Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Exercise Physiology Services in Australia: A Retrospective Audit

Patrick J Owen; Shelley E Keating; Christopher Askew; Kelly M Clanchy; Paul Jansons; Ralph Maddison; Andrew Maiorana; Jenna McVicar; Suzanne Robinson; Niamh L Mundell

doi:10.1186/s40798-022-00483-2

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Exercise Physiology Services in Australia: A Retrospective Audit

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Exercise Physiology Services in Australia: A Retrospective Audit

Patrick J Owen, Shelley E Keating, Christopher Askew, Kelly M Clanchy, Paul Jansons, Ralph Maddison, Andrew Maiorana, Jenna McVicar, Suzanne Robinson and Niamh L Mundell

Sports Medicine - Open, Vol.8, pp.1-10

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00483-2

PMCID: PMC9306237

PMID: 35867168

Appears in COVID-19 Research

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Abstract

telehealth

coronavirus

telemedicine

eHealth

mHealth

rehabilitation

COVID-19

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift in healthcare towards telehealth delivery, which presents challenges for exercise physiology services. We aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reach, efficacy, adoption and implementation of telehealth delivery for exercise physiology services by comparing Australian practises before (prior to 25 January 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (after 25 January 2020). Methods: This retrospective audit included 80 accredited exercise physiology clinicians. We examined relevant dimensions of the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption and implementation) from the clinician perspective. Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 91% (n = 73/80) of surveyed clinicians offered telehealth delivery service, compared to 25% (n = 20/80) prior. Mean (SD) telehealth delivery per week doubled from 5 (7) to 10 (8) hours. In-person delivery decreased from 23 (11) to 15 (11) hours per week. Typical reasons for not offering telehealth delivery were client physical/cognitive incapacity (n = 33/80, 41%) and safety (n = 24/80, 30%). Clinician-reported reasons for typical clients not adopting telehealth delivery were personal preference (n = 57/71, 80%), physical capacity (n = 35/71, 49%) and access to reliable delivery platforms (n = 27/71, 38%). Zoom (n = 54/71, 76%) and telephone (n = 53/71, 75%) were the most commonly used platforms. Of the reasons contributing to incomplete treatment, lack of confidence in delivery mode was sevenfold higher for telehealth compared to in-person delivery. No serious treatment-related adverse events were reported. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth delivery of exercise physiology services increased and in-person delivery decreased, which suggests the profession was adaptable and agile. However, further research determining comparative efficacy and cost-effectiveness is warranted.

Details

Title: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Exercise Physiology Services in Australia: A Retrospective Audit
Authors: Patrick J Owen (Author) - Deakin University
Shelley E Keating (Author) - The University of Queensland
Christopher Askew (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Kelly M Clanchy (Author) - Griffith University
Paul Jansons (Author) - Deakin University
Ralph Maddison (Author) - Deakin University
Andrew Maiorana (Author) - Curtin University
Jenna McVicar (Author) - Deakin University
Suzanne Robinson (Author) - Curtin University
Niamh L Mundell (Corresponding Author) - Deakin University
Publication details: Sports Medicine - Open, Vol.8, pp.1-10
Publisher: SpringerOpen
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.1186/s40798-022-00483-2
ISSN: 2198-9761
PMID: 35867168; PMC9306237
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99649578202621
Output Type: Journal article

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