Open AccessAural Rehabilitation via Telepractice During COVID-19: A Global Perspective on Evolving Early Intervention Practices
Author(s) -
Rebecca Claridge,
Nicholas Kroll
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of telerehabilitation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.273
H-Index - 3
ISSN - 1945-2020
DOI - 10.5195/ijt.2021.6362
Subject(s) - telerehabilitation , pandemic , covid-19 , coaching , medicine , intervention (counseling) , telehealth , telemedicine , perspective (graphical) , videoconferencing , tracking (education) , medical education , psychology , nursing , computer science , multimedia , health care , pathology , disease , artificial intelligence , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pedagogy , economics , psychotherapist , economic growth
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.