Telehealth for the Provision of Occupational Therapy: Reflections on Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview

Journal Int J Telerehabil

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2021 Feb 1

PMID 33520097

Citations 28

Authors

Sue Dahl-Popolizio

Heidi Carpenter

Melissa Coronado

Nicholas J Popolizio

Connor Swanson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, healthcare professionals worldwide abruptly shifted from an in-person to a telehealth service delivery model. Many did so without advanced training or preparation. This cross-sectional study explored how occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they found it to be an effective service delivery model that should be a permanent option for providing occupational therapy services. An online survey was disseminated; it included Likert scale questions, multiple option questions, and open-ended questions regarding telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 230 respondents, 176 (77%) support telehealth as a substitute for in-person services; 179 (78%) support telehealth as a permanent option for occupational therapy service delivery. This information lends support to the uninterrupted use of telehealth by OTPs when government emergency orders in response to COVID-19 expire.

Citing Articles

Remotely Assessing Motor Function and Activity of the Upper Extremity After Stroke: A Systematic Review of Validity and Clinical Utility of Tele-Assessments.

Sauerzopf L, Luft A, Baldissera A, Frey S, Klamroth-Marganska V, Spiess M Clin Rehabil. 2024; 38(9):1214-1225.

PMID: 38839104 PMC: 11487868. DOI: 10.1177/02692155241258867.

Development and Validation of the Protocol for Administering Telehealth Home (PATH) Assessments.

McBride C, Story S, Cason J Int J Telerehabil. 2023; 15(1):e6545.

PMID: 38046548 PMC: 10687956. DOI: 10.5195/ijt.2023.6545.

Caregiver Support Role in Occupational Therapy Video Telehealth: A Scoping Review.

Gately M, Metcalf E, Waller D, McLaren J, Chamberlin E, Hawley C Top Geriatr Rehabil. 2023; 39(4):253-265.

PMID: 37901356 PMC: 10601380. DOI: 10.1097/TGR.0000000000000409.

Experiences of the Occupational Therapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

Ranjan G, Gandhi S, Sivakumar T J Psychosoc Rehabil Ment Health. 2023; :1-17.

PMID: 37360915 PMC: 10068722. DOI: 10.1007/s40737-023-00338-3.

Exploring virtual care clinical experience from non-physician healthcare providers (VCAPE).

Braund H, Dalgarno N, Ritsma B, Appireddy R SSM Qual Res Health. 2023; 3:100289.

PMID: 37283887 PMC: 10228159. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100289.

References

Dirnberger J, Waisbren S . Efficacy of telehealth visits for postoperative care at the Minneapolis VA. Am J Surg. 2020; 220(3):721-724. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.01.015. View

Langbecker D, Caffery L, Taylor M, Theodoros D, Smith A . Impact of school-based allied health therapy via telehealth on children's speech and language, class participation and educational outcomes. J Telemed Telecare. 2019; 25(9):559-565. DOI: 10.1177/1357633X19875848. View

Wosik J, Fudim M, Cameron B, Gellad Z, Cho A, Phinney D . Telehealth transformation: COVID-19 and the rise of virtual care. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2020; 27(6):957-962. PMC: 7188147. DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa067. View

Powell R, Henstenburg J, Cooper G, Hollander J, Rising K . Patient Perceptions of Telehealth Primary Care Video Visits. Ann Fam Med. 2017; 15(3):225-229. PMC: 5422083. DOI: 10.1370/afm.2095. View

Dinesen B, Nonnecke B, Lindeman D, Toft E, Kidholm K, Jethwani K . Personalized Telehealth in the Future: A Global Research Agenda. J Med Internet Res. 2016; 18(3):e53. PMC: 4795318. DOI: 10.2196/jmir.5257. View

Kruse C, Krowski N, Rodriguez B, Tran L, Vela J, Brooks M . Telehealth and patient satisfaction: a systematic review and narrative analysis. BMJ Open. 2017; 7(8):e016242. PMC: 5629741. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016242. View

Cason J . Telehealth: a rapidly developing service delivery model for occupational therapy. Int J Telerehabil. 2015; 6(1):29-35. PMC: 4352999. DOI: 10.5195/ijt.2014.6148. View

Smith A, Thomas E, Snoswell C, Haydon H, Mehrotra A, Clemensen J . Telehealth for global emergencies: Implications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). J Telemed Telecare. 2020; 26(5):309-313. PMC: 7140977. DOI: 10.1177/1357633X20916567. View

Cason J . Telehealth and Occupational Therapy: Integral to the Triple Aim of Health Care Reform. Am J Occup Ther. 2015; 69(2):6902090010p1-8. DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2015.692003. View

10.

Wallisch A, Little L, Pope E, Dunn W . Parent Perspectives of an Occupational Therapy Telehealth Intervention. Int J Telerehabil. 2019; 11(1):15-22. PMC: 6597151. DOI: 10.5195/ijt.2019.6274. View

11.

Dahl-Popolizio S, Loman J, Cordes C . Comparing Outcomes of Kinect Videogame-Based Occupational/Physical Therapy Versus Usual Care. Games Health J. 2015; 3(3):157-61. DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2014.0002. View

12.

Morony S, Weir K, Duncan G, Biggs J, Nutbeam D, McCaffery K . Experiences of Teach-Back in a Telephone Health Service. Health Lit Res Pract. 2019; 1(4):e173-e181. PMC: 6607783. DOI: 10.3928/24748307-20170724-01. View

13.

Rortvedt D, Jacobs K . Perspectives on the use of a telehealth service-delivery model as a component of school-based occupational therapy practice: Designing a user-experience. Work. 2019; 62(1):125-131. DOI: 10.3233/WOR-182847. View