JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

The continued demand for digital health requires that providers adapt thought processes to enable sound clinical decision making in digital settings. Physical exam techniques and hands-on interventions must be adjusted in safe, reliable and feasible ways to digital care and decision making may be impacted by modifications made to these techniques. Providers report that lack of training is a barrier to providing digital healthcare. We have proposed a framework for determining if a procedure can be modified to obtain a comparable result in a digital environment or if a referral to in-person care is required. The decision making framework developed using program outcomes of a digital physical therapy platform, and aims to alleviate provider barriers to providing digital care. This paper describes the unique considerations a provider must make when collecting background information, selecting procedures, executing procedures, assessing results, and determining if they can proceed with clinical care in digital settings.