Changing expectations... Remote physiotherapy from Help@hand case study
If you’ve had an accident, operation or illness that requires physiotherapy, online support may not be your first thought. After all, doesn’t a physiotherapist need to be able to see you in person to decide the best way to aid recovery?
Here’s how Help@hand from Unum convincingly changed the mind of an employee who was unsure whether he’d get value from a session with a remote physiotherapist.
Who is he?
A sales analyst in his 40s, he has a busy role which involves managing dashboards and undertaking data analysis. Most of his working day is spent seated.
Help@hand’s physiotherapy in action
Over a period of time, he began to develop upper leg pain. This continued unresolved for several months and eventually he realised he needed an expert’s medical opinion and treatment.
Yet because the leg pain had been going on so long and had become debilitating, he was worried that booking in to see a physiotherapist at a hospital or clinic might involve a time-consuming course of treatment. That could mean multiple absences from work to attend appointments he could ill afford.
Fortunately, the employee was covered by a Unum Group Income Protection policy, meaning he had access to Help@hand from Unum, the health and wellbeing app powered by Square Health.1
The award-winning app provides a total health and wellbeing solution with high quality, personalised services and everyday lifestyle assistance which include:
- 360 Wellbeing Score, offering health insights and unlocking personalised lifestyle coaching sessions
- Remote physiotherapy
- Unlimited appointments with a 24/7 digital GP
- Unlimited mental health support from qualified mental healthcare professionals*
- Medical second opinions
- A fully-integrated employee assistance programme offering a 24/7 helpline and life, money and wellbeing support
- Integration with Unum’s Wellbeing Calendar, packed full of articles, podcasts, webinars and more to help employees manage their wellbeing.
In the year to April 2024, Help@hand supplied more than 15,000 remote physiotherapy appointments to people dealing with a range of musculoskeletal concerns.
94% of appointment attendees in March 2023 said that their physiotherapist dealt with their concerns on the day. This demonstrates that remote physiotherapy works and that clinicians can successfully deliver physiotherapy remotely to the benefit of patients.
Using Help@hand, the employee booked a video appointment with a UK-based physiotherapist to discuss his upper leg pain the following day.
The appointments
In the first consultation, the physiotherapist gathered information on his general health, wellbeing and medical history before moving on to specific questions about the condition which led him to make the appointment.
Using the video camera on the employee’s phone, the physiotherapist asked him to do a series of stretches and movements so she could assess his mobility and pinpoint when and where the pain occurred. This allowed her to indicate that the employee’s hip joint was the likely cause of his problem.
After the session, his physiotherapist emailed a number of diagrams and videos of the stretching exercises she suggested to help his condition. She also posted a pack containing a set of physiotherapy support tools including a foam roller, a resistance band and a heat/cold patch.
A few weeks later, he made a second appointment as previously suggested by the physio. Again, she was able to assess his mobility and pain points. This showed he had made significant progress and he confirmed that his pain had greatly reduced as a result of the treatment.
While both parties felt there was no need for a third consultation, as a courtesy, the physiotherapist emailed 3 weeks later for a final update and to check whether he needed anything else before closing the case with his issue resolved.
“I was initially apprehensive about using Help@hand’s online physio rather than attending in person. However, my experience of Help@hand changed my view. The consultation was very thorough, and I had confidence that she fully understood my issues. She was informative and polite throughout my whole experience, and I was impressed enough to even recommend the service to a colleague.” — Sales analyst at a large financial services firm, 40s
1 Help@hand connects employees of Unum customers to third party specialists who can help manage their health and wellbeing, and that of their family. Access to the app and service is facilitated at no cost by Unum. However, you will be liable for charges for medication and delivery, referral letters and private fit notes. Unum is not the provider of the Help@hand service, but retains the right to withdraw or change the service at any time. Available to UK residents only.
*For mild to moderate issues. Number of sessions subject to clinical appropriateness. Should the service be no longer suitable, users will be directed to alternative appropriate support