Mobility
Mobility
% of Blue Badge assessments appealed pre and during COVID-19
100.00 % 97.20 %
95.40 %
80.00 %
Pre-COVID-19
During COVID-19
60.00 %
40.00 %
20.00 %
0.00 %
2.80 %
4.60 %
Assessments appealed Assessments not appealed
Figure 3 : Number of appeals for face to face and telehealth assessment
experience of using telehealth , alongside evaluating accessibility and connectivity of virtual assessment platforms , may further inform the sustainability of telehealth in line with domain six of the framework ( Greenhalgh et al 2017 ).
However , the findings from this initial evaluation project are promising and suggest that a telehealth approach to the Blue Badge service can be effective while reducing costs .
The experiences of this student project suggest that it is possible for services to conduct short evaluations that allow the three main ideas represented in Dr Chu ’ s 2022 Casson Memorial Lecture to be considered .
Increased efficiency of assessment facilitates improved clinical outcomes for both service users and the service , while also improving the cost-effectiveness of the overall service delivery . Alongside this , the project also highlights the range of benefits of undergraduate projects for not only the student but also the service and universities involved .
Computers in Biology and Medicine , 138 ( 1 ): 1-21 . DOI : https :// bit . ly / 3Q3i8JE .
Greenhalgh T et al . ( 2017 ) ‘ Beyond adoption : A new framework for theorising and evaluating nonadoption , abandonment and challenges to the scale-up , spread and sustainability of health and care technologies ’, J Med Internet Res , 19 ( 11 ): e367 . DOI : 10.2196 / jmir . 8775 .
Ruf B et al ( 2019 ) ‘ Videoconference clinics to improve efficiency of inflammatory bowel disease care in a remote and rural setting : research article ’, Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare ., 26 ( 9 ): 545- 551 . DOI : https :// bit . ly / 3tniT7z .
West CP , Dyrbye LN and Shanafelt TD ( 2018 ) ‘ Physician burnout : contributors , consequences and solutions ’, Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine , 283 ( 6 ): 516-529 . DOI : 10.1111 / joim . 12752 .
Chu S ( 2022 ) ‘ Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture 2022 : Optimising performance , clinical and economic outcomes in occupational therapy service delivery ’, British Journal of Occupational Therapy , 85 ( 9 ): 629-641 . DOI : doi . org / 10.1177 / 03080226221103140 .
Department of Transport ( 2021 ) Blue Badge Scheme . Available at bit . ly / 3LRHwzv [ accessed 21 November 2021 ].
Garfen S et al ( 2021 ) ‘ Telehealth utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic : A systematic review ,
Words AISLING MCCAULEY , QMU Occupational therapy graduate , Edinburgh ; DR MICHELLE PERRYMAN-FOX , Lecturer and Research Supervisor Queen Margaret University , Edinburgh mperryman @ qmu . ac . uk
@ symbolic _ life ; RACHEL SANDERS , Specialist Occupational Therapist NHS Highland rachel . sanders @ nhs . scot ; DR DUNCAN PENTLAND . Senior Lecturer , Queen Margaret University , Edinburgh Dpentland @ qmu . ac . uk
@ duncsot
October 2023 OTnews 51