What exactly is telerehabilitation?  Telerehabilitation uses different forms of telecommunications technologies to facilitate the delivery of rehabilitation services at a distance.  Rehabilitation services are designed to help a person gain (or regain) physical, mental and/or cognitive abilities impaired by disease or injury.

How is telerehabilitation used and how does it add value? Telerehabilitation is a growing area and is being used by physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and more!  Making these services available at a distance has been particularly beneficial for patients and families who have difficulty receiving these type of services at hospitals, clinics and other facilities due to barriers related to transportation, distance and mobility.

What are some practical tips for helping me to get started?  Here are some great resources that we've curated for you!

  • The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Telerehabilitation Special Interest Group has developed Principles for Delivering Telerehabilitation Services.  This guide addresses general administrative, clinical, technical and ethical principles for implementing telerehabilitation services.  Below are resources more specific to particular service types/providers.
  • The Great Plains Telehealth Resource & Assistance Center (gpTRAC) has developed a Tele-Rehab Toolkit.  This toolkit addresses the use of telehealth across professions of Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech Language Pathology (SLP).

Physical Therapy:

Occupational Therapy:

They also have a large number of Telehealth Resources for members

Telepractice/Telespeech:

Early Intervention Services:

  • The Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP)  has put together: