Transition to a Digital World

Laura Simmons

Occupational Therapist, NSW

The last year of the pandemic —well, nearly two— has been such a whirlwind. I saw first-hand the craziness of healthcare's transition into the digital world, for participants, therapists, and organisations. It didn’t matter if you were in a different town, or home-isolating - the need for care didn’t stop when the world did. In the end, no one was left behind.

More than ever, I see the vital role that OTs play in everyday occupations - and genuinely believe our work is to help build and support independence… If we build independence, then participation and inclusion follow. I love the idea of being able to graduate someone from therapy services (and even funding) because they don’t need that support anymore. Building agency, skills, and support systems so that others can feel included and participate in life wherever they want - this, in my mind, how we as OTs make a difference. And that independence is invaluable to quality of life.

For the last four years, I’ve seen this profession through two lenses. First as a paediatric therapist, and then the other as a developer creating, Theratrak, a digital health tool that I believe will significantly impact how we work as therapists. Though therapists have embraced telehealth solutions through the pandemic, I believe that it is just the first wave of digital transformation, and we have only really dipped our toes in the water with how we can leverage technology in therapy.

..I feel that there are fewer anxieties amongst OTs around new tech solutions that could help us make an even bigger impact on our participants’ lives.

Whilst working as a private child and family therapist, I initially saw an incredible drive to stay present and not let our participants lose connection with us as they went through the difficult COVID and telehealth transition. I saw that, more than ever, parents and teachers were being mentally tested trying to get the best outcomes for their kids without losing connection with how their lives were evolving. And whilst I saw many kids succeed with digital, there were still some that struggled to be on screens the whole time. Parents and teachers had to get creative to include these kids in the learning process without fully draining their energy stores online.

We’ve seen incredible innovations in the technology space, including online programs that allow kids to feel included, and apps to help with mental health. Even remote sensors that can support someone to live at home independently, and others that improve our communication channels: you can’t hand someone a piece of paper through a zoom call. And whilst it might have been scary to take that initial jump, I feel that there are fewer anxieties amongst OTs around new tech solutions that could help us make an even bigger impact on our participants’ lives. This acceleration in accepting new ways of working has allowed us, as OTs, to look at our problems in a new light, and find better ways and tools that’ll support long term independence.

Surely, that was enough change to manage? But no - on top of all of this, I also noticed a shift from thinking about care as episodes of therapy with ‘homework’, to including our participants in the treatment process, empowering them to make decisions and implement strategies in their everyday lives. Perhaps it was the transition to telehealth that kicked this off, or maybe it’s been building up for some time and boiled over in the pressure of the pandemic. Even some of the cool features we added to Theratrak over the last year speak to this shift towards inclusive treatment. Parents can have their whole team’s recommendations in one location to help keep track of everyone’s reminders. We even made it so reminders can be customised with times and messages, and participants can send quantifiable feedback to close the communication gap between sessions.

I’m super excited for what the future of OT holds now, especially in the digital world, and I can’t wait to see what innovative tools get created in the next few years and beyond that can further supercharge participation, inclusion and – ultimately – support independence.