PCHI Telehealth Research

We are currently conducting a number of research studies in telehealth.

A paradigm shift toward telerehabilitation:
Adapting rehabilitation services across an integrated health and social services university network in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has initiated a paradigm shift toward incorporating telehealth into rehabilitation service delivery. Healthcare professionals’ readiness to do so, and their experience using telehealth, is considerably varied.  The aim of this integrated knowledge translation study is to create evidence-based resources (educational knowledge translation tools) to train and support rehabilitation professionals (e.g., occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists) in the delivery of care as they adapt their practices to be delivered using telehealth across the 30 complementary pediatric and adult healthcare facilities of the CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’ile-de-Montréal.

The study will include three phases.

  • Phase One (3 months) will consist of a synthesis of evidence on the use of telehealth in rehabilitation services, and specific adaptations during COVID-19. This will include a rapid review of published and grey literature (e.g. Ministry and professional order documents), to determine what is known about current telehealth practices across adult rehabilitation clienteles and services, and to identify any shifts in practice and policy related to telehealth that have occurred as a result of COVID-19. The results of this review will inform the content of a qualitative survey to be administered to all CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’ile-de-Montréal health professionals, clients/family members, and managers who are expected to adapt their service delivery using telehealth. Closed and open-ended questions will be used to elicit information regarding (i) actual clinical practices related to telehealth use; (ii) level of acceptability of telehealth use; and (iii) perceived barriers and facilitators to telehealth use in their clinical practice.
  • Phase Two (4 months) will address the knowledge gaps identified in the first phase to determine the optimal (i) content and (ii) formatting for interactive educational knowledge translation tools (e.g. webinars with online learning modules, workshops) designed to train and support in the adaptation of clinical service delivery to include telehealth.
  • Phase 3 (5 months) will begin initial pilot testing and evaluation of the training modules using a mixed-methods before-and-after design across the clinical programs in the CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’ile-de-Montréal delivering rehabilitation care.

Post-doctoral Fellow: Dr. Zachary Boychuck, McGill University, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

Post-doctoral Supervisor: Sara Ahmed, PhD, McGill University, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’ile-de-Montréal & Réseau de recherché en santé des populations du Québec: Funding: CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’Ile-de-Montréal & Réseau de recherché en santé des populations du Québec (RRSPQ): Postdoctoral Fellowship on Telehealth in Rehabilitation Services in the Wake of the COVID-19 Crisis

Person-Centred Health Informatics

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