Telerehabilitation in Rural Areas: A Qualitative Investigation of Pre-service Rehabilitation Professionals’ Perspectives

Telerehabilitation (TR) presents an innovative technology capable of helping to address the rehabilitation needs of people with disabilities (PWDs) in rural areas. Because of social and environmental barriers for rural clients, TR offers an alternative method to lessen the impact of obstacles for service delivery in geographically isolated rural areas. This study aims to explore benefits and limitations of using TR to provide rehabilitation services to clients in rural areas. In this qualitative study, pre-service professionals identified the value of suitability, impact of rate of use, and technological tools to enhance TR services while plausible interference of services, ethical issues, and apprehensions for implementation represented potential hindrances for the use of this technology in rural areas. Implications for rehabilitation educators, practitioners and researchers are considered.