The Tele-Evaluation Facilitators Model

Abstract

Telehealth has become an alternative service delivery of different healthcare professionals, including occupational therapists, upon the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Occupational therapists have adapted to this platform to deliver service in response to the global crisis. This conceptual framework explores the facilitators of occupational therapy evaluation provided via telehealth. It aims to provide insights to clinicians and clients in engaging tele-evaluation. It also aims to establish primary considerations to ensure a thorough evaluation process. The Tele-Evaluation Facilitators Model (TFM) describes the occupational therapy evaluation in the therapy setting. It outlines the OT evaluation process, adapting it to the telehealth setting. The process emphasizes the importance of client-caregiver interaction in creating and achieving occupational therapy goals. Moreover, surrounding the tele-evaluation process, the model highlights the facilitators of tele-evaluation, enabling a comprehensive evaluation process despite the challenges and barriers of this alternative service delivery. Across practice settings, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift in service delivery to telehealth, and occupational therapists adapted accordingly. Evaluation frameworks exist for telehealth services, but none are unique to occupational therapy evaluation. As a result, an occupational therapy framework that highlights the facilitators of telehealth evaluation will benefit occupational therapy. TFM consists of three domain areas: (1) Family Involvement, (2) Accessibility, (3) Professional Development. This framework promotes telehealth evaluation to clinicians and clients who have hesitations and difficulties in this service delivery model.