Evaluating Telehealth Implementation in the Context of Pediatric Chronic Pain Treatment during COVID-19

Abstract

Telehealth has emerged as a promising healthcare delivery modality due to its ability to ameliorate traditional access-level barriers to treatment. In response to the onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, multidisciplinary pain clinics either rapidly built telehealth infrastructure from the ground up or ramped up existing services. As the use of telehealth increases, it is critical to develop data collection frameworks that guide implementation. This applied review provides a theoretically-based approach to capitalize on existing data sources and collect novel data to inform virtually delivered care in the context of pediatric pain care. Reviewed multisource data are (1) healthcare administrative data; (2) electronic chart review; (3) clinical health registries; and (4) stakeholder feedback. Preliminary telehealth data from an interdisciplinary pediatric chronic pain management clinic (PPMC) serving youth ages 8–17 years are presented to illustrate how relevant implementation outcomes can be extracted from multisource data. Multiple implementation outcomes were assessed, including telehealth adoption rates, patient clinical symptoms, and mixed-method patient-report telehealth satisfaction. This manuscript provides an applied roadmap to leverage existing data sources and incorporate stakeholder feedback to guide the implementation of telehealth in pediatric chronic pain settings through and beyond COVID-19. Strengths and limitations of the modeled data collection approach are discussed within the broader context of implementation science.

A randomized controlled trial of graded exposure treatment (GET living) for adolescents with chronic pain

“…With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this trial swiftly transitioned to video delivered care 50 with the field broadly encouraging this approach to ensure continued support and treatment of vulnerable youth living with chronic pain and their families. 3,11,47 Before the pandemic, remotely delivered pain treatment centered on digital tools 13 with essentially no evidence for video delivery of multidisciplinary pain treatment. When examining the delivery method (in person vs video), we found no difference in outcomes, with both performing equally well.…”

Virtual care delivery of whole family assessment and intervention with infants and preschoolers: a thematic analysis of clinician and family experiences

“…Qualitative data capture the complexities and nuances of program implementation (Richardson et al., 2021), and stakeholder feedback is an essential component of program evaluation and delivery of evidence‐based treatment (Triplett et al., 2022). Thus, a qualitative semi‐structured interview was administered to families and clinicians involved in whole family therapy delivered via virtual care.…”

“Working Together”: Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals in Providing Virtual Care to Youth with Chronic Pain during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Collecting stakeholder feedback is essential to program evaluation and is best obtained by using combined quantitative and qualitative data to capture the richness and complexities of program implementation [ 23 ]; therefore, a mixed methods design was employed in the current study. Both qualitative (semistructured interview) and quantitative (self-report satisfaction survey) methods were used to identify and evaluate the experiences of HCPs delivering virtual MDT throughout the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada (e.g., February to April 2021).…”