N. Trottier1, K. Hurtubise1, C. Zischke2, C. Camden1
1Université de Sherbrooke, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sherbrooke, Canada, 2Bond University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Robina, Australia
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the growing need for more accessible and cost-effective service delivery models have forced considerable change in physiotherapy practice. An appreciation for the potential role of web-based resources and tele-health services is growing across populations. However, questions regarding which assessment tools can be used in digital health context have been raised.
Purpose: Document what are the paediatric physiotherapy assessments (synchronous and asynchronous) that have been used in tele-health with children ages 0 to 5 years old over the past 10 years.
Methods: A three-pronged search strategy following a 6-step evidence-based methodological framework was employed. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the extracted data. The interpretation of the findings was discussed and validated with a group of physiotherapists working with paediatric populations with experience in the provision of digital practice.
Results: Very few studies have specifically evaluated the utility of paediatric rehabilitation assessments in the digital practice context, especially synchronous digital assessments. However, some studies have reported the use of asynchronous observational assessments. Smartphone applications, videos, telephone calls, digital questionnaires and video-games are the asynchronous technologies that have been tested. Instructions and guidelines are used to standardized test administration, technology use and the data administration. Nevertheless, publications associated with the utility of digital paediatric physiotherapy assessments are scarce.
Conclusion(s): Despite a recent proliferation of digital physiotherapy interventions, the use of digital assessment tools within this context remains an understudied facet of these paediatric service delivery models.
Implications: Studies are needed to help guide paediatric physiotherapists to adequately assess and identify digital evaluation tools in the paediatric field.
Funding, acknowledgements: Nathalie Trottier is funded through a scholarship from "Centre de Recherche Mère-Enfant" (CRèME)
Keywords: digital practice, physiotherapy assessment, paediatric
Topic: Paediatrics
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: N/A
Committee: N/A
Reason: This is a scoping review.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
