Effects of Telerehabilitation Versus Supervised Clinical Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients for Recovery of Motor Function: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACTBackground ofthe study: Telerehabilitation, which involves delivering physical, occupational, speech, and other therapies under remote supervision, represents a potential approach to addressing motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric problems in stroke survivors. This systematic review aimed to determine the effects of supervised clinical rehabilitation and telerehabilitation on stroke patients' ability to recover motor function.Methodology:A comprehensive search was conducted from July 2014 to July 2024 across multiple databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, PEDro, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library using keywords related to stroke and telerehabilitation. Studies examining stroke survivors receiving physiotherapy in clinical settings or through telerehabilitation were assessed for motor function outcomes. Inclusion criteria comprised randomized controlled trials evaluating different interventions for motor function recovery. Eleven publications provided data for the study, and the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to evaluate article quality.Results:Study results showed no significant differences between the intervention group (receiving telerehabilitation) and control group (receiving clinical interventions) across all motor function outcomes, including fine and gross motor skills, functional mobility, and fine dexterity. However, significantly higher patient satisfaction was observed in the telerehabilitation group.Conclusion:Results demonstrate that telerehabilitation effectively improves motor functionin stroke patients as an alternative to in-person rehabilitation. Telerehabilitation successfully overcomes access barriers for long-term rehabilitation, leading to better recovery outcomes and enhanced patient satisfaction.