Responding to disruption: Exploring the transition to telehealth in mental-health occupational therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background COVID-19 presented significant challenges for occupational therapy (OT) services in Ireland. Public health guidelines necessitated a transition of services from face-to-face delivery to the use of telehealth modalities. Telehealth has yet to be extensively researched within mental health OT, with a particular need for an increased understanding of therapeutic processes when conducted remotely. Aim To explore the experiences of occupational therapists transitioning to telehealth service provision. Material and Methods This study employed a qualitative, descriptive design to examine the experiences of therapists transitioning from face-to-face to telehealth services within a mental health service. Data was collected using comprehensive, semi-structured interviews with four participants and analysed thematically. Results This study yielded three major themes: 1) responding to disruption, 2) reconsidering practice with technology and 3) therapeutic use of the 'virtual self'. Conclusions Adaptation to telehealth provision requires planned, gradual transition but offers unique opportunities for therapeutic engagement. How space is considered in therapy as well as therapists' communication styles are components of practice which are altered when conducted remotely. Significance The disruption caused by COVID-19 presented opportunities for considering the delivery of OT services. As services emerge from social restrictions it is likely that their recent experiences will be utilised in reconfiguring the future delivery of mental-health OT services.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

This work was funded by a University College Cork Post-Graduate Studentship from the Department of Occupational Science an Occupational Therapy.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Not Applicable

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Full ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Social Research Ethics Committee at University College Cork, Ireland.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

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I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.

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Data Availability

Data will be made available on request by the corresponding author.

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