Caregivers' Role in In-Home Video Telehealth: National Survey of Occupational Therapy Practitioners.
Megan Elizabeth Gately, Dylan E Waller, Emily E Metcalf and 1 others
PMID 38483462WHAT IT FOUND
VHA OT practitioners said caregivers often join in-home video visits, mainly to run the camera and microphone, help patients hear or understand, and provide history.
Poor internet and caregiver burden can block the visit.
Key findings
0156.6% of respondents reported caregivers often or always participated in in-home video telehealth, and spouse was the most common caregiver relationship (94.5%).
02The patient factors most often requiring caregiver help were lack of technical skills or literacy (76.1%) and cognitive impairment (72.3%).
03Caregivers most often helped with camera operation (54.4%) and microphone or volume (50.8%), and they often provided history (59.8%) or communication support (51.7%). Poor connectivity was the most common barrier (34%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 286 of about 1787 practitioners were included (16% response rate), and participation was voluntary, so more interested or experienced practitioners may be overrepresented. Findings are self-reported perceptions by OT practitioners; no patient or caregiver perspectives were collected, and no patient outcomes were measured. Respondents had to have completed at least 10 in-home video telehealth encounters involving a caregiver in the previous 24 months, so results may not reflect practitioners with little caregiver-involved video experience. VHA has proprietary video software, national technical support, dedicated support staff, and tablet loaner programs, which may not exist elsewhere. The item advanced age was not defined. It is unclear whether age itself or age-related needs drove caregiver involvement. Likert responses were collapsed for presentation, and some questions had varying completion because item completion was not required.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that caregiver involvement improves patient outcomes or access. The paper reports OT practitioners' perceptions, and outcomes such as improved veteran outcomes were only selected as perceived benefits, not measured results.