ABSTRACT
Background: Musculoskeletal conditions such as spinal pain and osteoarthritis are among the leading causes of years lived with disability worldwide. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many healthcare providers to change the way in which care for chronic conditions is delivered, telehealth is an alternative to face-to-face consultations that can be used for both assessment and provision of therapy and support. Objectives: To identify, appraise and synthesise findings from all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared telehealth to face-to-face consultations for patients with any type of musculoskeletal condition. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis. We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of evidence related to all outcomes. We searched three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL), clinical trial registries and citing-cited references of included studies. Results: Five RCTs were includable: one in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, one in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip in preparation for a total joint arthroscopy and three after total knee replacement. Telehealth was conducted by video in four trials and by phone in one. A total of 402 participants were analysed across the five trials. There were no significant differences in pain outcomes (WOMAC) between telehealth and face-to-face therapy immediate post-intervention (mean difference (MD): 0.12 (95% CI −2.3 to 2.6, p =.92) or two months post-intervention (MD): 1.2, (95% CI: −2.7 to 5.1, p =.55). Similarly, outcomes related to function, quality of life and satisfaction were comparable between the two modes of delivery immediate post-intervention, with no significant differences reported. Conclusion: There is limited low quality evidence that there is no significant differences between telehealth-based delivery of rehabilitation to patients with osteoarthritis or following knee surgery and face-to-face therapy for pain, function, quality of life and satisfaction. These findings should be should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of included studies and small sample size. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
ABSTRACT
This research paper focuses on increasing the awareness between taxi users and can help to protect themselves in COVID-19 and take precautions. Since 2019 the global pandemic of Covid-19 is spreading at an astonishing rate and causes a negative impact for economic, social, and cultural factors. Government agencies are warning people to reduce the transportation and to maintain social distance. To stop the spread of COVID-19 required to identify persons who are susceptible to infection and need to trace the COVID-19 positive first contacts. Most people are reduced to using public transportations and taxi services due to unidentifiable health conditions in earlier users. The proposed approach can be used to track the taxi drivers and their passengers previous COVID-19 status as well as navigate the safest route by showing the COVID-19 contamination areas. By using this approach users can be aware of earlier users of the taxi service and COVID-19 status of the taxi driver or passenger before taking the trip as well as if they get touch with any COVID-19 patients, can take immediate precautions. This application helps to increase the usage of taxis by making users trust and confidence against COVID-19 infection. By testing with real users our system was able to trace down 45 passengers and 16 drivers within 3 months. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
American Sign Language (ASL) classes are typically held face-to-face to increase interactivity and enhance the learning experience. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes to course delivery methods, primarily resulting in a move to an online format, which had to occur in a short timeframe. The online format has presented students and teachers with many opportunities and challenges. In this experience report, we reflect on the student and teacher perspectives of learning ASL in an online setting. We use our experience to introduce new online ASL class guidelines, videoconferencing improvements, and suggest where future research is needed. © 2020 ACM.