A Stroke Rehabilitation Educational Program for Occupational Therapy Students and Practitioners: Usability Study.

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Occupational Therapy
• Telehealth

Background:

• Gaps exist in translating evidence-based practices for teletherapy-delivered stroke assessment and rehabilitation.
• This knowledge deficit hinders occupational therapy (OT) students and practitioners from implementing current research.
• Telehealth presents unique challenges and opportunities in stroke care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an educational program focused on knowledge translation (KT) for remote stroke assessment and rehabilitation.
• The program targeted OT students and practitioners, covering KT, task-oriented training, stroke assessments, and telerehabilitation.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in improving knowledge and its usability.

Main Methods:

• Two pilot studies involving 5 OT practitioners, 1 OT assistant, and 9 OT students.
• A 4-week educational program with weekly modules delivered via email.
• Pretests and posttests measured knowledge gain, supplemented by a System Usability Scale and feedback questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant increases in knowledge scores were observed for both OT students and practitioners.
• The educational modules generally received above-average ratings for value.
• Participants provided positive overall feedback on the educational program.

Conclusions:

• A web-based educational program is a valuable method for enhancing knowledge translation in remote stroke assessment and rehabilitation.
• The program successfully increased knowledge and was perceived as relevant and valuable by OT professionals and students.
• Findings support the use of targeted educational interventions to improve teletherapy practices in stroke rehabilitation.