Feasibility and Acceptability of a Real-Time Telerehabilitation Intervention for Children and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience Report

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2021.6423

Keywords:

Acceptability, Acquired brain injury, Developmental age, Feasibility, Neuropsychology, Real-time, Speech therapy, Telerehabilitation

Abstract

This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a telerehabilitation intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of children and young adults with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Thirteen patients and/or their families agreed to participate in the speech and neuropsychological telerehabilitation sessions. The treatment was synchronous, patient centered and aimed at improving specific abilities. Sessions were held twice a week over a 10-week period. Two questionnaires were completed both by parents and therapists to assess feasibility and acceptability. Neither technical issues nor clinical obstacles were found. The quality of the therapeutic relationship played a key role in the intervention. Synchronous telerehabilitation provided several advantages both for patients and therapists. Moreover, the patient centered intervention eased the burden of the caregivers at a time of high stress. The real-time telerehabilitation treatments were deemed suitable for children and young adults with ABI. Further studies are needed to support the use of telerehabilitation as an integral part of their standard care.

  

Author Biographies

Maria Chiara Oprandi, IRCCS E. Medea La Nostra Famiglia

Maria Chiara Oprandi, PsyD. She is a Psychologist and Psychotherapist. In 2012 she obtained a master’s degree at the University of Milan-Bicocca in Clinical psychology, Neuropsychology and Developmental Psychology. In 2019 she completed the specialization school/course in cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy. She is currently working for the Neuro-oncological and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Unit at the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea, La Nostra Famiglia (Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy). Between 2014 and 2017 she was a researcher for the “Retrospective and prospective study of late radiation damages after focal radiotherapy for childhood brain tumors” and is currently working on its continuation (since 2018), the “Prospective study of late radiation damages after focal radiotherapy for childhood brain tumors”, founded by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) and in collaboration with the National Tumor Institute in Milan. She has published articles about pediatric brain tumor and acquired brain injury patients.

Alessandra Bardoni, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea

Bardoni Alessandra, MD. She has been a Neurologist since 1996 and Head of the Departmental Outpatient Complex Macro Activity (It sounds strange but I realise this might be the actual name of the department …)  at the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea, La Nostra Famiglia (Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy). She received her PhD in Neuroscience in 1999. She carried out basic research (gene therapy) from 1992 to 2000. She is the author of numerous publications on pediatric brain tumor and acquired brain injury patients. She collaborates with the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for the Italian translation of the “Teen Online Problem Solving” (TOPS), a remote behavioral rehabilitation platform for adolescents with acquired brain injury, with the aim of stimulating problem-solving skills and psychological adaptation. She is the Co-PI for the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea in the research “Coping with diffuse midline gliomas: non-invasive biomarkers, treatment and rehabilitation through Artificial Intelligence adoption”, which is about to begin, in collaboration with the National Tumor Institute in Milan.

Geraldina Poggi, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea

Geraldina Poggi, MD. She is a Child Neuropsychiatrist and the Head of the Neuro-oncological and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Unit at the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea, La Nostra Famiglia (Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy). She is the author of more than 100 publications on pediatric brain tumor and acquired brain injury patients. She graduated in 1997 from the university of Genova and then from the Child Neuropsychiatry Board in 2002. Between 2014 and 2017 she was the reference person/contact person/spokesperson for the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea in the “Retrospective and prospective study of late radiation damages after focal radiotherapy for childhood brain tumors” and is currently working on its continuation the “Prospective study of late radiation damages after focal radiotherapy for childhood brain tumors”, founded by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) and in collaboration with the National Tumor Institute in Milan.

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Published

2021-12-01

How to Cite

Oprandi, M. C., Bardoni, A., Corno, L., Marchetti Guerrini, A., Molatore, L., Negri, L. ., Beretta, E., Locatelli, F., Strazzer, S., & Poggi, G. (2021). Feasibility and Acceptability of a Real-Time Telerehabilitation Intervention for Children and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience Report. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2021.6423

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2021)

Section

Clinical Practice - COVID 19

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