The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients
Background: Demand for rehabilitation in Malaysia has increased following the spike in Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) cases since 2020. With limited delivery of physical therapy services, travel restrictions, and risk of virus transmissions, telerehabilitation presents an alternative to tradit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
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INTI International University
2023
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/2/71 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/3/ij2023_07r.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848766949335498752 |
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| author | Hai, Su Jia Ong, Jun Hui Heaw, Yu Chi |
| author_facet | Hai, Su Jia Ong, Jun Hui Heaw, Yu Chi |
| author_sort | Hai, Su Jia |
| building | INTI Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: Demand for rehabilitation in Malaysia has increased following the spike in
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) cases since 2020. With limited delivery of physical therapy
services, travel restrictions, and risk of virus transmissions, telerehabilitation presents an
alternative to traditional rehabilitation. Previous studies have investigated the perception of
telerehabilitation among healthcare professionals in Malaysia, but lack investigations on the
perceptions, willingness, and barriers toward participation in telerehabilitation among Malaysian
COVID-19 patients. Therefore, it is important to understand the perceptions, willingness, and
barriers toward participation in telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 patients to
determine the applicability of telerehabilitation in Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to
identify the perceptions, willingness, and barriers toward participation in telerehabilitation among
Malaysian COVID-19 patients. Methodology: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study. The
recruited Malaysian COVID-19 patients were required to fill in a self-administered online
questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) version 21 and presented in frequencies and percentages. Results: 166 Malaysian COVID-
19 patients were included in this study. Most participants were students aged 18-25 years old
(68.1%). The participants were highly educated, had high access to technology, and had a high
ability in using technological devices and the internet. Most of the participants showed good
perceptions toward telerehabilitation and a high willingness to participate in telerehabilitation
during (75.3%, n=125) and after (65.7%, n=109) the pandemic. The most frequently selected
human and technical barriers to telerehabilitation participation were that telerehabilitation was not
as effective as face-to-face physical therapy sessions (18.7%) and lack of exercise equipment
(34.8%), respectively. Conclusion: Overall, most participants had high perceptions towards
telerehabilitation and were willing to participate in telerehabilitation with the acknowledgment of
barriers towards telerehabilitation, indicating that the implementation and development of
telerehabilitation in Malaysia are possible. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:57:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | intimal-1733 |
| institution | INTI International University |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:59:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | INTI International University |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | intimal-17332025-07-29T07:58:21Z http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/ The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients Hai, Su Jia Ong, Jun Hui Heaw, Yu Chi Q Science (General) QP Physiology Background: Demand for rehabilitation in Malaysia has increased following the spike in Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) cases since 2020. With limited delivery of physical therapy services, travel restrictions, and risk of virus transmissions, telerehabilitation presents an alternative to traditional rehabilitation. Previous studies have investigated the perception of telerehabilitation among healthcare professionals in Malaysia, but lack investigations on the perceptions, willingness, and barriers toward participation in telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 patients. Therefore, it is important to understand the perceptions, willingness, and barriers toward participation in telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 patients to determine the applicability of telerehabilitation in Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions, willingness, and barriers toward participation in telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 patients. Methodology: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study. The recruited Malaysian COVID-19 patients were required to fill in a self-administered online questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 and presented in frequencies and percentages. Results: 166 Malaysian COVID- 19 patients were included in this study. Most participants were students aged 18-25 years old (68.1%). The participants were highly educated, had high access to technology, and had a high ability in using technological devices and the internet. Most of the participants showed good perceptions toward telerehabilitation and a high willingness to participate in telerehabilitation during (75.3%, n=125) and after (65.7%, n=109) the pandemic. The most frequently selected human and technical barriers to telerehabilitation participation were that telerehabilitation was not as effective as face-to-face physical therapy sessions (18.7%) and lack of exercise equipment (34.8%), respectively. Conclusion: Overall, most participants had high perceptions towards telerehabilitation and were willing to participate in telerehabilitation with the acknowledgment of barriers towards telerehabilitation, indicating that the implementation and development of telerehabilitation in Malaysia are possible. INTI International University 2023-04-11 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/2/71 text en cc_by_4 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/3/ij2023_07r.pdf Hai, Su Jia and Ong, Jun Hui and Heaw, Yu Chi (2023) The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients. INTI JOURNAL, 2023 (07). pp. 1-7. ISSN e2600-7320 https://intijournal.intimal.edu.my |
| spellingShingle | Q Science (General) QP Physiology Hai, Su Jia Ong, Jun Hui Heaw, Yu Chi The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients |
| title | The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in
Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients |
| title_full | The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in
Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients |
| title_fullStr | The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in
Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in
Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients |
| title_short | The Perceptions, Willingness, and Barriers towards Participation in
Telerehabilitation among Malaysian COVID-19 Patients |
| title_sort | perceptions, willingness, and barriers towards participation in
telerehabilitation among malaysian covid-19 patients |
| topic | Q Science (General) QP Physiology |
| url | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/2/71 http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/1733/3/ij2023_07r.pdf |