title: Telehealth application on the rehabilitation of children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically review the literature on the telehealth initiatives in telerehabilitation practices in children and adolescents from zero to 18 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized and controlled clinical trials published in the past ten years (January 2002 to February 2012) in Medline/PubMed, Medline/BVS, PEDro and Cochrane Library databases. The descriptors "telemedicine", "rehabilitation" and "telehealth" were used in three different languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish).
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the 20 studies found in the literature, nine were included in this review. Most of the studies showed that telerehabilitation is able to produce better results in the treatment when compared to the traditional methods, providing less frequency of symptoms, better disease control, better quality of life and greater adherence to treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Telerehabilitation is a viable and effective strategy in the treatment of common diseases in children and adolescents. However, there are few studies on the subject in this age group. Although telehealth is already consolidated worldwide, there are no studies in Brazil that used the telerehabilitation in children and adolescents, which reinforces the need for more research and investments.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clinicas, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Tereza N
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Hospital Infantil Joao Paulo II, Fundacao Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sarah Costa D O
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.affiliation: Faculdades Santo Agostinho, Montes Claros, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ludmila Mourão X
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Hospital Publico Regional de Betim, Betim, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Henriques
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rafaela Silva
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clinicas, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Caroline Duarte
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Eliane Marina P
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Guimarães
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006801:Humans; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*; D017216:Telemedicine