Fernanda Alferez

Virtual Technology in Occupational Therapy

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic generated new challenges to patient care.

Healthcare providers and facilities adapted to these ongoing changes by embracing new

technologies. Occupational therapists were among the healthcare professionals that traded in

their traditional face-to-face approach for virtual environments/interventions and telemedicine

technology. This paper assesses the current literature to discuss how technology has influenced

how care is provided, its impact during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it can

impact the spread of other potentially infectious diseases.

New technologies have shown to be effective for providing healthcare services during

situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Telephone, videoconferencing, electronic gaming

systems, sensor technologies, digital cameras, and email are technologies used in telehealth

(Dahl-Popolizio et al., 2020). Telemedicine allows for the delivery of services directly to

patients' homes. Thus, allowing healthcare providers to assess and treat patients remotely to

minimize the risk of infection. When surveying occupational therapists working during the

COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Hoel, von Zweck, & Ledgerd (2021) found that about half

of respondents used telehealth in their work, nearly replacing in-person interaction, which

decreased by 54 percent. Telehealth may have the ability to improve access for rural areas, allow

clinicians to conduct remote examinations, provide healthcare services to larger geographic

regions/populations, reduced healthcare costs, and decrease the need to transfer patients to care

centers (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021)

Telemedicine has influenced how care is provided across practice settings including

schools, early intervention, pediatric practice, hospitals, burn units, productive aging, workplace

ergonomics, mental health, and inpatient and outpatient settings (Dahl-Popolizio et al., 2020).
 Fernanda Alferez

According to the literature, telehealth has been effective in providing occupational therapy

services. Additionally, patients, caregivers, and therapists' perceptions of this technology are

positive. A systematic review of patients living in rural areas' satisfaction with telehealth

rehabilitation services, compared to standard face-to-face therapy, showed that telehealth

services resulted in increased rates of patient satisfaction in occupational therapy services

(Patterson, Harkley, & Newton, 2021). Patients were reportedly satisfied with the accessibility to

health care practitioners when needed, the quality of telehealth equipment, and the clinicians'

conduct during sessions. Another study found that occupational interventions provided via

telehealth during the pandemic reduced relapses among people with previous mental disorders

(Sánchez-Guarnido et al., 2021). These individuals were reportedly at risk of relapsing due to

social isolation, maladaptive responses to occupational imbalance, interruption of daily routines,

occupations, and rituals, and decreased in-person services. Telehealth provided a solution for

these individuals and for those who were suffering from the physical consequences of COVID-

19. The study showed that telehealth interventions were more effective when provided via

videoconferencing, potentially indicating that face-to-face contact with a therapist continues to

be an important feature of therapy (Sánchez-Guarnido et al., 2021).

The role that technology played in reaching patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

proves that it is an efficient tool for mitigating the spread of other potentially infectious diseases.

To manage COVD-19, investments were made in telemedicine to provide healthcare without

physical interactions with patients (Leite, Hodgkinson, & Gruber, 2020). Having this

infrastructure in place may prepare us to fight the spread of other infectious diseases that may

arise in the future. Evidence shows that patients were satisfied with the feasibility and efficacy of

telehealth occupational therapy services (Patterson, Harkley, & Newton, 2021). Additionally,
 Fernanda Alferez

telehealth services did not negatively affect the therapeutic relationship between patient and

therapist (Sánchez-Guarnido et al., 2021). Therefore, these technology-based services are still

being utilized, even though most healthcare services have returned to normal. Telehealth

provides a solution for many problems in healthcare, while better equipping providers in

providing ongoing care during catastrophic situations.

Occupational therapy can be provided via telehealth for evaluations, interventions,

education, and the prevention of injury or exacerbation of conditions (Dahl-Popolizio et al.,

2020). Through telehealth, occupational therapists can help patients develop skills, habits, and

routines, modify their environments, and educate them on how to maximize self-management.

The current literature shows that telehealth has had, and will continue to have, a positive effect

on healthcare delivery.
 Fernanda Alferez

References

Dahl-Popolizio, S., Carpenter, H., Coronado, M., Popolizio, N. J., & Swanson, C. (2020).

Telehealth for the provision of occupational therapy: Reflections on experiences during

the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 12(2), 77–92.

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2020.6328

Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth benefits and barriers. The Journal for

Nurse Practitioners, 17(2), 218–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.09.013

Hoel, V., von Zweck, C., & Ledgerd, R. (2020). Was a global pandemic needed to adopt the use

of telehealth in occupational therapy? WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment &

Rehabilitation, 68(1), 13-20. DOI:10.3233/WOR-205268

Leite, H., Hodgkinson, I. R. & Gruber, T. (2020). New development: Healing at a distance-

telemedicine, and COVID-19. Public Money & Management, 40(6), 483-485.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2020.1748855

Patterson, A., Harkley, L., & Newton, E. (2021). Patient satisfaction with telehealth in rural

settings: A systematic review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(2).

DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2021.75S2-PO383

Sánchez-Guarnido, A.J., Domínguez-Macías, E., Garrido-Cervera, J.A., González-Casares, R.,

Marí-Boned, S., Represa-Martínez, Á. & Herruzo, C. (2021). Occupational therapy in

mental health via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of

Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 7138.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137138