Telecommunication and rehabilitation among patients with multiple sclerosis: Access and willingness to use - 15/07/18
Résumé |
Introduction/Background |
Telerehabilitation is a promising approach for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but uncertainties about patients’ preferences remain. The aim of this study was to investigate the access to technologies of patients with MS and their willingness to use them to receive rehabilitation services.
Material and method |
Two hundred consecutive patients with MS filled out a specific questionnaire during a follow-up visit. This 6-page paper questionnaire was built to obtain information about needs, accesses, interests and perspectives of telerehabilitation for patients with MS. Descriptive statistics, Chi2 tests and logistic regression analysis were used to characterize the sample and survey answers.
Results |
The mean age of our sample was 44(±13) years. 71% were women. 49% of the patients were unemployed. The median EDSS score was 2.5, and 77% of the patients had a score of 4 or less on this scale. 91% of the patients regularly used Internet, while 73% used apps. A substantial proportion of the sample reported an interest in using telecommunication technologies to receive a program of physical exercises (62%), information and personalized advice about physical activity and MS (69%), as well as to communicate with the caregivers (75%). One third of the patients was not interested in receiving telerehabilitation interventions (32%), especially among patients with moderate or severe disability (EDSS>4) and non-workers.
Conclusion |
The use of technologies to provide rehabilitation services is desirable by patients with MS, and most of these patients have access to the needed technologies. However, patients with moderate-to-severe disability and non-workers have, in average, less access and ease to use these technologies in a rehabilitation purpose. Given their high needs and strong barriers to benefit from rehabilitation, a special effort should be done to promote the use of telecommunications in this perspective.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Telerehabilitation, Multiple sclerosis, Technology
Plan
Vol 61 - N° S
P. e99 - juillet 2018 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.