Experiences of ‘virtual’ occupational therapy service delivery in Wales

Abstract

COVID-19 accelerated the implementation of virtual working at pace, which carries the risk of missed opportunities for shared learning across organisations and services. This study therefore investigated the experiences of ‘virtual working’ among occupational therapy (OT) staff and students in Wales. The objectives were to establish the meaning of virtual working for occupational therapists (OTs), identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the technologies used to support virtual working and explore the specific contextual factors that impact on service delivery. An online questionnaire was completed by 191 registered and unregistered OT staff and students working in Wales, and 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted in a convergent mixed methods design. The questionnaire data confirmed that the use of virtual working has increased and impacts all areas of service delivery. The semi-structured interviews identified three themes: the art of OT, keeping doors open and looking forward. Virtual working can improve access to services, but one size does not fit all and its use in person centred care should be carefully considered. Virtual working should not compromise high quality service provision and the risks of virtual working to staff’s mental and physical health needs to be considered.