‘Empowering clinicians in smaller sites’: A qualitative study of clinician's experiences with a rural Virtual Paediatric Feeding Clinic

Abstract

To explore the experiences of 'spoke site' allied health and child and family health clinicians in the provision of care through a pilot 'hub and spoke' model Virtual Paediatric Feeding Clinic (VPFC) outreach service. The study was qualitative, with data from virtual interview transcripts analysed using thematic analysis. Orange Health Service ('hub site') and seven community health centres within the Western NSW Local Health District ('spoke sites'). Nine 'spoke site' clinicians (from dietetics, speech pathology, occupational therapy and child and family health nursing), who had participated in the pilot clinic. Participants took part in a semi-structured interview with a member of the research team. Spoke site clinicians experiences and perceptions of the VPFC. Four key themes emerged: (1) impact of the VPFC on 'spoke site' clinicians, (2) benefits for clients and families, (3) perceptions of the virtual model of care and (4) VPFC service challenges. The expansion of an existing interdisciplinary Paediatric Feeding Clinic into a virtual service demonstrates the use of technology to bridge a gap in healthcare. Clinicians reported benefits not only for families, but for their own knowledge and confidence in provision of care and reduced professional isolation through connection with discipline-specific colleagues.