance coverage, training and upskilling of clinicians as the strategies to improve practice. Conclusions: The implementation of telerehabilitation program has been limited due to perceived constraints associated with various organizational, geographical and patient factors. However, physiotherapists reported strategies to improve practices could be implemented to accelerate the utilization of telerehabilitation services.