Awareness and Perspectives on Sports-Specific Telerehabilitation Among Physiotherapy Students in Andhra Pradesh: A Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey
Abstract: Telerehabilitation is increasingly used to extend rehabilitation services through digital communication and remote-care technologies, including sports rehabilitation. This cross-sectional study assessed awareness, formal educational exposure, and perspectives on sports-specific telerehabilitation among physiotherapy students in Andhra Pradesh, and examined associations with selected participant characteristics. A structured web-based questionnaire was completed by 100 undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD physiotherapy students from the Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) and Andhra University (AU) academic regions. Overall, 81% of participants were familiar with telerehabilitation. Among participants who were familiar with the term, the undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum was the most frequently reported first source of exposure (47.5%), followed by research articles or journals (23.8%). Only 40% reported receiving formal curricular education, which was mainly limited to basic concepts. Among participants without formal education who answered the follow-up question, lack of time or resources was the most frequently reported reason (47.9%), followed by preference for traditional face-to-face rehabilitation (27.1%). Familiarity was significantly associated with stable internet connectivity (p = 0.001), but not with gender, region, academic level, or age group. The mean 11-item perspective score was 35.25 ± 4.35 out of 55, with no significant differences across the demographic and access-related groups examined. These findings indicate a gap between general awareness and structured educational exposure. Integrating clinically oriented telerehabilitation competencies into physiotherapy education may help students understand appropriate applications, limitations, and safe transitions between remote and face-to-face care.
Keywords: Telerehabilitation; sports physiotherapy; physiotherapy students; digital health; physiotherapy education; awareness; Andhra Pradesh
How to Cite?: Gorthi Haritha, Kamineni Sruthi, Kasireddy Reddy Lasya, Dr. C. Shanthi, Dr. K. Madhavi, "Awareness and Perspectives on Sports-Specific Telerehabilitation Among Physiotherapy Students in Andhra Pradesh: A Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 191-195, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR261001094008, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR261001094008