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Telehealth – the modern way of changing lives

I have been successfully using Telehealth in my practice for over 2 years, even before COVID began! I started Telehealth by chance, after moving to Brisbane, to continue working with my Perth clients and their families. My clients and I have never looked back, and I now conduct more than 90% of my assessment and therapy sessions online. 

There is so much new research being published that shows treatment effectiveness and treatment outcomes are equal, regardless of whether the child is seen face to face or via Telehealth. 

In fact, parents often prefer Telehealth sessions because they are more comfortable practising therapy activities in their home environment. Unsurprisingly, they also find it easier to fit Telehealth appointments into busy work and school schedules.

A recent gold standard publication, from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health,  summarised findings from 186 published speech pathology treatment studies. Once again, it was concluded that the number of treatment sessions and success of treatment was equal, for children who received Telehealth treatment versus face to face treatment. 

The format of a speech pathology assessment or treatment session is the same - no matter how it is delivered. Key ingredients for successful speech pathology treatment include: 

• a strong rapport between the family and the speech pathologist
• aligned treatment goals and outcomes, and 
• parents who feel confident to practise therapy activities between sessions

All three of these elements are consistently achieved during Telehealth sessions.