Telehealth purpose
TABLE 2 : Ways SLPs Use Telehealth in WV Based on Respondent Reports
Minimum number of events
Maximum number of events
FIGURE 2 : Perceived Benefit of Telehealth by Age
Average use for this purpose
Meetings in the workplace 1 5 3.2 1.2 Training , support , mentoring of other clinicians 1 5 2.4 1.4 Delivery of any SLP clinical services 1 5 3.1 1.4 Any aspects of own personal health management 1 4 1.8 1.1
SD
|
Percentage of Respondents
120 100 80 60 40 20 0
|
46.3
Neonatees and infants ( under 1 year )
|
63.4
Toddlers ( 1-3 years )
|
73.2
Preschoolers ( 3-5 years )
|
92.7
School-aged ( 5-12 years )
|
100
Adolescents and Young Adults ( 12-21 years )
|
telehealth applications would be useful to provide services in the future with additional training . All respondents noted the benefits of using these platforms to provide education for parents / caregivers as needed , 79.5 % thought the delivery would be appropriate to review symptoms , 52.3 % noted the benefits for delivering therapy techniques , and 36.4 % suggested it would be useful to complete the initial assessment . Telehealth was viewed to have benefit when used for all ages but more beneficial for clients as they were older ( Figure 2 ).
Specific feeding services , particularly of interest to the telehealth platform , included the following : behavioral feeding ( e . g ., mealtime behavior / picky eaters , 82.9 %), development of oral motor skills ( 73.2 %), non-oral feeding support ( e . g ., mouth cares / non-oral stimulation programs , 70.7 %), transitional feeding ( 61.0 %), introduction to solids ( 46.3 %), infant feeding assessment and management ( 46.3 %), dysphagia ( 39.0 %), and tube weaning ( 36.6 %).
FAMILY TELEHEALTH EXPERIENCES
Provider perceptions of family experiences with telehealth in WV varied . Not all families had the essential equipment needed to access telehealth per their report as providers felt that 36.4 % of families had personal laptops , 36.4 % had a smart phone , and 27.3 % had an alternative device such as a tablet . Most interactions by telehealth include the child and either a parent or caregiver ; 9.1 % of reports also noted the availability of another SLP . Most providers offer telehealth as an option at the request of the family ( 45.5 %) or as a single option during COVID precautions , ( 36.4 %) but these practices are not standard ( 9.1 %) or directly available upon referral in other situations ( 9.1 %).
DISCUSSION
SLPs in WV report the provision of diverse services across various settings to heterogenous patient populations . However , only a third of survey respondents had immediate access to telehealth resources ( e . g ., equipment ) and had reported using telehealth in their current practice of care . For respondents who provide telehealth services for feeding and swallowing challenges , almost 90 % have only been using the remote modality for six months . The increased usage in the past six months does mirror healthcare trends during the coronavirus pandemic . 11 However , one-third of the respondents had been providing feeding services for several years . Nationally , these skills provide valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary teams . 16-17 Also , feeding expertise addresses needs that a substantial proportion of the population in WV would benefit from receiving . 18 Select feeding and swallowing therapies remain limited within the state due to lack of expertise , a limited workforce , and varying service support structures .
While most of the respondents had been providing services to individuals from remote areas , only a small group have used telehealth to deliver services to more rural populations . Their experience with telehealth equipment and procedures were focused on team meetings and other administrative purposes . Peer-led demonstrations and opportunities to explore telehealth practices within this group may strengthen the reach of these services throughout the state based on findings from national demonstrations . 9 , 19 Finally , many respondents described an increase in telehealth use during additional times of physical isolation , such as during COVID-19 shutdowns and that their experiences thus far had been positive but they did not feel
West Virginia Medical Journal • June 2021 • 37