Capacity Building Using Digital Technology for Occupational Therapists and Caregivers in Pakistan: A Participatory Action Research Approach

Authors

  • Rukaiya Yawar Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Zaheeruddin Asif Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2022.6509

Keywords:

caregiver, developmental disabilities, occupational therapy, telehealth, therapeutic communication

Abstract

This paper describes the development and implementation of a telehealth system in Pakistan to build capacity of healthcare service providers and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. An asynchronous telehealth system, in the form of a web app, improved therapy-related communication between the therapists and caregivers, thus enabling capacity building through sustained communication among the stakeholders. Participatory Action Research (PAR) identified barriers associated with communication, knowledge transfer, and caregiver learning. Data were collected via observations, interviews, focus groups, and field notes. The experiences of therapists and caregivers were analyzed to design and develop a system that works as a learning mechanism for caregivers in their native languages. The system also addresses socio-economic, geographic, and communication barriers as well as pandemic-imposed obstacles.

  

References

Bhat, A., Su, W.-C., Cleffi, C., & Srinivasan, S. (2021). A hybrid clinical trial delivery model in the COVID-19 era. Physical Therapy, 101(8), pzab116. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzab116

Bjerkan, J., Hedlund, M., & Hellesø, R. (2014). Patients’ contribution to the development of a web-based plan for integrated care-A participatory design study. Informatics for Health & Social Care, 40, 167-184. https://doi.org/10.3109/17538157.2014.907803

Borhani-Haghighi, A., Bavarsad Shahripour, R., & Azarpazhooh, M. R. (2020). Time is brain: A call to action to support stroke centers in low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Neurology, 83(3), 310–311. https://doi.org/10.1159/000508608

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Camden, C., & Silva, M. (2021). Pediatric telehealth: Opportunities created by the COVID-19 and suggestions to sustain its use to support families of children with disabilities. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 41(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942638.2020.1825032

Cason, J. (2011). Telerehabilitation: An adjunct service delivery model for early intervention services. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 3(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2011.6071

Hamdani, S., Atif, N., Tariq, M., Minhas, F., Iqbal, Z., & Rahman, A. (2014). Family networks to improve outcomes in children with intellectual and developmental disorders: A qualitative study. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 8(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-4458-8-7

Harris, B., Ajisola, M., Alam, R., Watkins, J. A., Arvanitis, T. N., Bakibinga, P., Chipwaza, B., Choudhury, N., Fayhun, O., Kibe, P., Omigbodun, A., Owoaje, E., Pemba, S., Potter, R., Rizvi, N., Sturt, J., Cave, J., Iqbal, R., Kabaria, C., … Griffiths, F. (2021). Mobile consulting as an option for accessing healthcare services for communities in remote rural areas and urban slums in low- and middle- income countries: A mixed methods study. Digital Health, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076211033425

Khan, U. Z. (2020). Telemedicine in the COVID-19 era: A chance to make a better tomorrow. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 36(6), 1405–1407. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.6.3112

Kislov, R., Waterman, H., Harvey, G., & Boaden, R. (2014). Rethinking capacity building for knowledge mobilisation: Developing multilevel capabilities in healthcare organisations. Implementation Science, 9(1), 166. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-014-0166-0

Langkamp, D. L., McManus, M. D., & Blakemore, S. D. (2014). Telemedicine for children with developmental disabilities: A more effective clinical process than office-based care. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 21(2), 110–114. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2013.0379

Lim, S. Y., Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Lanham, H. J. (2015). Barriers to interorganizational knowledge transfer in post-hospital care transitions: Review and directions for information systems research. Journal of Management Information Systems, 32(3),48-74. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0

Masood, A. (2019). Influence of marriage on women’s participation in medicine: The case of doctor brides of Pakistan. Sex Roles, 80(1), 105–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0909-5

Miller, B. J. (2020). Telemedicine after COVID: An unanticipated benefit to a pandemic. Journal of Pakistan Orthopaedic Association, 32(02), 53–55.

Mishra, K., & Siddharth, V. (2018). Utilization of institutional rehabilitation service in pediatric patients with disability in Southwest Rajasthan. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 7(4), 703–708. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_260_17

Nadeem, T., Siddiqui, S., & Asad, N. (2020). Initiating psychiatry teleclinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(7), 807. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000668

Olusanya, B. O., Davis, A. C., Wertlieb, D., Boo, N.-Y., Nair, M. K. C., Halpern, R., Kuper, H., Breinbauer, C., De Vries, P. J., & Gladstone, M. (2018). Developmental disabilities among children younger than 5 years in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Global Health, 6(10), e1100–e1121.

Reichow, B., Kogan, C., Barbui, C., Smith, I., Yasamy, M. T., & Servili, C. (2014). Parent skills training for parents of children or adults with developmental disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ Open, 4(8), e005799. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005799

Salomone, E., Pacione, L., Shire, S., Brown, F. L., Reichow, B., & Servili, C. (2019). Development of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training Program for Developmental Disorders or Delays. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00769

Zahid, Z., Atique, S., Saghir, M. H., Ali, I., Shahid, A., & Malik, R. A. (2017). A Commentary on telerehabilitation services in Pakistan: Current trends and future possibilities. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 9(1), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2017.6224

Downloads

Published

2022-12-13

How to Cite

Yawar, R., & Asif, Z. (2022). Capacity Building Using Digital Technology for Occupational Therapists and Caregivers in Pakistan: A Participatory Action Research Approach. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2022.6509

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Country Reports

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Rukaiya Yawar, Zaheeruddin Asif

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.