Evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of TIPS to enhance the adoption of family-centered telehealth in pediatric rehabilitation centres across Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting difficulties for pediatric rehabilitation services have pushed many therapists to shift to telehealth service delivery. Lack of training having been cited as a barrier for the implementation of telehealth, a program that provides training and support to therapists such as TIPS may encourage the adoption of family-centered telehealth services.

This study aims to:

  • Evaluate the implementation of TIPS with regards to:
    • Therapists’ intention to adopt vs actual adoption of family-centered telehealth practices
    • Fidelity of family-centered telehealth practices
  • Document the contextual variations required to co-adapt TIPS to meet each site’s needs
  • Identify factors influencing family-centered telehealth adoption and fidelity
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of TIPS with regards to:
    • Service wait-times
    • Families’ perception of service quality (more specifically family-centeredness)
    • Changes in service delivery
  • Evaluate the costs (and possible cost savings) related to increased use of family-centered telehealth

Project characteristics:

  • TIPS is co-adapted to each site with the help of its local leadership team.
  • OTs, PTs and SLPs from 20 pediatric rehabilitation centers from across Canada follow a one-month training program comprising of 4 hours of self-paced learning modules and a 6-hour interactive webinar.
  • Therapists then have access to a support program which includes regular videoconference meetings with other participants of their site, as well as a virtual community of practice accessible on the TIPS web platform.
  • Therapists are asked to complete a total of 10 surveys before, during and after the implementation of TIPS regarding intention and actual adoption of FCT, fidelity in delivering FCT and family engagement practices.
  • Parents receiving services from participating therapists are recruited before and after TIPS implementation and are asked to complete a survey regarding satisfaction and costs associated with services received.

If you are interested in this project or have any questions, please contact: jade.berbari@usherbooke.ca