On October 5-7, 2020, the American Occupational Therapy Foundation held its annual Planning Grant Collective, a workshop that brought together over 35 stakeholders from many disciplines to plan future studies in the field of occupational therapy. This year’s collaboration was a three-day virtual event on the timely topic Stimulating Research to Advance Evidence-Based Applications of Telehealth in Occupational Therapy. The workshop benefited greatly with the diversity of specialties including not only OT research and telehealth, but nursing, veteran healthcare affairs, mechanical/bioengineering, physical therapy, speech therapy, ophthalmology, geriatrics, neurology, acute care, rehabilitation, kinesiology, diversity and coding & billing. AOTA leadership was also represented since the clinician-researcher collaboration is key to moving the profession forward.
After a brief history on telehealth and COVID-19, practice and policy, and access and technology, the group generated and prioritized novel research areas of need: Re-envisioning Assessment and Intervention in the Natural Context with Technology, Uniform Data Collection, Involvement of Caregivers, and Improving Telehealth Delivery. The participants then broke out into four initial workgroups to address each topic area and began to strategize a plan towards competitive grant submissions. The workgroups will reconvene with the planning committee to finalize short- and long-term plans for working with community partners in securing extramural funding to build the evidence base to advance the applications of telehealth in occupational therapy.
As telehealth is at the forefront of healthcare now more than ever, the planning grant committee will fast-track the process of releasing a white paper and a call-to-action for researchers, practitioners, students, consumers, and funding agencies. Reach out and share your experience and ideas for moving the field of OT and telehealth forward. What are the innovative technologies and approaches you have seen? How have you used telehealth personally or professionally? Email research@aotf.org.
We want to thank the AOTF Planning Grant Committee, led by Chair, Rachel Proffitt, OTD, OTR/L, Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Therapy University of Missouri; Scott Campbell, PhD, Chief Executive Officer American Occupational Therapy Foundation; Jana Cason, DHSc, OTR/L, FAOTA, Professor, Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy, Spalding University; Mary Lawlor, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA, AOTF Board of Trustees Chair, Assoc. Chair of Research, Joint Appointment with the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Dept. of Pediatrics, Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California; Lauren Little, PhD, OTR/L, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Sciences, Rush University; and Kristen Pickett, PhD, Occupational Therapy Program, Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Education.
A special thanks to the funding partners who joined us on Day-2 to share their organization’s funding opportunities and provide guidance: Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society, Inc., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Center for Medical Rehabilitation (NCMRR), National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), Institute of Aging, (NIA), and National Cancer Institute (NCI).
This is such a timely meeting with heavy implications for policy, practice and research. Thank you for bringing all of these voices together! - Katie Jordan, OTD, OTR/L, USC
View full list of participants and developments