FEATURE STUDENT EDUCATION
‘ I was able to discuss one to one , the day-to-day problems I faced , and working together I was able to find different ways of overcoming some of my disabilities , enabling me to feel more independent again ; I found this support invaluable .’
‘ The virtual sessions helped me by enabling me to take back control of my physical and mental health issues that I have [ had ] since my pain began .’
‘ There is no miracle cure when you have chronic pain , but the sessions helped me learn that the techniques , when practised regularly , helped me realise I can do things to help ease my pain when it is bad , and it will not last forever .’
‘ It wasn ’ t easy at first because I could not hear them , but I got there in the last couple of sessions . It was like you were talking to family and friends and it was so nice to see the group again . We carried on from where we left off face to face . I would strongly recommend these groups to other people because they do help .’
‘ I ’ m not computer savvy and when I was asked to have a consultation online , I did panic a bit . However , the link that is sent to you in an e-mail takes you straight to the chat room . It is not like face-to-face consultations obviously , but I found it to be the next best thing .’
Challenges and success In conversations with patients , students and other colleagues within the immediate multidisciplinary team , and in a special interest group with other occupational therapy colleagues around the country , we all agreed that face to face is far better than virtual ; but in these times , virtual is certainly better than nothing at all .
We are proud of what we have achieved . Our patients and student have appreciated these changes , and both have sometimes even been able to offer their technical advice during calls , which has helped our team to learn more about the technology we have needed to rely on during the pandemic .
We have also reflected on the fact that there are some patients who may feel unable to attend face to face and in ‘ normal ’ circumstances they may not have attended . Some have felt more comfortable to attend virtually to learn about and work on different ways of managing their pain conditions .
We have also been able to see the patient in their own home from our computer cameras ,
allowing us to instantly problem solve with them , see what they have tried , what has worked and what hasn ’ t worked ; how to pace or use different strategies that enable them to participate to a more satisfactory level in their daily activities , hobbies and occupations .
We are grateful for the technology that has enabled us to keep the service open and running , to allow our student placement to go ahead and to be there in some capacity for our students and patients .
There will be certain parts of this virtual experience that we will embrace and utilise as we move forward and there will be parts that we hope to reflect on as a distant memory as we move forward in our lives after the COVID-19 pandemic .
Since starting this article , we have also had the chance to meet up with physiotherapy students from Manchester on Microsoft Teams . We were able to listen to their experiences of being fully virtual and felt reassured about what we did to set our student placement up .
We also decided to reach out to other occupational therapy colleagues in the long-term conditions team for our student to experience meeting some patients face to face . These valuable opportunities allowed us to assess face-to-face interpersonal skills , infection control and moving and handling , which a virtual placement did not lend itself to .
There have also been opportunities to be online with our pain management psychologist and physiotherapist to experience different parts of our pain management programme and get to understand other roles within a wider team .
Sarah Reeve , specialist occupational therapist , Pain Management Team , Wrightington , Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust , Rebecca Younger , student occupational therapist , University of Cumbria and patients in the Pain Management Therapy Service . Email :
sarah . reeve5 @ nhs . net
32 OTnews July 2021