310 research outputs found
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The Evolution of Telehealth From Pre-COVID-19 Pandemic Through A Hybrid Virtual Care Delivery Model: A Pediatric Hospital’s Journey
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic transformed care delivery and influenced telehealth adoption by rehabilitation professionals and their patients. The purpose of this paper is to describe a pediatric health system’s telehealth services pre-pandemic and how those services were scaled during the pandemic. A secondary aim is to provide a roadmap for the operational delivery of telehealth and rehabilitation services, including transition to a hybrid care delivery model. Findings suggested that telehealth can be rapidly scaled to address patient healthcare needs for an early intervention population during a pandemic. Telehealth use during the pandemic helped ensure continuity of care and likely reduced the risk of exposure to patients and staff to the virus. Benefits included enhanced access to care, and savings in time and money for families. Interestingly, as the pandemic declined, the use of telehealth services declined due to patient preference, with many families opting to request a return to in-person care.
 
Defining Roles and Responsibilities for School-Based Tele-Facilitators: Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) Ratings of Proposed Competencies
Full text linkThe primary purpose of this study was to craft and validate a set of core competencies necessary for a tele-facilitator to possess in the school setting. Competencies were created through literature review and qualitative analysis. Following expert review, the competencies were revised and formatted into an online survey which was sent to respondents in four target groups: (a) school administrators who had adopted telepractice as a service delivery model; (b) speech-language pathologists (SLPs) experienced in telepractice within a school setting; (c) current tele-facilitators, and (d) scholars experienced in telepractice. Fifty-seven percent (20 out of 35) of the competencies were rated as “Essential Skills.” The remaining competencies could be more or less important depending on workplace requirements
Aural Rehabilitation via Telepractice During COVID-19: A Global Perspective on Evolving Early Intervention Practices
Full text linkIntroduction: Pre-pandemic, telepractice was not globally implemented despite its effectiveness. Clinicians reported challenges related to technology, confidence, and inadequate resources. Objectives: To document global telepractice, identify current obstacles and measure the impact of a possible solution. The timing of this research facilitated tracking telepractice changes during the pandemic. Methods: Two surveys measured practitioners’ experience and attitude towards telepractice. Survey 1 was completed in February-March 2020. Participants then received two specialized lesson kits to trial if desired. Survey 2 was a follow-up after 4-6 weeks. Results: Between surveys, the proportion of participants providing telepractice increased from 47.6% to 91.7%. The lesson kits were trialled by 74.3%. Their use had a positive impact on three of the top five factors affecting the delivery of telepractice: parent coaching, clinician experience and accessing resources. Conclusion: Telepractice was rapidly adopted globally during the pandemic. The specialized resources were helpful in overcoming some of the barriers to delivery
Rapid Implementation of Telerehabilitation for Pediatric Patients During COVID-19
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a sudden limitation of in-person outpatient occupational and physical therapy services for most patients at a large, multisite pediatric hospital located in the Midwest, United States. To ensure patient and staff safety, the hospital rapidly shifted to deliver most of these services via telerehabilitation. The purposes of this study were to (1) describe the rapid implementation of telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) describe the demographic characteristics of patients who continued in-person services and those who received telerehabilitation, and (3) evaluate the therapists’ perceptions of telerehabilitation for physical and occupational therapy. Most of the children (83.4% of n=1352) received telerehabilitation services. A family was more likely to choose to continue in-person visits if their child was <1-year-old, had a diagnosis of torticollis, received serial casting, or was post-surgical. Occupational and physical therapy therapists (n=9) completed surveys to discern their perceptions of the acceptability of telerehabilitation, with most reporting that telerehabilitation was as effective as in-person care.
