Outpatient hybrid telehealth program to scaffold occupational therapy (OT) strategies to reduce elbow pain and improve functional outcomes
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
In the outpatient rehabilitation setting, clients experiencing chronic lateral elbow tendinopathy have been observed to have difficulty applying recommended ergonomic strategies, leading to recurring pain and difficulty engaging in meaningful activities (Hesselstrand et al., 2015; Lagueux et al., 2018; Lucado et al., 2022). Applying strategies from the clinic to a meaningful environment requires executive functioning skills to analyze activities for customization (Feldhacker et al., 2023; Holgado & Sanabria, 2021; Kalkhoven et al., 2020). This study identifies and alleviates common barriers to positive outcomes by implementing a hybrid treatment protocol combining in-person, clinic-based occupational therapy (OT) intervention with synchronous telehealth-facilitated OT intervention (Feldhacker et al., 2022; Horton et al., 2021).The program uses a randomized controlled design to compare a control group receiving traditional OT and an intervention group. The intervention group’s treatment is individualized based on a meaningful activity that is causing the client pain. Handouts support learning by scaffolding the learning of ergonomic strategies related to the activity. As the client demonstrates the ability to integrate ergonomic strategies with complex movements, a session will be conducted over telehealth to promote autonomy and apply learned techniques to a meaningful activity within a natural environment.
The Canadian Occupational Therapy Measure, Visual Analog Scale, and grip strength will be measured throughout the program (Feldhacker et al., 2022; Lucado et al., 2022). Outcomes will be examined to determine if clients demonstrate significant positive changes in terms of pain-free strength and current functional abilities. Clients will be followed up with three months after discharge to assess the long-term application of ergonomic strategies as a means to prevent the recurrence of injury. The outcomes of the pilot implementation will be discussed.
This study demonstrates the efficacy of telehealth in the orthopedic outpatient setting, harnessing self-regulation to manage chronic pain based on standardized musculoskeletal protocols. Furthermore, the holistic role of OT supports clients’ distinct executive functioning skills in a meaningful environment.
Description
2025
License
Attribution 4.0 International