Effect of Tele Rehabilitation in Breaking Barriers With Mobility Impairments in Rural Areas (RCT)

Effect of Tele Rehabilitation in Breaking Barriers With Mobility Impairments in Rural Areas: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Tele-rehabilitation offers remote healthcare services via telecommunication technology to patients who face challenges in accessing traditional in-person rehabilitation. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation in overcoming mobility impairments in rural Pakistan.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Mobility Limitation
• Intervention / Treatment: Combination product: Tele Rehab; Diagnostic test: Formal Rehab

Detailed Description

A total of 92 participants, equally divided into intervention and control groups, were assessed. The intervention group received a 6-month tele-rehabilitation program, including video consultations, home visits, structured calls, and text messages.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 92
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab
    • Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
      • Superior University CRC

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• People will be eligible for participation if they have had any disorder causing mobility impairment,
• Lives in rural areas,
• Are over the age of 20,
• Have been discharged from inpatient, outpatient and community physiotherapy living in their home, (Saywell, Vandal et al. 2012)
• Have medical approval from their general practitioner to engage in low to medium level exercise programs,
• At least 3 score on telephone cognitive screening questionnaire (Callahan, Unverzagt et al. 2002)
• Have limitation in mobility, physical function of arm, leg or both.

Exclusion Criteria:

• If they have confirmed cerebellar or brain stem stroke,
• Tele rehabilitation involvement require frequent communication with physiotherapist so using interpreter is considered impractical,
• Participants enrolled in other rehabilitation programs,
• Lack of necessary devices (e.g, internet, smartphone, tablet, computer) for tele rehabilitation.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Interventional group I	Combination product: Tele Rehab; Tele rehabilitation intervention is 6 months standardized program aimed to provide special rehabilitation services to patients with mobility impairments in rural areas without the need for them to travel to healthcare facility in big cities. The program consists of standard exercises addressing key components of mobility impairments.
Active Comparator: Interventional group II	Diagnostic test: Formal Rehab; After formal rehabilitation is completed, some impaired mobility victims re-access services; no attempt will be made to stop the control group from accessing further care, in either a public or private setting. However, physical activity participation will be assured during monthly phone call by a blinded -research assistant. Participants in this group will undergo three assessments at baseline, 6 and 12 months

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Berg Balance Scale	The scale consists of 14 tasks that a healthcare provider scores on a scale from 0 to 4. The higher the score, the better your balance. It's a straightforward, reliable test providers use to assess functional balance	12 Months
Quality of Life (QOL)	The QOLS scores are summed so that a higher score indicates higher quality of life. Average total score for healthy populations is about 90.	12 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Superior University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 26, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 26, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 26, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mobility Limitation
• Other Study ID Numbers: MSRSW/Batch-Fall22/751

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No