Telehealth for rural kids:Post-disaster recovery

Background: In response to the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires in regions of New South Wales (NSW), UNICEF Australia and Royal Far West (RFW) partnered to design and deliver a program to support the wellbeing and resilience of young children and to reduce the likelihood of long-term adverse effects. Experiencing a disaster of this nature can have an ongoing impact on a child. Regional, rural, and remote areas often face limited access to professional support and resources, emphasising the importance of innovative approaches such as telecare.<br/>Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a telecare program designed and implemented to support the recovery of children impacted by the Black Summer bushfires. <br/><br/>Methods: A total of 135 children in regional, rural, and remote areas of NSW participated in individual occupational therapy, psychology and/or speech pathology telecare sessions. Data determining the effectiveness of the telecare program was collected using several measures including: satisfaction survey, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). <br/><br/>Results: Most children who attended telecare sessions indicated they felt listened to, enjoyed the sessions and learned new ways to feel better. COPM outcomes indicated that the children demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their self-perceived performance and satisfaction of their identified goals. Overall, 86% of children attained or exceeded the pre-telecare goals they set using the GAS by the completion of their telecare sessions. There was a statistically significant improvement in children’s mental health outcomes post-telecare as measured by the SDQ, with a small to medium effect size. <br/><br/>Conclusion: Occupational therapy, psychology and/or speech pathology telecare can be an effective strategy to support children’s mental health, recovery and goal achievement following a disaster such as bushfire. It offers children in geographically remote areas access to professional supports not immediately available in their local communities. <br/>