Grant recipient: Dr Christian Barton APAM 

Project title: Development and evaluation of an online toolkit to competently and safely implement telehealth delivery of education and exercise-therapy for osteoarthritis 

Year awarded: 2021

Grant: Pat Cosh Trust Grant

Grant amount: $19,000.67  

Snapshot: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has given telehealth a big boost, but some clinicians lack confidence in using it. Associate Professor Christian Barton received a Pat Cosh Trust Grant to develop a toolkit for clinicians treating musculoskeletal conditions.

The findings: The project builds on an education and exercise program called Good Life with osteoArthritis: Denmark (GLA:D), originally developed in Denmark for patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Christian and his colleagues at La Trobe University’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre have successfully implemented the GLA:D program across more than 450 clinics and 1800 physiotherapists in Australia, but it is primarily designed for face-to-face delivery, not telehealth. 

Benefits to the profession: The toolkit is a website designed for exercise professionals, including educational resources and a location map for exercise rehabilitation programs. The aim of the toolkit is to equip physiotherapists to deliver high quality telehealth services to achieve optimal patient outcomes for those in their care. The toolkit also includes video demonstrations, checklists and tips for implementing telehealth in a clinical setting, and patient resources.