Telehealth and Home Health Occupational Therapy: Clients' Perceived Satisfaction with and Perception of Occupational Performance

Home health care agencies are restructuring service delivery models to address quality of care and client satisfaction while containing costs. New regulatory changes and the public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an immediate need for alternative care models. Telehealth has been recognized as a feasible delivery model to provide health care. This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study examined the feasibility of performing occupational therapy telehealth visits as an adjunct to on-site visits for homebound clients (N=9). The Outcomes and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data collection set, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), and a survey were used to collect data. This combination of visits resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvements in client perception of performance and satisfaction with activities of daily living. Findings showed that participants favorably perceived this service delivery model met their therapy needs and they would recommend it to others. Results of this study warrant a larger study involving physical and speech therapy services.

Mild brain injury education: preparing the caregiver

Background/Aim

The purpose of this pre-test, post-test study was to determine if caregivers of patients diagnosed with a mild brain injury feel better prepared for the caregiving role following a single, individualised education session in the acute care hospital setting.

Methods

A total of 17 patients and 21 caregivers were recruited. A pre-intervention survey was used to gather baseline perceptions on preparedness, worry, and brain injury knowledge. The intervention included a review of a mild brain injury educational booklet and a caregiver handout with the patient and caregiver during a 45–60-minute session. A post-intervention survey was used to assess caregivers' perceptions following the educational session.

Findings

The mean Likert survey responses of the caregivers indicated an improvement in the areas of worry, preparedness for caregiving, and understanding of brain injury post-intervention. Caregivers unanimously agreed that their understanding of brain injury and ability to manage the patients' symptoms was a direct result of the intervention.

Conclusions

The findings from this pilot study demonstrate the benefits of a single educational session with caregivers in the hospital setting. Exploring if the educational material was used by caregivers post-discharge is warranted to further support the results.

Feasibility and Effectiveness of Telehealth Occupational Therapy Home Modification Interventions

Despite the effectiveness of occupational therapy home modification interventions, persons with disabilities may not receive them due to service delivery costs, limited number of therapists, and expansive geographic service areas. The need for occupational therapy home modification interventions will increase with the rising U.S. aging population, incidence of chronic illness, and shift toward community-based care. This study examined the feasibility of telehealth occupational therapy home modification interventions using participant owned smart phones, tablets, or computers. A pretest posttest design (n=4) demonstrated improvement in home safety and perception of performance of daily activities. Participants reported satisfaction with the mode of intervention citing ease of use and reduction in client and caregiver burden. Two key implementation challenges were (1) inconsistent quality of synchronous audio and video and (2) limited funding for home modification interventions. A large-scale telehealth occupational therapy home modification interventions pilot study is warranted.