A scoping review to assess the effects of virtual reality in medical education and clinical care.

Due to the challenges and restrictions posed by COVID-19 pandemic, technology and digital solutions played an important role in the rendering of necessary healthcare services, notably in medical education and clinical care. The aim of this scoping review was to analyze and sum up the most recent developments in Virtual Reality (VR) use for therapeutic care and medical education, with a focus on training medical students and patients. We identified 3743 studies, of which 28 were ultimately selected for the review. The search strategy followed the most recent Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. 11 studies (39.3%) in the field of medical education assessed different domains, such as knowledge, skills, attitudes, confidence, self-efficacy, and empathy. 17 studies (60.7%) focused on clinical care, particularly in the areas of mental health, and rehabilitation. Among these, 13 studies also investigated user experiences and feasibility in addition to clinical outcomes. Overall, the findings of our review reported considerable improvements in terms of medical education and clinical care. VR systems were also found to be safe, engaging, and beneficial by the studies' participants. There were huge variations in studies with respect to the study designs, VR contents, devices, evaluation methods, and treatment periods. In the future, studies may focus on creating definitive guidelines that can help in improving patient care further. Hence, there is an urgent need for researchers to collaborate with the VR industry and healthcare professionals to foster a better understanding of contents and simulation development.

Telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patients and Physical Therapists' Experiences.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore satisfaction and attitudes of patients towards the use of telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic and to report the experience of physical therapists (PTs) with the use of telerehabilitation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A modified Telemedicine Satisfaction and Usefulness Questionnaire was used to assess the satisfaction and attitudes of musculoskeletal patients who had received telerehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight PTs to explore their experiences with telerehabilitation, including difficulties and benefits. RESULTS: Out of 53 patients who received telerehabilitation, 46 questionnaires were completed, with a response rate of 86.8%. In general, the patients were satisfied with and had positive attitudes towards the telerehabilitation services. The majority (89.2%) of the patients felt more involved in their care via telerehabilitation and a majority (93.5%) believed that video call sessions were a convenient form of telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven out of 8 PTs reported benefits of telerehabilitation (i.e., reduced patients' waiting lists and improved access to physical therapy care). Also, they were in favour of continuing using telerehabilitation to support the conventional physical therapy care, despite the lack of technological infrastructure. CONCLUSION: The patients as well as the PTs were generally satisfied with their telerehabilitation experiences. Using telerehabilitation in Kuwait was favoured as an adjunct method during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with extensive training, optimal allocation of resources, and the development of local guidelines, telerehabilitation would become an effective mean for the health delivery system in Kuwait.

Assessment of Kuwait Health System Towards Telemedicine Readiness & Adoption: Organizational and Technical Issues.

This study aims to assess the organisational readiness to predict the success of telemedicine system implementation in Kuwait. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with: (1) IT managers to assess the readiness of the technical infrastructure of Kuwait health system; and (2) policy makers to assess the organisation's ability to receive telemedicine. A set of policies and strategies were developed to demonstrate how the Kuwaiti health system could be ready for telemedicine services.