TY  - JOUR
AU  - Agnew, Jonathon M R
AU  - Hanratty, Catherine E
AU  - McVeigh, Joseph G
AU  - Nugent, Chris
AU  - Kerr, Daniel P
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/3/11
TI  - An Investigation Into the Use of mHealth in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy: Scoping Review
JO  - JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol
SP  - e33609
VL  - 9
IS  - 1
KW  - physiotherapy
KW  - musculoskeletal
KW  - mHealth
KW  - rehabilitation
KW  - scoping review
KW  - mobile phone
AB  - Background: Musculoskeletal physiotherapy provides conservative management for a range of conditions. Currently, there is a lack of engagement with exercise programs because of the lack of supervision and low self-efficacy. The use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions could be a possible solution to this problem, helping promote self-management at home. However, there is little evidence for musculoskeletal physiotherapy on the most effective forms of mHealth. Objective: The aim of this review is to investigate the literature focusing on the use of mHealth in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and summarize the evidence. Methods: A scoping review of 6 peer-reviewed databases was conducted in March 2021. No date limits were applied, and only articles written in the English language were selected. A reviewer screened all the articles, followed by 2 additional researchers screening a random sample before data extraction. Results: Of the 1393 studies, 28 (2.01%) were identified. Intervention characteristics comprised stretching and strengthening exercises, primarily for degenerative joint pain and spinal conditions (5/28, 18%). The most reported use of mHealth included telephone and videoconferencing calls to provide a home exercise program or being used as an adjunct to physiotherapy musculoskeletal assessment (14/28, 50%). Although patient satisfaction with mHealth was reported to be high, reasons for disengagement included a lack of high-quality information and poor internet speeds. Barriers to clinical uptake included insufficient training with the intervention and a lack of time to become familiar. Conclusions: mHealth has some benefits regarding treatment adherence and can potentially be as effective as normal physiotherapy care while being more cost-effective. The current use of mHealth is most effective when ongoing feedback from a health care professional is available. 
SN  - 2369-2529
UR  - https://rehab.jmir.org/2022/1/e33609
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/33609
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35275089
DO  - 10.2196/33609
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/33609
ER  -