Best Practices for Remote Rehabilitation - Hand Clinic
The Finnish Käsikeskus Avosektori Hand Clinic has been offering remote rehabilitation to its clients since March, when the restrictions caused by the coronavirus began.
Hand Clinic´s physiotherapist Minna Nauha was asked to develop the clearest possible procedures for providing remote rehabilitation to clients.
“Yes, it was planned at a rapid pace. It was clear that client’s rehabilitation should continue one way or another, for example, post-surgery rehabilitation 6 months from now would be too late.” Minna says.
After hours of exploration, Minna chose Zoom as the platform for remote rehabilitation. In addition, the Physiotools Remote Trainer was introduced to make displaying and guiding workouts as easy and clear as possible for both physiotherapists and their clients. Both choices have been welcomed in the Hand Clinic.
Zoom has been convenient and easy to use, and Remote Trainer has made it easier for physiotherapists to interact with their clients. “We had previously shared Physiotools videos through our own screen to customers without using the Remote Trainer, but it was pretty awkward. It makes it a lot easier to see what the client is doing through Remote Trainer, and the client is able to watch the exercise video and see the physiotherapist at the same time,” says Minna.
The introduction of remote rehabilitation made it easier for the company to survive the corona crisis when some clients discontinued adjunctive therapy due to the virus. Workable ways to meet and advise the client remotely have gradually been found through experimentation and practice. “Normally we use a lot of manual guidance, so now we have had to think about what words to guide the client to understand. Fortunately, you can show through the video where they should feel the effects of the exercise,” Minna says.
Minna has tried to make the remote rehabilitation process as easy as possible for her clients by giving clear instructions in advance via email. Among other things, she urges clients to have available all necessary equipment and, if possible, use a computer rather than a mobile phone, so that the training videos can be displayed on a sufficiently large screen.
Hand Clinic clients have reacted differently to remote rehabilitation. Some have not warmed to the idea, while others have been very pleased that they do not have to leave home, especially if they need to use public transport. Remote access has been surprisingly easy, even for people who are not used to using information technology.
Minna believes that remote rehabilitation will remain a permanent part of their services. Clients are being referred to the Hand Clinic from even further away, and for them in particular, remote rehabilitation can continue to be a good option for monitoring their rehabilitation. “Our clients have also achieved good results with remote rehabilitation, because independent training is the most important thing for them,” says Minna.