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In this section

Looking to the future of remote consultations

This final part of the CSP guidance examines how, by planning research and investment into services, you can build long-term improvements to meet the changing needs of your population

Investment is recommended in:

Workforce

  • Support the mental wellbeing of your workforce by developing resilience and adaptability considering the impact of virtual working e.g. mental exhaustion and a feeling of social isolation.

Training

  • Train existing staff to optimise confidence and competence in: 
    – Shared decision making and personalised care 
    – Undertaking risk assessments 
    – Using virtual platforms and completing remote consultations
    – Establishing digital champions to support colleagues
  • Pre-registration training will support future physiotherapists to be able to deliver virtual and in-person consultations as part of a person-centred, flexible, hybrid model.

Infrastructure

  • To support both in-person and virtual approaches including access to appropriate space, environments and equipment.

Governance and research

  • Organisational governance and research to effectively evaluate new service models. See below for areas where research is recommended.

Further research

Getting started and quick wins

  1. I want to find out about technology in physiotherapy
  2. I want to find out about research on remote consultations
  3. I want to share my service's successes and challenges

The CSP recommends more research in the following areas: 

  • Safety – For staff and patients
  • Inclusion – Considering the exclusion rates for remote physiotherapy in different patient populations and exploring ways to overcome them so that physiotherapy services are accessible, suitable and acceptable for all patients   
  • Patient experience – Understanding and measuring patient experience and satisfaction with different models of delivery 
  • Patient outcomes – Further evaluation of patient outcomes comparing different consultation approaches including the hybrid model is required
  • Technological advances – Exploring the use of new technology to improve service delivery and patient outcomes 
  • Economic implications – Evaluation of the financial implications of different service delivery models

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