As practitioners committed to creating excellent outcomes for children, it's essential to stay abreast of advancements in virtual care, not just for younger populations but also for older adults. A recent scoping review titled Virtual Care Initiatives for Older Adults in Australia: Scoping Review (Kukafka et al., 2023) provides valuable insights that can enhance our understanding and application of virtual care. This blog post summarizes the key findings and suggests ways to implement these outcomes to improve your practice.
Key Findings from the Review
The scoping review identified 80 unique virtual care initiatives in Australia, primarily targeting community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases. The initiatives employed various modes of delivery, including videoconference, telephone, apps, and web-based technologies. Most initiatives showed similar or better health and behavioral outcomes compared to in-person care. Here are some critical insights:
- Modes of Delivery: Videoconference and telephone were the most commonly used methods, followed by telemonitoring systems and web-based interventions.
- Health Outcomes: Virtual care initiatives generally resulted in similar or better health outcomes compared to in-person care. This included improvements in quality of life, reduced emergency visits, and better self-management of chronic conditions.
- Barriers: Key barriers to wider adoption included physical, cognitive, or sensory impairments in older adults, staffing issues, legislative challenges, and lack of motivation among providers.
Implementing Findings to Improve Practice
Here are some actionable steps to implement these findings in your practice:
- Utilize Videoconferencing: Incorporate videoconferencing for therapy sessions where feasible. This mode is particularly effective for talking-based therapies and diagnosing visually evident conditions.
- Address Barriers: Be mindful of the barriers identified. Ensure that the technology used is user-friendly and consider additional training for both staff and patients to improve digital literacy.
- Focus on Self-Management: Encourage self-management practices among older adults. Use telemonitoring systems to provide real-time feedback and support, enhancing patient engagement and health outcomes.
Encouraging Further Research
While the review provides substantial insights, there is a need for more embedded and integrative evaluations. Practitioners are encouraged to participate in or conduct further research to explore the long-term impacts and cost-effectiveness of virtual care initiatives.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Virtual Care Initiatives for Older Adults in Australia: Scoping Review.
