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Tele-rehabilitation for visually challenged students during COVID-19 pandemic: Lesson learned
Suraj Singh Senjam1, Souvik Manna1, Praveen Vashist1
1Community Ophthalmology, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology
|February 17, 2021
Summary
Telerehabilitation services effectively supported students with visual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing health needs and concerns. This approach proved valuable for managing anxiety and fear in visually challenged students.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology and Vision Science
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Public Health and Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted essential health services, including habilitation and rehabilitation.
- Students with visual disabilities faced unique challenges due to lockdowns and isolation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To share experiences and evaluate the outputs of telerehabilitation services for students with visual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To assess the effectiveness of remote vision rehabilitation in addressing the needs of visually challenged students.
Main Methods:
- Established telerehabilitation services at a tertiary eye center in North India following the March 2020 lockdown.
- Utilized telefacilities to provide services to visually challenged students stranded in schools.
- Administered a semi-structured questionnaire to assess COVID-19 knowledge and concerns, followed by inductive content analysis.
Main Results:
- Engaged 492 clients, primarily visually challenged students (80.3%) aged 11-30, with most from Delhi.
- Identified itching in eyes (36.1%) and headache (29%) as primary health concerns.
- Revealed gaps in COVID-19 knowledge regarding transmission (cough, 28%) and prevention (handwashing, 17.2%), with eight distinct concerns identified.
Conclusions:
- Telerehabilitation is a viable and effective modality for delivering vision rehabilitation services remotely.
- The study highlights the potential of telerehabilitation to mitigate concerns, uncertainty, anxiety, and fear among visually challenged students during health crises.
- Findings underscore the importance of accessible remote healthcare solutions for vulnerable populations.
