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

Sue Dahl-Popolizio,Melissa Coronado,Connor Swanson,Nicholas J Popolizio,Heidi Carpenter

doi:10.5195/ijt.2020.6328

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.

Highlights

As the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic intensified, many healthcare professionals were required to abruptly transition their customary in-person treatment to telehealth, often without advance preparation or training
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
The American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA, 2018) use of the term ‘telehealth’ is inclusive of evaluation, intervention, consultation, supervision, and remote monitoring provided by OTPs across practice settings

Summary

Introduction

As the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic intensified, many healthcare professionals were required to abruptly transition their customary in-person treatment to telehealth, often without advance preparation or training. Many healthcare providers have successfully used telehealth to deliver services including physicians across specialties, psychologists, nurses, OTPs, physical therapy practitioners, and speech language pathologists (Cason, 2014; Dirnberger & Waisbren, 2020; Kruse et al, 2017; Morony et al, 2017; Powell et al, 2017; Wallisch et al, 2019). OTPs use synchronous and asynchronous methods of telehealth to help patients modify their environments, routines, and habits, as well as to develop skills and strategies to participate in meaningful activities (AOTA, 2018)

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