Measuring Caregiver Outcomes in Pediatric Rehabilitation Telehealth Services: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Pediatric occupational therapy practitioners use telehealth to facilitate performance and participation in natural contexts. Optimal therapy outcomes occur when caregivers are integrated into telehealth sessions. This scoping review describes how caregiver outcomes are measured in the pediatric rehabilitation telehealth literature. We searched SCOPUS, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ERIC for articles on pediatric telehealth interventions published from January 2005 to June 2022. We excluded non-empirical articles and articles that measured children’s underlying deficits only. Thirty-one articles met inclusion criteria. Studies measured caregiver outcomes with study-specific questionnaires, standardized measures, electronic tracking, and interviews. Caregiver outcomes improved after treatment, and caregivers reported high acceptability and satisfaction with telehealth. Ample evidence supports measurement of caregiver outcomes in pediatric rehabilitation telehealth services (PRTS). Future PRTS work should incorporate existing sound measures that comprehensively evaluate caregiver outcomes, including caregiver engagement and its components, to demonstrate the effect of occupational therapy telehealth services.