TY - JOUR
AU - D. C. Thomas
AU - E. F. Litherland
AU - S. Masso
AU - G. Raymundo
AU - M. Keep
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Many allied health services now provide both telehealth and in-person services following a rapid integration of telehealth as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about how decisions are made about which clinical appointments to provide via telehealth versus in person. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore clinicians' decision-making when contemplating telehealth for their clients, including the factors they consider and how they weigh up these different factors, and the clinicians' perceptions of telehealth utility beyond COVID-19 lockdowns. METHODS: We used reflexive thematic analysis with data collected from focus groups with 16 pediatric community-based allied health clinicians from the disciplines of speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, social work, psychology, and counseling. RESULTS: The findings indicated that decision-making was complex with interactions across 4 broad categories: technology, clients and families, clinical services, and clinicians. Three themes described their perceptions of telehealth use beyond COVID-19 lockdowns: "flexible telehealth use," "telehealth can be superior to in-person therapy," and "fear that in-person services may be replaced." CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the complexity of decision-making in a community-allied health setting and the challenges experienced by clinicians when reconciling empirical evidence with their own clinical experience.
AD - Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.; Integrated and Community Health, Western Sydney Local Health District, Blacktown, Australia.
AN - 38848121
BT - JMIR Form Res
C5 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities
DA - Jun 7
DO - 10.2196/46300
DP - NLM
ET - 20240607
JF - JMIR Form Res
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND: Many allied health services now provide both telehealth and in-person services following a rapid integration of telehealth as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about how decisions are made about which clinical appointments to provide via telehealth versus in person. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore clinicians' decision-making when contemplating telehealth for their clients, including the factors they consider and how they weigh up these different factors, and the clinicians' perceptions of telehealth utility beyond COVID-19 lockdowns. METHODS: We used reflexive thematic analysis with data collected from focus groups with 16 pediatric community-based allied health clinicians from the disciplines of speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, social work, psychology, and counseling. RESULTS: The findings indicated that decision-making was complex with interactions across 4 broad categories: technology, clients and families, clinical services, and clinicians. Three themes described their perceptions of telehealth use beyond COVID-19 lockdowns: "flexible telehealth use," "telehealth can be superior to in-person therapy," and "fear that in-person services may be replaced." CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the complexity of decision-making in a community-allied health setting and the challenges experienced by clinicians when reconciling empirical evidence with their own clinical experience.
PY - 2024
SN - 2561-326x
SP - e46300
ST - Clinicians' Decision-Making Regarding Telehealth Services: Focus Group Study in Pediatric Allied Health
T1 - Clinicians' Decision-Making Regarding Telehealth Services: Focus Group Study in Pediatric Allied Health
T2 - JMIR Form Res
TI - Clinicians' Decision-Making Regarding Telehealth Services: Focus Group Study in Pediatric Allied Health
U1 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.2196/46300
VL - 8
VO - 2561-326x
Y1 - 2024
ER -