Analysis from an occupational perspective of the telehealth use in occupational therapy in times of confinement

Abstract

Introduction The actions adopted with the purpose of avoiding community infections, during the COVID-19 pandemic, meant an occupational interruption since these measures prevented or restricted the participation in significant occupations of people. At the same time, the different health institutions and health professionals had to resort to telehealth to provide continuity of care. Objective To analyze from an occupational perspective the use of telehealth in Occupational Therapy in confinement contexts. Methodology Qualitative. Information is produced through focus groups and individual interviews. 9 students, 10 teachers, 5 users and/or family members and 5 members of the care teams participate in this study. An analysis of the thematic content is carried out through the triangulation of actors to integrate the opinions of all the participants, later in order to deepen the use of telehealth from an occupational perspective, theoretical triangulation is included. Results Telehealth as an occupation materializes the possibility of having socio-emotional support and allows collaboration in search of well-being in times of social isolation. It is also an occupation that allowed recognizing the home as a territory, in which the appropriation of material and relational resources occurs in a collaborative way between the treatment team and the users. Conclusions Telehealth is a collective occupation that allows re-existence in times of occupational interruption and new forms of occupational dislocation.