Document Type (Journals)
Original Research
Abstract
Accredited occupational therapy education programs are required to include telehealth technology in their curricula as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. An innovative Doctor of Occupational Therapy program piloted a telehealth module with first- and second-year students. Both dynamic lecture content and active learning lab exercises were created to advance student knowledge in the use of telehealth technology and to inform occupational therapy telehealth education. The teaching approaches in lecture and lab were assessed using a mixed methods approach. A quantitative pre and posttest assessment of student self-efficacy and knowledge was collected at three time points. At the final timepoint, a post survey was also completed to collect qualitative perspectives of student experiences after the lecture content and lab exercise, to further explain quantitative findings. Results indicated that the students’ knowledge significantly improved after the module. In addition, engaging in lab after lecture did add a significant improvement in self-efficacy of students’ perception of their knowledge regarding telehealth as well as confidence in their ability to use telehealth. The outcomes of this study assist and inform occupational therapy education programs in determining an effective teaching format for instruction on the use of telehealth technology in practice.
Biography
Angela Patterson, OTD, OTR/L, FNAP, assistant professor, Department of Occupational Therapy at Creighton University, is the Director of the international Master of Science for Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy programs. Her role is focused on global healthcare and interprofessional education. Dr. Patterson’s scholarship is focused in global practice and interprofessional collaboration.
Diana R. Feldhacker, OTD, OTR/L, BCPR is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Creighton University. Publications have related to vision, physical rehabilitation, occupational science, and interprofessional education. Scholarly presentations and teaching have focused on development, neuroscience, and physical rehabilitation. Dr. Feldhacker is board certified in Physical Rehabilitation through AOTA.
Bobbi Greiner, OTD, OTR/L, BCP is an assistant professor and Director of OT Fellowship Programs in the Occupational Therapy Department at Creighton University. Dr. Greiner is board certified in pediatrics through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Dr. Greiner’s research focus includes scholarship of teaching and learning, and evidence-based practice.
Marion Russell, OTD, MOTR/L, SCFES is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Creighton University and a telehealth feeding therapist at the No Tube Interdisciplinary Therapy Center/Austria. Her scholarly work focuses on pediatric feeding disorders, health disparities experienced by transgender clients, telehealth, and type 1 diabetes.
Victoria L. Bergen, OTD, OTR/L was a third-year occupational therapy doctoral student at Creighton University at the time of this study. Interests include adult acute and outpatient rehabilitation, hospital to home transitions, and pediatrics. She completed her doctoral capstone on home modifications. She is certified in LSVT BIG and PAMs.
Declaration of Interest
This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. None of the authors declare competing financial interests. This work was supported by a grant from Dr. George F. Haddix President’s Faculty Research Fund from Creighton University.
Recommended Citation
Patterson, A., Feldhacker, D. R., Greiner, B. S., Russell, M., & Bergen, V. (2021). Telehealth and Occupational Therapy Education. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 5 (4). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2021.050406
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