Exploring the Awareness, Perception, Acceptability and Confidence Level Towards Telerehabilitation among Stroke Patients’ Caregivers in the Federal Territory of Malaysia

Abstract

Telerehabilitation is the ability to provide distance support, evaluation and intervention to individuals who are undergoing rehabilitation therapy through telecommunication. This study aimed to explore the awareness, acceptability and confidence level towards telerehabilitation among caregivers of cerebral stroke patients in the federal territory of Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst stroke patients’ caregivers from general hospitals in the federal territory of Malaysia. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the awareness, acceptability and confidence level towards telerehabilitation technology among stroke patients’ caregivers. The correlation between confidence level in using technology devices and their acceptance level of telerehabilitation was assessed by using Spearman correlation analysis. Results showed that 70% of caregivers were aware of the telerehabilitation technology, amongst which 60.5% were willing to use the technology for rehabilitation purposes. Out of all the types of devices, 50% of caregivers demonstrated a high confidence level in using smartphones. However, only 25.7% demonstrated a high confidence level in using video call services for telerehabilitation service. In conclusion, the majority of caregivers in the federal territory of Malaysia demonstrated a positive attitude towards telerehabilitation services for stroke patients.