Development of a web-based telehealth system to enhance delivery of back exercise and education programs

Personnel

Principal Investigator:  John Mayer, DC, PhD

Institution

• Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research
• School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences
• Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida

Sponsors

Lincoln College Education and Research Fund (LCERF)(unrestricted research gift to USF Foundation)

Background

The traditional delivery model for therapeutic exercise and education programs involves direct supervision with patients or clients throughout all phases of care and maintenance. While this direct supervised approach is clinically effective, it is often times not feasible or practical for implementation in large-scale and long-term health and wellness programs. Therefore, new models enhancing supervised delivery of back exercise and education programs need to be developed that can be implemented in a practical manner in order to foster long-term adherence and improve clinical outcomes.

Purpose

The proposed project will develop an innovative and technologically advanced web-based telehealth system to deliver exercise and education programs for the prevention and treatment of spinal disorders.

Significance

There are currently no such systems available, and the need for this type of “telehealth” approach is evident with the changing health care models in rehabilitation. If successful in the initial phases and subsequent research studies, the web-based telehealth system could be implemented for prevention programs in high-risk populations and for clinical applications for the management of spinal pain and disability.