The impact of digital physical therapy during COVID-19 lockdown in children with developmental disorders: A qualitative study

Physical Therapy Services During COVID-19 Pandemic: Perception of Families of Brazilian Children With Physical Disabilities

PURPOSE

To describe the perspective of caregivers about physical therapy (PT) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect of social distancing on the health of children with physical disabilities.

METHODS

This survey research used a remote questionnaire to identify the perceptions of caregivers about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of children and adolescents with physical disabilities and on PT services. Data were analyzed using the frequency of responses; open-ended questions were analyzed through a hybrid approach to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Caregivers of 47 children with cerebral palsy were included. Although most received regular PT services during the pandemic, worsened children's physical conditions and anxiety were prevalent. Caregivers believed that they lacked technical skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Social distancing impacted the health of children with physical disabilities, especially their physical conditions. Identifying facilitators and barriers for PT services can be helpful in future similar scenarios.Video abstract Supplemental Digital Content available at:http://links.lww.com/PPT/A503.

Co-designing a telepractice journey map with disability customers and clinicians: Partnering with users to understand challenges from their perspective

INTRODUCTION

Telepractice has the potential to align with the directive to reduce inequalities by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10. Telepractice additionally addresses a national digital health strategic plan for accessible digitally enabled models of care. To plan improvements, it is essential to understand the experience of telepractice for people with disability, which may be achieved through an approach such as journey mapping. The current article provides both a disability-specific case study and a methodological guide for the inclusion of customers and clinicians in the meaningful redevelopment of services. The Perth, Australia-based case study aimed to gain insights into the experience of telepractice for people with disability. The methodological aim describes using co-design to produce a journey map in collaboration with customers and clinicians, for potential replication in a wide range of health and social care contexts.

METHOD

Interview transcripts gathered from a cohort of customer participants (n = 17) were used to inform the journey map. A group of customers (n = 5) and clinicians plus one manager (n = 5) distributed the findings onto a customer experience journey map during a co-design workshop. The journey map describes the emotional experience and actions taken, along five phases of a timeline through telepractice service interactions: (1) before, (2) selecting telepractice, (3) telepractice preparation, (4) during telepractice sessions and (5) after.

RESULTS

A journey map visualisation of customer experiences was produced that identified strengths of telepractice service delivery (flexibility) while noting challenges (with technology) as opportunities for improvement. The consensus of participants was the desire to have access to telepractice currently and in the future, in addition to in-person delivery.

CONCLUSION

These findings are valuable in the context of advocating for the incorporation of customers and clinicians through co-design workshops in the content analysis and creation of a journey map that is representative of the lived experience of accessing telepractice services.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The paper forms part of a larger co-design process that included customer participants throughout the design and planning of the project, inclusion of a peer researcher and the co-designers in the workshops, journey map and this article production.

"Can you hear me OK?": Caregivers of Children With Medical Complexity and Their Perspectives of Virtual Care During COVID-19

INTRODUCTION

The rapid and widespread shift to virtual care during COVID-19 created new opportunities and unique challenges for families of children with medical complexity (CMC). However, few studies have examined perceptions of virtual care during the pandemic in this population.

METHOD

To address this gap, the current study used a qualitative approach and semistructured interviews via Zoom to explore parent perspectives of virtual care. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 30 parents residing with their CMC (aged 0-18 years) in British Columbia, Canada.

RESULTS

The findings identified from the data included (1) advantages and opportunities, (2) concerns and challenges, and (3) parent choice and preference.

DISCUSSION

Our findings indicate the need for healthcare professionals to receive training to use virtual care in their practice effectively. In addition, policies about standards for virtual care and ensuring families have access to the necessary technology will help reduce barriers and improve equity and inclusion for this population.

Disabled people's experiences accessing healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Disruptions to healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic are well-recognised problems. However, a dearth of research exists on disabled people's experiences with accessing these services. A scoping review was undertaken to identify and explore research on the experience of disabled people in accessing healthcare services between 2020 and 6 February 2023.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and OVID were employed to search for research that included the voice of disabled people, or their parents or caregivers. Over two distinct phases, a total of 2,201 articles were reviewed according to article titles, keywords, and abstracts. Eighty-one studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria; these were reviewed in full.

RESULTS

Eighteen studies specifically described the experiences of accessing healthcare or disability services, and sixty-three raised healthcare challenges as a secondary consideration. Many disabled people struggled to access healthcare services and felt they were invisible; as a result, individuals' mental health was negatively affected. Disabled people with compounding vulnerabilities were at the most risk of experiencing a lack of healthcare access.

CONCLUSIONS

There is an urgent need for research and policy that is responsive to disabled people's access to healthcare during the pandemic; currently many health policies are 'disability-blind' and exclude these members of the global community. Furthermore, to assist in creating disability-responsive research, funding needs to prioritise researchers within the disabled community.