Virtual Assessments

Kate Sheehan

Director, The OT Service

The OT Service provides high quality advice, consultancy and training to manufacturers, retailers and service providers. It also provides occupational therapy clinical services in housing and equipment to case managers, solicitors and private individuals via its handpicked network of occupational therapists.

For more info email kate@theotservice.co.uk

travel time and mileage - for a private client paying costs this has a massive financial benefit. I have, however, learned that for a successful meeting, you need an excellent chair, a comprehensive agenda and time limits to keep everyone on track. Adaptation costings meeting completed with a builder online. Using WhatsApp for a small bathroom adaptation, I moved around the bathroom showing the essential items they needed to see. I was even able to show everything outside, lifting drain covers to show the fall and depth of the drains, crawling through bushes to show the effluent pipe and climbing up a ladder to show the fuse board. It reduced the contact for the client and made it more time-efficient for the builder. There are also other benefits of virtual tools. I have found most companies have embraced the changes, offering online assessments, support, and training, which has enhanced my practice hugely. The latter specifically has allowed me to keep up to date on products, clinical information and changing government policies. I can specifically recommend Foundations (foundations.uk.com), Abacus Academy (abacushealthcare. co.uk/abacus-academy) and the seating series by Accora (accora. care). Is virtual the way forward? Although I can see a lot of benefits, I still feel that face-to-face work in some circumstances is necessary: I can complete an initial assessment for a client online, but I do need to meet them in their own home as this allows me to make comprehensive recommendations on modifications.

However, other things are more important. When you see a client face-to-face you can ask questions, listen to their answers, observe their non-verbal communication, and it is much easier to go off on tangents to discuss topics that have more meaning to them and are more of a priority to them than the essentials of accessing the toilet or shower. There is also that key element of an assessment where you may wish to speak to a client alone; those conversations with them in the bathroom with the door closed. These moments allow you to give a client time to speak openly, with confidence in a confidential space, and this is something that cannot be done virtually. I believe we will return to a new normal with a hybrid approach to practice, still doing face-to-face assessments with our client’s but using the virtual tools available to us to complete follow up discussions, conduct meetings with professionals or liaise with companies. In my opinion, this will be one positive outcome from the pandemic as it promotes better use of time and, more importantly, has a massive impact on the environment as it cuts down on travel.

VIRTUAL ASSESSMENTS –ARE THEY THE FUTURE?

For the last few months, I have been reflecting on my practice and what it will look like in the future. During the first lockdown, we all scrambled to find different ways to meet our client’s needs in any way possible without increasing the risk of transmission of COVID-19. As a result, we have all become proficient in the use of virtual tools: Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and using alternative ways to collect data via questionnaires and pictures. These virtual tools have been vital in enabling us to continue to practice and have, in most circumstances, been a real benefit. In my practice, I have seen the significant benefit of these virtual tools, as seen in these three personal experiences: I was involved in a virtual planning meeting held with a local authority (LA), which required three representatives from the LA: a community occupational therapist, an independent therapist and a case manager. It was completed from the comfort of our own home working spaces. It reduced travel time by ten hours for all the participants; there were no mileage or travel costs, and it worked extremely efficiently as the issues were resolved in 45 minutes. The time saved is phenomenal and the client stated afterwards that it felt far less intimidating and scary. In multidisciplinary team settings where we can catch up on the client’s goals, discuss future actions, and share essential information. Again, this saves a huge amount of