A Pediatric Hospital Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Department’s Response to COVID-19: An Administrative Case Report

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this case report is to describe the challenges that COVID-19 presented for therapists in a pediatric hospital and the response to these challenges. Methods (Case Description) The case report setting is a physical therapy and occupational therapy department (department) of an academic pediatric medical center that provides a range of health care services for children and youth. Challenges that COVID-19 presented to the Department included: (1) managing safety concerns for patients, their families, and staff; (2) continuing to provide high-quality therapy services within state mandated restrictions; (3) triaging patients; and (4) keeping clinicians employed and working productively. Results The Department therapists responded to these challenges by: (1) increasing communication huddles, (2) developing procedures for staffing and triaging of patients, (3) developing procedures for telehealth therapy services, and (4) designing a remote work program for all department employees. The number of patients and staff on site were reduced by initiating telehealth services, triaging patients, and developing a remote work plan. Communication huddles, department meetings, and supervision meetings were converted to virtual meetings. Staffing rates, patient-care productivity, and department project work were maintained. Conclusion In response to COVID-19, the department developed new protocols provided information about the protocols, which might be helpful for other pediatric hospitals or outpatient settings when planning for future pandemics or other issues that challenge the ability to provide usual care. Increasing the frequency of verbal and written communication on operational topics is recommended. Primary sources of information from national organizations (eg, the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association) can assist with determining the scope of practice and code of conduct during a pandemic. Impact COVID-19 posed challenges to operations and delivery of patient care. Although this case report is specific to COVID-19, principles applied and lessons learned from this experience can be applied to other emergency situations.

Politics, policies, and patient care: Rehabilitation therapists’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Participants in our study expressed an appreciation for transparency at the institutional and hospital unit levels along with consistent communication from leadership at these levels. These sentiments parallel a recent case report describing COVID-19-related challenges in a pediatric physical therapy/occupational therapy department (Greenwood et al , 2021 ). The authors noted the tremendous value of increased communication in the form of brief team meetings ( i.e.…”

Telehealth Education in Allied Health Care and Nursing: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey of Students’ Perceived Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Experience

“…It has the potential to help overcome barriers to accessing care, particularly in remote or underserved areas [2], and can be particularly beneficial for patients with chronic diseases [3] to improve long-term adherence [4], as well as addressing shortages in the health care workforce [5]. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the integration of telehealth into the services of health care providers was further increased to prevent further infections and to serve patients in isolation [6][7][8][9][10].…”

Influencing Factors and Symbiotic Mechanism of the Integration of Medical and Disease Prevention during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Public Hospital Employees

“…Some studies have also suggested that the integration of medical and disease prevention is not the responsibility of public hospitals, and public hospitals cannot be required to implement the integration of medical and disease prevention in the form of health services [15,16]. Further research reported that the integration of medical and disease prevention combines the functions of disease treatment and public health, and it needs to rely on the collaborative management of clinical departments, public health departments, and administrative departments to improve the ability of public hospitals to integrate medical and disease prevention [17,18]. Previous studies have expounded on the integration of medical and disease prevention from the aspects of government behavior and environmental factors.…”