Abstract
Background: Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) affect women, men, and children globally. While physical therapy (PT) has been shown to improve PFDs, overall access to PT is limited because of provider shortage and expertise. We hypothesize telerehabilitation (TR) is a novel approach to address access and expertise care for PFD.
Study Design: Case series.
Case Descriptions: Three pelvic health patients (1 male and 2 females) volunteered to receive initial and follow-up care via TR. The male patient was treated for premature ejaculation, and the female patients were seen for postpartum recovery, stress urinary incontinence, and diastasis recti. A total of 9 visits were completed.
Outcomes: Using a HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based, synchronous mobile app, a 14-question survey, and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (for the male health participant), participants rated their experience with TR. The 3 participants rated the TR system as high quality (2/3) and very high quality (1/3). Using a mobile phone was the preferred digital device (2/3) compared with laptop use. All 3 participants felt their needs were met and that they received good care during the session.
Summary: Telerehabilitation has the potential to deliver quality care with improved access for patients with PFD for both initial and follow-up visits. This case series presents 3 patients' perceptions of using TR for pelvic health PT care.