Telehealth in PM&R: Past, present, and future in clinical practice and opportunities for translational research

Adam S Tenforde; Joshua J Alexander; Marcalee Alexander; Thiru M Annaswamy; Conley J Carr; Philip Chang; Monique Díaz; Mary A Iaccarino; Stephen B Lewis; Carolyn Millett; Sindhu Pandit; Claudia P Ramirez; Robert Rinaldi; Megan Roop; Chloe S Slocum; Gene Tekmyster; Deborah Venesy; Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez; Richard D Zorowitz; Todd R Rowland

doi:10.1002/pmrj.13029

Telehealth in PM&R: Past, present, and future in clinical practice and opportunities for translational research

PM R. 2023 Sep;15(9):1156-1174. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.13029. Epub 2023 Aug 7.

Authors

Adam S Tenforde¹, Joshua J Alexander², Marcalee Alexander³, Thiru M Annaswamy⁴, Conley J Carr⁵, Philip Chang⁶, Monique Díaz⁷, Mary A Iaccarino¹, Stephen B Lewis⁸, Carolyn Millett⁹, Sindhu Pandit¹⁰, Claudia P Ramirez¹¹, Robert Rinaldi¹², Megan Roop⁹, Chloe S Slocum¹, Gene Tekmyster¹³, Deborah Venesy¹⁴, Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez¹⁵, Richard D Zorowitz¹⁶, Todd R Rowland¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
² Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
³ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁴ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁵ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁶ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁷ Dignity Health, Santa Maria, California, USA.
⁸ Physiatry-Pharmacy Collaborative, NJ Institute for Successful Aging, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
⁹ American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rosemont, Illinois, USA.
¹⁰ Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
¹¹ Kelly Collaborative Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
¹² Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
¹³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keck Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California, USA.
¹⁴ Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, MedStar National Rehabilitation Network, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
¹⁷ Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

PMID: 37354209
DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.13029

Abstract

Telehealth refers to the use of telecommunication devices and other forms of technology to provide services outside of the traditional in-person health care delivery system. Growth in the use of telehealth creates new challenges and opportunities for implementation in clinical practice. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) assembled an expert group to develop a white paper to examine telehealth innovation in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). The resultant white paper summarizes how telehealth is best used in the field of PM&R while highlighting current knowledge deficits and technological limitations. The report identifies new and transformative opportunities for PM&R to advance translational research related to telehealth and enhance patient care.

MeSH terms

Delivery of Health Care
Forecasting
Humans
Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine*
Telemedicine*
Translational Research, Biomedical
United States