Feasibility and Effectiveness of Telehealth Occupational Therapy Home Modification Interventions

Abstract

Despite the effectiveness of occupational therapy home modification interventions, persons with disabilities may not receive them due to service delivery costs, limited number of therapists, and expansive geographic service areas.  The need for occupational therapy home modification interventions will increase with the rising U.S. aging population, incidence of chronic illness, and shift toward community-based care.  This study examined the feasibility of telehealth occupational therapy home modification interventions using participant owned smart phones, tablets, or computers.  A pretest posttest design (n=4) demonstrated improvement in home safety and perception of performance of daily activities.  Participants reported satisfaction with the mode of intervention citing ease of use and reduction in client and caregiver burden.  Two key implementation challenges were (1) inconsistent quality of synchronous audio and video and (2) limited funding for home modification interventions.  A large-scale telehealth occupational therapy home modification interventions pilot study is warranted.