BackgroundUptake of e-health, the use of information communication technologies (ICT) for health service delivery, in allied health appears to be lagging behind other health care areas, despite offering the potential to address problems with service access by rural and remote Australians. The aim of the study was to conduct a scoping review of studies into the application of or attitudes towards ehealth amongst allied health professionals conducted in Australia.MethodsStudies meeting inclusion criteria published from January 2004 to June 2015 were reviewed. Professions included were audiology, dietetics, exercise physiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, social work, and speech pathology. Terms for these professions and forms of ehealth were combined in databases of CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, PsycINFO (1806 – Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid) and AMED (Ovid).ResultsForty-four studies meeting inclusion criteria were summarised. They were either trials of aspects of ehealth service delivery, or clinician and/or client use of and attitudes towards ehealth. Trials of ehealth were largely from two research groups located at the Universities of Sydney and Queensland; most involved speech pathology and physiotherapy. Assessments through ehealth and intervention outcomes through ehealth were comparable with face-to-face delivery. Clinicians used ICT mostly for managing their work and for professional development, but were reticent about its use in service delivery, which contrasted with the more positive attitudes and experiences of clients.ConclusionThe potential of ehealth to address allied health needs of Australians living in rural and remote Australia appears unrealised. Clinicians may need to embrace ehealth as a means to radicalise practice, rather than replicate existing practices through a different mode of delivery.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1791-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The working alliance emerged as a complex process that interacts with many factors and processes at play in the rehabilitation environment. Notwithstanding the limitations of the research base, findings indicate that enhancement of the working alliance may indeed influence rehabilitation outcomes. Allowing time for the development of the working alliance, and consideration of factors such as therapist skill, may support therapists to strengthen their alliances in ABI rehabilitation. Implications for Rehabilitation Allowing time for the development of the working alliance has the potential to enhance the alliance and thereby influence rehabilitation outcomes. Factors such as the client's age and level of education may influence the strength of the working alliance, and hence, awareness of these factors may assist clinicians in maintaining strong alliances with all clients. A strong working alliance is possible in the presence of client cognitive impairment, however, the skill of the therapist may be important in managing the potential impact of cognitive impairment on the working alliance.

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