Physical therapy care through telehealth has been established over the years as a viable alternative for certain health conditions. However, it is necessary to know about the perception of both professionals and patients regarding this mode of care.

To assess the perception of pregnant women and physical therapists regarding the safety of a physical therapy assessment conducted via telehealth.

This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted through an electronic survey. The study included women aged = 18 years, in their second or third trimester of a singleton pregnancy, undergoing prenatal care, with internet access, and experiencing pelvic girdle pain (PGP) confirmed by the question: "In the past four weeks, have you had back pain that affected your daily activities?". Additionally, physical therapists who conducted the assessments were included. The evaluation process involved the following steps: Participants received a booklet with seven PGP tests and were instructed to perform them independently before repeating them synchronously via a video call on Google Meet under the supervision of a physical therapist. After the teleconsultation, pregnant women answered the following questions: "Did you feel safe during the video call?" (rated from 1 = very unsafe to 5 = very safe); "Would you use telehealth to communicate with a physical therapist or another healthcare professional if needed in the future?" (rated from 1 = disagree to 5 = strongly agree); "What were the positive aspects of the session?" (open-ended response). Physical therapists answered: "Did you feel that participants were safe during the video call?" (rated from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree).

Twenty-four pregnant women participated in the study, with a mean age of 31.0 (±4.82) years; and four physical therapists participated, with a mean age of 25.5 (±3.5) years. Regarding the perception of safety during the assessment, all pregnant women rated it as “very safe.” Concerning the use of telehealth as a means of communication with healthcare professionals, 20 participants (83.33%) fully agreed, 3 (12.50%) agreed, and 1 (4.17%) did not respond. Regarding the positive aspects of the session, participants highlighted the teleconsultation itself, the professionals, and accessibility, as well as their perceptions. Five responses (20.83%) emphasized safety, 9 (37.50%) highlighted the care, attention, and guidance provided by the professionals, 6 (25.00%) mentioned the clarity and quality of the information, and 3 (12.50%) pointed to the convenience and accessibility of telehealth as positive aspects. Regarding the perception of physical therapists about participants' safety, 91.67% (22) fully agreed that the participants were safe, while 4.17% (1) remained neutral and 4.17% (1) disagreed.

There was a positive perception of the teleconsultation assessment for the pregnant women and physical therapists in this study.

The results of this study contribute to clinical practice by reducing transportation costs and improving access to physical therapy. They also support integrating telehealth into public health systems, increasing national access to specialized care. Clinical trial design studies are necessary to further explore the results.