Telehealth is increasingly being used as a mode of service delivery by a variety of professions. Shortages of highly trained professionals are common across the country because of difficulties in attracting professionals to a variety of locations throughout the United States. Telehealth can be used by occupational therapy practitioners to meet the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics (2015) requirement of justice by increasing clients’ access to practitioners, especially ones with specific training; preventing delays in care in areas of need; and decreasing costs of time and travel for clients and practitioners.
After completing the chapter, readers should be able to
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Define key telehealth terms and technologies;
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Identify administrative, technical, clinical, and ethical telehealth considerations;
Describe evidence-based clinical applications of telehealth in occupational therapy; and
Identify available practice guidelines, official documents, resources, and state regulations to ensure legal and ethical practice using telehealth technologies.