TY - JOUR
T1 - Telehealth competencies for allied health professionals: A scoping review
AU - Anil, Krithika
AU - Bird, Adam R.
AU - Bridgman, Kate
AU - Erickson, Shane
AU - Freeman, Jennifer
AU - McKinstry, Carol
AU - Robinson, Christie
AU - Abey, Sally
PY - 2023/10/3
Y1 - 2023/10/3
N2 - Abstract
Introduction: Telehealth has become one of the main methods of delivering allied health professional services worldwide, yet many professionals do not have sufficient training to deliver high-quality telehealth services. This review aims to
identify what competencies allied health professionals require for effective telehealth service delivery.
Methods: This scoping review used the Population Concept Context framework and searched the following databases:
MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, PEDro, United Kingdom Health Forum, WHO,
Health Education England, and all UK and Australian AHP professional bodies.
Results: A total of 37 articles were included out of 92,525 identified by the literature search. Competencies were related
to two areas: (1) delivery of the telehealth consultation and (2) service management of telehealth consultations. The first
area included the following competency themes: clinical reasoning, communication, effectively using technology, personcentred care, practice-based assessment and intervention knowledge/behaviour/skills, privacy, security, and patient safety,
professionalism, and setting up the technical environment. The second area included the following competency themes:
digital infrastructure, informing practice, and management. Although findings emphasised the importance of telehealth
competencies, none have been implemented within education. One-third of the articles were from the discipline of psychology.
Conclusion: This is the first scoping review to combine telehealth competencies reported across allied health disciplines. Although there were a vast range of competencies, they need implementation into teaching and learning to be
practically useful. Most competencies were from psychology, but potentially applicable for other allied health professionals. A shared and adaptable standard for telehealth competencies would be useful to ensure high-quality practice
across all allied health professionals.
AB - Abstract
Introduction: Telehealth has become one of the main methods of delivering allied health professional services worldwide, yet many professionals do not have sufficient training to deliver high-quality telehealth services. This review aims to
identify what competencies allied health professionals require for effective telehealth service delivery.
Methods: This scoping review used the Population Concept Context framework and searched the following databases:
MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, PEDro, United Kingdom Health Forum, WHO,
Health Education England, and all UK and Australian AHP professional bodies.
Results: A total of 37 articles were included out of 92,525 identified by the literature search. Competencies were related
to two areas: (1) delivery of the telehealth consultation and (2) service management of telehealth consultations. The first
area included the following competency themes: clinical reasoning, communication, effectively using technology, personcentred care, practice-based assessment and intervention knowledge/behaviour/skills, privacy, security, and patient safety,
professionalism, and setting up the technical environment. The second area included the following competency themes:
digital infrastructure, informing practice, and management. Although findings emphasised the importance of telehealth
competencies, none have been implemented within education. One-third of the articles were from the discipline of psychology.
Conclusion: This is the first scoping review to combine telehealth competencies reported across allied health disciplines. Although there were a vast range of competencies, they need implementation into teaching and learning to be
practically useful. Most competencies were from psychology, but potentially applicable for other allied health professionals. A shared and adaptable standard for telehealth competencies would be useful to ensure high-quality practice
across all allied health professionals.
U2 - 10.1177/1357633x231201877
DO - 10.1177/1357633x231201877
M3 - Article
SN - 1357-633X
VL - 0
JO - Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
JF - Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
IS - 0
ER -