Abstract
Executive Summary
Introduction
In recent times there has been significant increase in the use of telehealth however, most workforce research to date has focused on the health practitioners’ experiences of telehealth. Little is known about the factors that may attract allied health practitioners to online therapy delivery and how this service model may impact on workforce recruitment and retention. Additionally, there are no studies that focus on organisations that exclusively use a telehealth service delivery approach. Therapy Connect, part of the Kinela Group, is a provider of allied health services solely via a telehealth service delivery model, working with allied health practitioners from different locations across Australia to deliver on-line speech therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, physiotherapy and psychology. Therapy Connect has a strong focus on providing early intervention services for children and adolescents. Allied health practitioners working with Therapy Connect may choose a full-time or part-time time employment or a contractor arrangement.
Purpose
To explore the perceptions of allied health practitioners choosing to engage with a telehealth-only allied health service provider and to explore the following questions:
1. What attracts allied health practitioners to work via telehealth?
2. What are some of the benefits and challenges of working via telehealth for allied health practitioners?
3. What factors are critical for allied health practitioners choosing to stay or leave telehealth?
4. What organisational supports/strategies are needed to assist with the recruitment and retention of allied health practitioners to telehealth?
Methodology
A mixed methods approach using an on-line survey and on-line semi-structured interviews was used. Permission to conduct this study was granted by Charles Sturt University Human Ethics Committee prior to commencement. Project protocol number H23750.
Introduction
In recent times there has been significant increase in the use of telehealth however, most workforce research to date has focused on the health practitioners’ experiences of telehealth. Little is known about the factors that may attract allied health practitioners to online therapy delivery and how this service model may impact on workforce recruitment and retention. Additionally, there are no studies that focus on organisations that exclusively use a telehealth service delivery approach. Therapy Connect, part of the Kinela Group, is a provider of allied health services solely via a telehealth service delivery model, working with allied health practitioners from different locations across Australia to deliver on-line speech therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, physiotherapy and psychology. Therapy Connect has a strong focus on providing early intervention services for children and adolescents. Allied health practitioners working with Therapy Connect may choose a full-time or part-time time employment or a contractor arrangement.
Purpose
To explore the perceptions of allied health practitioners choosing to engage with a telehealth-only allied health service provider and to explore the following questions:
1. What attracts allied health practitioners to work via telehealth?
2. What are some of the benefits and challenges of working via telehealth for allied health practitioners?
3. What factors are critical for allied health practitioners choosing to stay or leave telehealth?
4. What organisational supports/strategies are needed to assist with the recruitment and retention of allied health practitioners to telehealth?
Methodology
A mixed methods approach using an on-line survey and on-line semi-structured interviews was used. Permission to conduct this study was granted by Charles Sturt University Human Ethics Committee prior to commencement. Project protocol number H23750.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Charles Sturt University |
| Number of pages | 46 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-1-86-467449-1 |
| Publication status | Published - May 2024 |