Patient-reported outcomes during telehealth versus in-person follow-up visits for patients treated with extracorporeal shockwave therapy

Abstract

Background: The limited research describing clinical outcomes using telehealth for management of musculoskeletal conditions is primarily within orthopedic surgery care. Objective: To characterize differences in patient reported outcomes using telehealth compared with in-person follow-up visits in patients with Achilles tendinopathy (AT) or plantar fasciitis (PF) treated using extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Outpatient sports medicine clinic. Patients: 82 patients with AT and 46 patients with PF. Interventions: In-person (n = 76) and telehealth (n = 52) follow-up visits. Main Outcome Measurements: Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) for AT and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) for PF as well as billing level. Results: There was significant improvement from baseline to final VISA-A (p