title: Results from a clinical yoga program for veterans: yoga via telehealth provides comparable satisfaction and health improvements to in-person yoga.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Yoga is increasingly popular, though little data regarding its implementation in healthcare settings is available. Similarly, telehealth is being utilized more frequently to increase access to healthcare; however we know of no research on the acceptability or effectiveness of yoga delivered through telehealth. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and patient-reported effectiveness of a clinical yoga program at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center and assessed whether these outcomes differed between those participating in-person and those participating via telehealth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Veterans who attended a yoga class at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System were invited to complete an anonymous program evaluation survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  64 Veterans completed the survey. Participants reported high satisfaction with the classes and the instructors. More than 80% of participants who endorsed a problem with pain, energy level, depression, or anxiety reported improvement in these symptoms. Those who participated via telehealth did not differ from those who participated in-person in any measure of satisfaction, overall improvement (p = .40), or improvement in any of 16 specific health problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delivering yoga to a wide range of patients within a healthcare setting appears to be feasible and acceptable, both when delivered in-person and via telehealth. Patients in this clinical yoga program reported high levels of satisfaction and improvement in multiple problem areas. This preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of a clinical yoga program complements prior evidence for the efficacy of yoga and supports the use of yoga in healthcare settings.
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA. robert.schulz-heik@va.gov.
authors.forename: R Jay
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schulz-Heik
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.|Palo Alto University, 1791 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-2004, USA.
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Stanton
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.
authors.forename: Rachael H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.
authors.forename: Danae P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Moore-Downing
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.|Palo Alto University, 1791 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-2004, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-2004, USA.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lazzeroni
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.
authors.forename: Joanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Varni
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.
authors.forename: Linda Martin
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Collery
authors.affiliation: War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305-2004, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bayley
mesh_terms: D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017216:Telemedicine; D014728:Veterans; D058014:Veterans Health; D015013:Yoga
keywords: Effectiveness; Feasibility; Telehealth; Yoga