Delivering multidisciplinary neuromuscular care for children via telehealth.
Muscle Nerve
; 66(1): 31-38, 2022 07.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35426158
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION/AIMS:
In response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions int 2020, our face-to-face (F2F) multidisciplinary neuromuscular clinic (NMC) transitioned to widespread use of telehealth (TH). This study aimed to (1) understand parent/guardian, child, and clinician perceptions of TH; (2) examine TH-related changes in clinical activity; and (3) use these findings to inform a future model of care for the NMC.METHODS:
A clinical audit was undertaken to examine clinical activity throughout 2018-2020. Online surveys were distributed to clinicians and parents of children attending the NMC via TH in 2020. A working group of clinicians created a checklist to guide a future hybrid model of TH and F2F care.RESULTS:
Total clinical activity in 2020 was maintained from previous years; 62.8% of all appointments occurred via TH, and 82.3% of patients attended NMC by TH at least once. Ninety-nine parents (30.6% response rate), 52 children, and 17 clinicians (77% response rate) responded to the survey. All groups reported better interaction when F2F compared to TH. Eighty percent of parents identified advantages of TH and reported lower levels of stress. A lack of "hands-on" physical assessment was identified by parents and clinicians as a TH limitation. Most families (68.1% of parents; 58.8% of children) and all clinicians indicated a preference for a mix of TH and F2F NMC appointments in the future.DISCUSSION:
This study has informed a checklist to guide future TH use in a new hybrid model of care. Further investigation is required to assess health impacts of TH use in pediatric neuromuscular care.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Telemedicina
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Child
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Muscle Nerve
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Australia