Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prematurity is one of newborns' leading causes of neurological damage. Although physical therapy reduces possible sequelae, there is insufficient scientific evidence on these treatments because they are delivered through telemedicine. OBJECTIVE: To compare how newborns treated with the Bobath approach (BA) and those under conventional treatment scored at the end of 6 months of monitoring neurological warning signs and overall movement quality during the COVID-19 pandemic, given that all treatments were delivered through telemedicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analytical study involved 20 patients managed with the BA and 20 patients undergoing conventional treatment (n = 20). Three examinations and two treatment blocks were performed. The telemedicine sessions carried out through the Zoom platform were mainly focused on the relative training of hands-off techniques. Male and female newborns at high neurological risk were included. RESULTS: Our findings show that both treatment arms delivered by telemedicine are effective (p = 0.6). CONCLUSION: Studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to investigate the impact of telemedicine on the economy and travel time.