Physical therapists and public perceptions of telerehabilitation: An online open survey on acceptability, preferences, and needs.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telerehabilitation allowed the continuation of physical therapy care in parallel with public health measures to prevent the virus spread. However, in low- and middle-income countries including Brazil, telerehabilitation was unfamiliar to most of the population. OBJECTIVE: To investigate acceptability, preferences, and needs in telerehabilitation by Brazilian physical therapists and the general population. METHODS: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study with an online survey consisting of 13 multiple-choice items. Items were distributed among acceptability, preferences, and needs sections, and encompassed confidence in delivering or receiving telerehabilitation, its perceived efficacy and costs, and suitable content. RESULTS: A total of 1107 responses were registered, 717 from physical therapists. Half of them self-reported confidence in conducting telerehabilitation through the internet (synchronous or asynchronous). The same proportion disagreed that telerehabilitation is as effective as in-person interventions. Physical therapists agreed telerehabilitation should contain educational, self-management strategies, and exercises information, but the general population endorsed the provision of technical advice on exercise execution. The general population mostly reported that telerehabilitation could help their specific health condition (86%), but only 14% of respondents would pay the same as they pay for in-person consultations. Participants reported an overall preference for synchronous communication and concern about the lack of a hands-on approach. CONCLUSION: Physical therapists and the general population appear to demonstrate apprehension towards telerehabilitation. Insufficient preparation or inadequate knowledge might influence participants' acceptance, preferences, and needs.

Discriminative and Predictive Analysis of the Brazilian Version of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) Short-Form in Patients With Low Back Pain.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the discriminative and predictive validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire Short-Form (ÖMPSQ-Short). Methods: In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, the ÖMPSQ-Short was administered to 150 patients with acute, subacute, and chronic nonspecific low back pain. A 6-month follow-up was also completed to assess the predictive ability of the questionnaire for risk of pain, disability, and absence from work. The Roland-Morris disability questionnaire, pain numerical rating scale, and additional questions related to work and absence from work were also used. Results: The ÖMPSQ-Short cutoff point was determined by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity, which yielded a value of 44 points for the Brazilian population. Analysis of the 2 × 2 contingency tables showed that the ÖMPSQ-Short correctly classified high-risk patients with pain. Predictive capacity was assessed by univariate linear regression analysis. The ÖMPSQ-Short was able to predict pain, disability, and absence from work in patients with acute pain and disability in patients with subacute pain, and disability and absence from work in patients with chronic pain, but with a small predictive capacity. Conclusion: The ÖMPSQ-Short cutoff demonstrated the ability to classify patients with low and high risk of involvement of psychosocial factors. However, due to its small predictive capacity, we suggest that the ÖMPSQ-Short should not be used to predict pain, disability, and absence from work over 6 months. However, we recommend using it as a guide to discuss the patient's clinical condition.