Telephysiotherapy – Success Story
Enhancing Physiotherapy Student Training in Remote Patient Assessment with Telegenz – A Four-Year Success Story
Executive Summary
The shift towards digital healthcare delivery has underscored the importance of remote clinical skills among allied health professionals. Recognizing this, our physiotherapy program pioneered the integration of Telegenz, an innovative telehealth platform, into its curriculum in 2021. Over four consecutive years, Telegenz has enabled robust training in telerehabilitation for undergraduate physiotherapy students, leveraging immersive role-play scenarios and structured feedback from experienced tutors. This white paper details our implementation experience, outcomes, and key platform developments informed by real-world educational use.
Background
With telehealth rising as a dominant mode of healthcare delivery, physiotherapists must be adept at remote patient assessment and virtual rehabilitation. Training programs have traditionally relied on in-person simulations, leaving a gap in telehealth-specific competencies. Telegenz was introduced to bridge this gap, equipping students with the skills and confidence required for effective telerehabilitation.
Program Overview
Participants
- Students: 35 per year (2021–2025), totaling 140 students.
- Clinical Tutors: 12 expert physiotherapists engaged annually.
Methodology
Each year, students enrolled in the Telehealth module participated in five virtual telerehabilitation scenarios on Telegenz. Role-play formed the core of training:
- Each student played both the Patient and the Physiotherapist across different cases.
- Scenarios covered a range of conditions typical in remote physiotherapy, including musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiorespiratory disorders.
Following each session, tutors delivered:
- Structured feedback focusing on communication, clinical decision-making, and the use of technology in assessment and intervention.
Platform Impact
Enhanced Learning Outcomes
- Practical Exposure: Students conducted simulated assessments and interventions in a realistic telehealth environment, mirroring modern clinical practice.
- Self-Reflection and Growth: Role reversals enabled students to appreciate both practitioner and patient perspectives.
- Constructive Feedback: Tutors leveraged Telegenz’s session review tools to provide targeted, actionable feedback.
- Tech-Savvy Confidence: Repeated practice in an intuitive digital environment reduced students’ anxiety regarding real-world telehealth consultations.
Platform Evolution
User experience insights from our physiotherapy cohort directly contributed to platform enhancements:
- Improved Interface: Streamlined workflows ensured ease of navigation for novice users.
- Enhanced Video Functionality: Stable, high-quality video ensured accurate observation of physical assessments.
- Scenario Customization: Facilitators could easily tailor sessions to specific learning objectives
Lessons Learned & Future Directions
Key Lessons:
- Authentic, repetitive simulation is critical for mastery of remote assessment.
- Students value immediate, structured feedback on clinical and interpersonal skills within telehealth contexts.
- Ongoing collaboration with platform developers can yield rapid improvements in educational technology.
Next Steps:
- Expand scenario libraries to include more complex and multidisciplinary cases.
- Introduce peer assessment tools and AI-supported feedback.
- Extend the model to other allied health courses.
Conclusion
Telegenz has significantly advanced our ability to train physiotherapy students in remote clinical skills. Our four-year partnership has not only improved student preparedness for the future of healthcare, but also catalyzed the evolution of a truly user-centered telerehabilitation training platform. We look forward to building on this foundation and sharing best practices with the broader health education community.
