Experiences of occupational therapists using telehealth to continue to treat patients with low vision during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the experiences of occupational therapists (OTs) who switched to telehealth for clients with visual impairments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom and transcriptions were analysed and narrowed down to four themes. Participants often did not identify clients’ visual impairments as the major barrier to participating in telehealth, rather addressing a combination of factors: stress of the pandemic, access to materials at home, and family support. Participants shared ways they modified their practice during telehealth visits for patients with visual impairments and suggestions to make virtual platforms more accessible.

KEYWORDS:

• Telehealth
• telerehabilitation
• pandemic
• COVID-19
• low vision
• vision rehabilitation
• occupational therapy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).