Objective：Home visits conducted in the early rehabilitation phase through an online connection between the patient's home and the hospital are termed online home visits. They enable real-time sharing of home information and patient and family wishes between the family and the therapists participating from home with healthcare professionals at the hospital. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of online home visits.

Methods：We enrolled 75 patients with musculoskeletal or cerebrovascular disease discharged from a convalescent rehabilitation ward and classified them as those who received online home visits (online group, n＝25) and in-person home visits (non-online group, n＝50) within 7 days of hospitalization. Functional independence measure (FIM) efficiency was compared between the groups. Rehabilitation treatment changes made by therapists after virtual home visits were surveyed.

Results：In patients with musculoskeletal diseases, FIM efficiency was significantly higher, and the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the online group (n＝14, 1.0 ± 0.5 points/day) than in the non-online group (n＝26, 0.7 ± 0.5 points/day) (p＜0.05). Many therapists who participated in virtual home visits modified their rehabilitation therapy afterwards by recreating the home environment in the rehabilitation room and implementing rehabilitation therapy for home activities.

Conclusion：Virtual home visits can facilitate rehabilitation therapy more appropriate to the home environment because they provide visual information about the home. The present findings indicate the contribution of online home visits to FIM efficiency improvement and home discharge preparation.

Typical cases of neuralgic amyotrophy present with sudden onset of excruciating pain in the shoulders and upper extremities, followed by marked muscle weakness and atrophy over a period of hours to days. Neuralgic amyotrophy is not confined to the brachial plexus, and difficulties in its diagnosis may delay the start of rehabilitation therapy. Here, we report a case of rehabilitation of a patient with neuralgic amyotrophy presenting with Collet-Sicard syndrome (9^th, 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th cranial nerve disorder)．A 44-year-old man developed severe pain from the left posterior neck to the occipital region, followed by sporadic onset of dysarthria, dysphagia, and difficulty in raising the left upper limb over several weeks. Nerve conduction studies showed marked bilateral differences in the amplitude of the compound muscle action potential recorded from the trapezius during accessory nerve stimulation. Needle electromyography showed abnormal resting potentials in the left trapezius and left side of the tongue and a decrease in the interference pattern during voluntary contraction. Based on the clinical course, neurological and laboratory findings, a diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy was made. Speech language hearing therapy was performed for dysarthria and dysphagia, and physical therapy was performed for difficulty in raising the left upper limb due to accessory nerve palsy. Rehabilitation along with recovery from inflammation-induced neuropathy allowed the patient to become independent in activities of daily living.