The effectiveness of a telerehabilitation program for chronic musculoskeletal pain: the e-Rehab program

Abstract

It is estimated that approximately one-third of the world's adult population suffers from chronic pain. In Brazil, chronic pain has been reported as the main reason patients seek outpatient clinics in hospitals, which often overloads the health system. One promising intervention that has been used in previous studies is tele-rehabilitation. Tele-rehabilitation is delivered by the use of technologies (internet or other digital systems) to offer treatments. This can facilitate access to treatment for these patients, overcoming barriers such as transport, waiting lists, lack of health insurance and high costs for treatments. Therefore, the main objective of this research project is to investigate the effectiveness of a tele-rehabilitation program for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Patients will be randomly divided between a treatment group by tele-rehabilitation (exercise and cognitive-behavioral therapy) or control group (minimal intervention). The primary outcome will be pain intensity, and secondary outcomes will include function and psychosocial outcomes. All outcomes will be assessed at the end of treatment (8 weeks) and at 3, 6 and 12 months after randomization. A mixed linear model will be used for statistical analysis. The tele-rehabilitation program proposed in this project has the potential to benefit patients with musculoskeletal pain who commonly wait for treatment in health systems through a simple and easily accessible intervention. (AU)