Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the world of digital health has exploded - generating entirely new ways for patients to receive access to healthcare, thereby reaping the benefits of virtual occupational therapy that have been well established. Virtual occupational therapy allows patients to receive quality care without leaving the comfort of their homes. It creates more options to obtain high quality care, particularly for individuals suffering from a wide variety of conditions– providing an opportunity for them to work with seasoned therapists, who may not be available in their own geographic area.

Below, you will find seven tips to maximize your benefits by participating in virtual occupational therapy.

1. Set realistic goals: Before starting any virtual occupational therapy session, it is crucial to set realistic goals for yourself and manage your expectations. These goals should be achievable and should be based on your current abilities and the resources that are available to you. This will help you to stay focused on those goals during your session, and having a good baseline for your performance will help you to effectively measure your progress over time.¹ 

2. Prioritize self-care: Taking care of yourself (e.g., physically, emotionally, and psychologically), is essential to getting the most out of virtual occupational therapy. It is important to implement self-care routines around getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals, and engaging in stress-relieving activities. This strategy will not only prepare you for your virtual session, but enable you to be engaged and energetic to accelerate your progress.²

3. Use the right technology: Virtual occupational therapy sessions require the use of technology. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that you have the correct set of equipment to eliminate technical difficulties. A reliable (e.g., high speed) internet connection, a computer (e.g., desktop/tablet/laptop), and the necessary software to make the connection function are paramount to your success.³

4. Communicate openly: During your session with your occupational therapist, it is important to communicate openly and honestly about any issues that you may be experiencing that could impact your ability to fully participate in the prescribed activities. This includes discussing any concerns that you may have, or any changes in your health condition that may have occurred since your last session.⁴

5. Be patient with yourself: Healing takes time, but one of our core goals at OT by the sea is to use personalized activities to help you get better, faster. Consequently, you will challenge yourself in virtual occupational therapy to target your specific concerns. It is important to be patient with yourself and understand that progress comes from consistently performing the prescribed activities and exercises. If you are dealing with more complex health conditions, patience is especially important for your progress.⁵

6. Complete your tasks: In virtual occupational therapy sessions, your occupational therapist will often prescribe tasks and activities that you will need to complete on your own. It is imperative to follow through on these tasks and activities to the best of your ability, to ensure that you get the most out of your sessions.⁶

7. Track your progress – Keeping track of your progress is a key component of virtual occupational therapy. Recording your progress in your own digital/paper journal can help you to stay motivated, and could be useful to you to personally measure the success of your therapy over time, in a more objective way.^{7, 8, 9}

At OT by the Sea, we are excited for you to try out these tips in your subsequent virtual occupational therapy sessions. Connect with us on Twitter (@MyOTbytheSea), or Instagram: (otbythesea_) to let us know how you are using the tips to supercharge your virtual occupational therapy sessions! With the right mindset, resources, goals, and support system, you could start to see the positive impacts of virtual occupational therapy, faster than you thought possible.

References

1. Dekker, J., de Groot, V., Ter Steeg, A. M., Vloothuis, J., Holla, J., Collette, E., ... & Littooij, E. (2020). Setting meaningful goals in rehabilitation: rationale and practical tool. Clinical Rehabilitation, 34(1), 3-12.
2. Settineri, S., Frisone, F., Merlo, E. M., Geraci, D., & Martino, G. (2019). Compliance, adherence, concordance, empowerment, and self-management: five words to manifest a relational maladjustment in diabetes. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 299-314.
3. Hoel, V., von Zweck, C., Ledgerd, R., & World Federation of Occupational Therapists. (2021). Was a global pandemic needed to adopt the use of telehealth in occupational therapy? Work, 68(1), 13-20.
4. Murugesu, L., Heijmans, M., Rademakers, J., & Fransen, M. P. (2022). Challenges and solutions in communication with patients with low health literacy: Perspectives of healthcare providers. Plos one, 17(5), e0267782.
5. Murugesu, L., Heijmans, M., Rademakers, J., & Fransen, M. P. (2022). Challenges and solutions in communication with patients with low health literacy: Perspectives of healthcare providers. PLoS ONE, 17(5), 1-16.
6. Dallman, A. R., Williams, K. L., & Villa, L. (2022). Neurodiversity-affirming practices are a moral imperative for occupational therapy. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 10(2), 1-9.
7. Dias, P., Silva, R., Amorim, P., Lains, J., Roque, E., Serôdio, I., ... & Santos, B. S. (2019). Using virtual reality to increase motivation in poststroke rehabilitation. IEEE computer graphics and applications, 39(1), 64-70.
8. Anderson, F., Annett, M., & Bischof, W. F. (2010). Lean on Wii: physical rehabilitation with virtual reality Wii peripherals. Stud Health Technol Inform, 154(154), 229-34
9. Kiani, S., Rezaei, I., Abasi, S., Zakerabasali, S., & Yazdani, A. (2023). Technical aspects of virtual augmented reality-based rehabilitation systems for musculoskeletal disorders of the lower limbs: a systematic review. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 24(1), 1-25.