Occupational Therapists’ Experiences in Conducting Home Assessments and Modifications: Virtual Versus In-person Home Visits

Research Objectives: To investigate occupational therapists’ experiences with home assessments and modifications in VHA, while comparing virtual to in-person home visits.

Design: A preliminary qualitative study using semi-structured individual interviews

Setting: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)

Participants: Purposefully selected occupational therapists implementing home assessments and modifications for rural Veterans (N=3)

Interventions: Not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: Semi-structured individual interview via Microsoft Teams

Results: Home visits to conduct home assessments and modifications for rural Veterans were standards of care delivery. However, travel restrictions and social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic required a shift toward virtual care. Our preliminary results show that the VA Video Connect (VVC) application allows occupational therapists to provide instant feedback and training to Veterans when new equipment is installed in the Veteran’s home, without the need to drive long-distance. However, the VVC does not allow occupational therapists to measure physical features of the home, such as door threshold height and hallway width. Participants also reported difficulty evaluating Veterans’ functioning, such as balance, strength, and gait pattern. Thus, the VVC improves access to the services but requires additional assistance from caregivers compared to in-home assessments.

Conclusions: Initial home assessments are recommended to be conducted during home visits, but follow-up visits can be conducted via telehealth depending on Veterans’ and caregivers’ ability to utilize telehealth devices and perform self-assessments.

Author(s) Disclosures: The study team has no conflicts of interest to report.