M. van Tilburg1, M. de Weerd1, C. Kloek1,2, J. van der Heiden1, C. Veenhof1,2,3
1HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Expertise Center Healthy Urban Living, Research Group Innovation of Human Movement Care, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2Julius Health Care Centers, Center for Physical Therapy Research and Innovation in Primary Care, Utrecht, Netherlands, 3Utrecht University, University Medical Center Utrecht, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Department of Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy Science and Sports, Utrecht, Netherlands
Background: Patients recovering from COVID-19 often experience limitations in their daily physical functioning, because of reduced functional capacity and reduced physical activity levels. To improve patients’ physical functioning, physiotherapists provide patients with advice, information and personalized exercise and physical activity recommendations. The Royal Dutch Society for Physiotherapy position statement on physiotherapy recommendations in patients with COVID-19 states that remote communication should be used as much as possible and physical activity and exercise should be performed in the home situation. eHealth can be used to remotely monitor, treat and support patients’ recovery in the home situation. Specific content for eHealth modules for patients recovering from COVID-19 was not yet available.
Purpose: To develop content for eHealth modules for patients recovering from COVID-19, which can be implemented by commercial eHealth providers in physiotherapy.
Methods: Based on the CeHRes Roadmap for development of effective eHealth, we started with a need assessment and contextual inquiry among patients, physiotherapists and experts. An interview, four focus groups and the Royal Dutch Society for Physiotherapy position statement on physiotherapy recommendations in patients with COVID-19 provided input for the development of content for eHealth modules. Patients, elderly, physiotherapists and experts were asked to provide feedback on the readiness, completeness, consistency and language usage.
Results: Based on the needs of patients, physiotherapists and experts, content for eHealth modules was developed, consisting of: recommendations on exercises and training principles, recommendations on outcome measures and fifteen written information themes aimed to support self-management, including assignments. Topics of the information themes include: physical activity, nutrition, energy management, stress management, and psychosocial factors related to COVID-19. The developed content for eHealth modules was shared with three Dutch commercial eHealth providers in physiotherapy. These eHealth providers used the content to implement eHealth for patients recovering from COVID-19 in commercially available eHealth platforms for Dutch physiotherapists.
Conclusion(s): In co-creation with patients, physiotherapists and experts we managed to develop content for eHealth modules for patients recovering from COVID-19. Since new insights into COVID-19 might lead to a change in specific patient information, continuous evaluation is needed to determine usability and applicability of the COVID-19 eHealth modules.
Implications: By sharing the developed content for eHealth modules with various commercial eHealth providers, we aim to serve a large group of physiotherapists and patients. The presentation will focus on what content should be included in eHealth modules for patients recovering from COVID-19.
Funding, acknowledgements: This project was unfunded.
Keywords: COVID-19, Primary health care, Telemedicine
Topic: COVID-19
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: N/A
Committee: N/A
Reason: This study was a non-interventional study.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
