An assessment of the needs of therapists and the co-construction of a training program for the effective implementation of telerehabilitation services for children with disabilities and their families

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of telehealth was low in pediatric rehabilitation therapists. When asked what support was required to implement telehealth, training was by far the most frequently cited. There is a paucity of evidence related to how personal and contextual factors may influence telehealth training requirements and strategies.

This study aims to:

  • Explore the telerehabilitation competencies and training needs, along with the barriers and enablers to practice change for physiotherapists (PT), occupational therapists (OT) and speech language pathologists (SLP)
  • Test the psychometric properties of a survey (i.e., the ACCEPT-VFCC) developed to identify therapists needs
  • Co-create a training program which best meets these needs and leverages healthcare system factors.

Project characteristics:

  • OTs, PTs and SLPs from across Canada are asked to complete the ACCEPT-VFCC questionnaire, a 20-minute survey on telerehabilitation competencies and training needs, as well as barriers and enablers to practice change
  • Participants are asked to fill out the survey again 2 weeks later which will allow the research team to test the psychometric properties of the survey
  • If interested and selected, participants may take part in a virtual focus group discussing the findings of the survey and how they may inform a training program
  • A series of focus groups will also be undertaken in Quebec with healthcare partners, therapists and parents

Recruitment is finished for this project. Thank you to all participants

If you are interested in this project or have any questions, please contact: karen.hurtubise@usherbrooke.ca

Financial partner