JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the delivery of occupational therapy (OT) services in-person on a global scale, accelerating the adoption of telehealth. During this time, there was a surge of OT focussed research on the use of telehealth. Synthesising this literature can be helpful to inform routine practice and to prepare for future disruptions to in-person care, including natural disasters, severe weather, and pandemics.

Objective:

This scoping review maps the literature on telehealth in OT during COVID-19, focusing on setting, study design, participants, clinical fields, modalities, interventions, outcomes, benefits, barriers, and facilitators.

Methods:

Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, we searched seven databases and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles. Eligibility criteria included: English and French papers reporting on telehealth-delivered OT services during COVID-19, across all ages, conditions, settings, and participant groups.

Results:

From 4,810 records screened, 43 articles were included. Most articles originated from high-income economies and were small in scale (mean=136; median=15). Most were descriptive (e.g., cross-sectional surveys, qualitative studies, and experiential reports). Participant groups were diverse, including OTs, clients, caregivers, and others (e.g., teachers). Telehealth in OT was most reported in pediatric neurodevelopmental and mental health fields, followed by adult mental health. Most articles described synchronous telehealth and the remaining a mixed approach. Only 40% reported on measurable outcomes, with most of these demonstrating statistically significant results. Reported benefits included improved accessibility, personalization, continuity of care, safety in terms of infection prevention, family engagement, and social support. Perceived barriers included technology access and literacy, lack of physical presence, limitations of the home environment, client and caregiver factors, and organizational challenges. Facilitators included home and intervention adaptations, digital skills and training, caregiver involvement, communication strategies, and organizational and system-level support.

Conclusions:

Telehealth helps to increase access to OT; however, therapists face barriers in using this approach especially for some interventions and populations. More research is needed on how best to implement telehealth across different populations and contexts.  Clinical Trial: n.a.