Facilitating a teleconference-delivered fatigue management program: perspectives of occupational therapists

Telehealth refers to the provision of health information and services across a geographical distance. Little is known about the experiences of occupational therapists using this method of service delivery.

The study explored the process of facilitating a telehealth intervention from the perspective of occupational therapists.

Occupational therapists completed SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan) notes after facilitating group-based, teleconference-delivered fatigue management groups to people with multiple sclerosis. Notes were also documented after therapist team meetings. All SOAP notes and field notes were subjected to thematic analysis.

Five major themes were identified. "Managing time" was the central theme and was facilitated by professional foundation and challenged by logistics. Managing time contributed to challenging work, which led to the realization that it can work!

Based on study findings, the theory and research on clinical reasoning, professional development, and adult learning are relevant to developing curricula that prepare occupational therapists for using telehealth approaches in practice.