 
The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure: A Feasible Multidisciplinary Outcome Measure for Pediatric Telerehabilitation
Full text linkThis study describes the feasibility of using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) as a multidisciplinaryoutcome measure for pediatric telerehabilitation (TR). The COPM was administered at monthly time points over four months. A follow-up survey was conducted with the therapists to assess clinical utility of the COPM. Seventy-three percent of the children seen in TR > one month had at least two administrations of the COPM. Eighty percent of therapists agreed or strongly agreed that the COPM was easy to use in a reasonable amount of time, helped identify functional goals, could be used with various children with varied diagnoses, and measured functional change. In 37 children, the median clinical change in performance and satisfaction was two points or greater on the COPM over the episode of TR. The COPM is a feasible measure perceived positively by pediatric therapists for TR use
Telerehabiltation in Italy During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study
No full textThis study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a telerehabilitation program during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of adult patients with physical disabilities. Of the twenty-three patients enrolled, 11 agreed to participate in a video-based telerehabilitation program. Barriers and facilitators to the adoption of telerehabilitation were identified and clinical, demographic, and psychological variables were analysed as predictors of success. Age, cognitive reserve, and resilience were significant predictors of satisfaction with telerehabilitation (p<0.05). The telerehabilitation program was perceived as feasible and was well accepted by patients, despite some technology challenges. However, patients who took advantage of telerehabilitation perceived differences in the quality of service and preferred traditional in-person treatment to service delivery via telerehabilitation
Telerehabilitation is Effective to Recover Functionality and Increase Skeletal Muscle Mass Index in COVID-19 Survivors
Full text linkObjective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a telerehabilitation program for COVID-19 survivors on their functionality, aerobic capacity, upper-lower body strength and skeletal muscle mass index. Methods: Fifty patients (22 M); age 54.1±15.4 who became ill with COVID-19 during 2020 completed a 24-session telerehabilitation program. The following measures were taken: Barthel’s index, two minutes step test (2MST), elbow flexion one-repetition maximal (1RM), short physical performance battery (SPPB), hand grip strength, 30-second chair stand, skeletal muscle index (SMI), body fat percentage, resting pulse, arterial blood pressure, and pulse oximetry. Results: There was a significant increase in the Barthel index (p?0.0001), 2MST (p?0.0001), 1RM elbow flexion (p?0.0001), SPPB (p?0.0001), hand grip strength (p?0.0001), 30-second chair stand (p?0.0001), and SMI (p?0.0001). Conclusion: A 24 session in-home telerehabilitation program promoted the recovery of physical independence and increases in skeletal muscle mass index and physical fitness
People with spinal cord injury (SCI) require extensive rehabilitation to maximize independence and quality of life. Much of this treatment occurs on an outpatient basis through telerehabilitation or clinic-based services. Synchronous telerehabilitation ha
Full text linkPeople with spinal cord injury (SCI) require extensive rehabilitation to maximize independence and quality of life. Much of this treatment occurs on an outpatient basis through telerehabilitation or clinic-based services. Synchronous telerehabilitation has become increasingly common in recent years, but many professionals remain reluctant to suggest it when clinic-based services are available. This survey study explored case managers’ perceptions regarding advantages and disadvantages of synchronous telerehabilitation versus clinic-based physical therapy services for people with SCI. Respondents were 89 case managers responsible for service provision coordination. Results showed a significant preference for clinic-based rather than telerehabilitation physical therapy services. Relative experience with the two service delivery models significantly affected perceptions. Only facilitating travel convenience differed significantly as a reason for recommending one service delivery method over the other. The incongruity between perceptions about synchronous telerehabilitation and existing literature about its cost, convenience, and efficacy suggests a need for additional education
Telehealth Use By Persons with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Full text linkTelehealth use rapidly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding if, and how, people from disabilities used telehealth during the pandemic is vital to assuring this evolving and increasingly common form of health care is equitably developed and delivered to avoid reproducing the health disparities people with disabilities already face. Our aim was to explore the use of telehealth among people with disabilities during the pandemic. We conducted a weighted secondary analysis of United States Census Bureau data (April-July 2021) from 38,512 (unweighted) people with disabilities. Our findings revealed 39.8% of people with disabilities used telehealth during the second year of the pandemic, ranging from 34.5% of people with hearing disabilities to 43.3% of people with mobility disabilities. There were also differences in telehealth use based on sociodemographics. Telehealth promises to open doors to more equitable health care access for many people with disabilities, but only if access barriers are removed
Commonly Used Outcome Measurement Tools in Pediatric Physical Therapy Telerehabilitation in the Philippines: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study
Full text linkWith the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of telerehabilitation has rapidly increased to improve access and minimize cross-infection risk to patients. Nevertheless, Filipino pediatric physical therapists (PTs) must ensure that they conduct evidence-based procedures for specific tests and measures to determine patient outcomes. This investigation reported the most common pediatric outcome measurement tools (OMTs) used in telerehabilitation by Filipino pediatric PTs treating 0 to 21-year-olds in the Philippines. Validation and pilot testing of an adapted questionnaire on OMT usage was undertaken before dissemination via email and social media. Pediatric PTs reported that the commonly used OMTs in telerehabilitation are Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) (100%)—including both versions of GMFM-88 and GMFM-66 followed by Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) (30%). These findings support the use of feasible OMTs in pediatric telerehabilitation due to their applicability in the online setting