Highlights
- From a survey of 819 therapists from across the world, 573 therapists, 70% reported that they currently use virtual visits in their practice. Less than 5% of therapists were providing virtual visits prior to COVID-19, representing a 15-fold increase in virtual visits since the beginning of the pandemic.
- Only 26% of therapists who responded to the survey reported that they used patient reported outcome measures (PROM) in conjunction with their virtual visits.
- Approximately 78 % of therapists who responded said that they thought there is a sustainable future for this method of care in hand therapy practice.
- This survey has helped identify the changing landscape in the provision of rehabilitation, and established some of the common assessments and interventions currently utilized by hand therapists in the virtual environment.
- Clinicians and researchers now need to improve implementation of outcome measures in virtual care, and develop methods for improving assessments within the virtual environment.
Abstract
Study Design
Survey Study
Purpose
To investigate recent practice changes with respect to the provision of virtual visits by hand therapists due to the COVID-19 pandemic by asking about changes in frequency of virtual visits, the assessments and treatments currently provided virtually, and the opinions of therapists on the future on virtual visits in hand therapy practice.
Methods
The survey was distributed to multiple hand therapy societies and associations for distribution. These groups included the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT), Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA), the Canadian Society of Hand Therapists (CSHT), and the European Federation for the Societies of Hand Therapy (EFSHT).
Results
Of the 819 responses, there were 573 therapists (70%) who reported that they currently use virtual visits in their practice. Only 38 therapists (4.6%) were providing virtual visits prior to COVID-19, representing a 15-fold increase in virtual visits since the beginning of the pandemic. Only 26% (n=213) of therapists who responded to the survey reported that they used patient reported outcome measures (PROM) in conjunction with their virtual visits. Approximately 78 % (n=638) of therapists who responded said that they thought there is a sustainable future for this method of care in hand therapy practice.
Discussion
This survey has helped identify the changing landscape in the provision of rehabilitation, and established some of the common assessments and interventions currently utilized by hand therapists in the virtual environment. Next steps for research are to investigate the reliability and validity of some of the assessments and interventions used, to establish whether virtual care will provide good outcomes for patients, and ultimately understand the optimal combination of conventional therapy and virtual care.
TBI Rehabilitation 