EFFECT OF TELEREHABILITATION IN IMPROVING BALANCE ON STROKE PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

Abstract

Background: Telerehabilitation have gradually gained popularity after the outbreak of COVI-19. It has been proposed as an effective strategy to deliver post stroke specific exercises.

Objective: Evaluate existing literature on how telerehabilitation improves the balance in stroke patients and identify gaps to guide future research and evidence-based interventions.

Methods: We used electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane by employing a systematic approach to select studies based on predefined criteria and then perform data extraction to analyze theoretical constructs, research methodologies, and reported outcomes. We used keywords and MeSH terms to retrieve relevant articles related to "TELEREHABILITATION," "TELEREHAB," "STROKE," "CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT," "BALANCE," "STATIC BALANCE," and "DYNAMIC BALANCE." We

included articles in English in full text. Only RCT study designs, spanning from 2020 to 2024, are present in the included articles. The abstract or title should include references to stroke, balance, and rehabilitation. The exclusion criteria include non-English publications, studies conducted outside the specified timeframe, insufficient data, and inadequate methodology. The research does not employ telerehabilitation as an intervention and do not include balance as one of the outcome measures

Results: Out of the 4 studies, 3 proved that telerehabilitation improved balance among stroke patients. One study revealed that core-stability exercises along with telerehabilitation improved sitting balance in chronic stroke patients.

Conclusion: This comprehensive analysis finds that telerehabilitation is an effective and promising strategy for enhancing balance in stroke patients. The results indicate that telerehabilitation can attain equivalent, and occasionally superior, outcomes to conventional in- person rehabilitation by providing enhanced accessibility, flexibility, and patient involvement.

Implication: Telerehabilitation provides customized feedback, and allows for frequent, flexible exercise. Additional standardized research is required to enhance telerehabilitation techniques, ensuring optimal benefits and inclusion in stroke recovery pathways