Experiences of paediatric occupational therapists with teletherapy during the COVID-19
Sammanfattning: Introduction: Teletherapy is one increasingly utilised rehabilitation method in occupational therapy today. Teletherapy brings services to the clients, improves service availability and can be cost-effective. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth services worldwide. There is a need to study occupational therapists' experiences during this pandemic because the changed circumstances leading to transition to telehealth services may have required new ways of working. A limited amount of research on this topic exists. Aim: The study aimed to explore the experiences of Finnish paediatric occupational therapists with teletherapy during the COVID-19. Method: The data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with eleven occupational therapists. Content analysis was performed using an inductive approach. Results: Subcategories were clustered, and ten upper categories were formed. The analysis yielded one theme: the influence of initial attitudes, skills and knowledge, therapeutic relationships, and adaptation to practices on the teletherapy's implementation. Conclusions: According to the occupational therapists' experiences, teletherapy can be one good way to implement children's therapy, at least partially. Its suitability for the client should be assessed by considering its advantages and disadvantages. Significance: The study findings about teletherapy´s advantages in network cooperation and the availability of services can be used both societally and in clinical work.
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