Exploring Allied Health Therapists’ Perceptions of Telehealth: Benefits, Barriers, Clinical Impact, and Intentions for Continued Use

Therapists’ Perceptions of Telehealth: Benefits, Barriers, and Intentions for Continued Use

Abstract

Post-COVID-19, telehealth has become widely adopted in allied health professions, and therapists' attitudes toward the viability and efficacy of telehealth are poorly understood, not specific to any particular discipline, and vary. Objectives: To evaluate allied health therapists' perceptions of telehealth by assessing its adoption, perceived benefits and barriers, and the influence of training and professional experience on attitudes toward telehealth use and future implementation using a convergent mixed-methods cross-sectional approach. Methods: A convergent mixed-methods cross-sectional design was conducted with 100 therapists from Speech-Language Therapy, Rehabilitation, Psychology, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy to explore perceptions of telehealth. The participants answered 12 five-point Likert scale questionnaires and an open-ended question about the perceived benefits and challenges. Sample size was calculated using Cohen's power formula. The data distributions were not normal, and therefore non-parametric statistics were used (Spearman's correlation, Kruskal-Wallis). Results: Adoption was high (88%); 58% reported using telehealth at least weekly, but 48% did not get any formal training, and 53% planned to keep using it. Technology confidence was moderately high (mean = 4.02/5), perceived access benefits were moderately high (mean = 3.81), and the lowest was patient comfort (mean = 3.44). The reported benefits were significantly correlated with agreement that telehealth decreases geographic barriers (ρ = 0.322, p=0.001). Conclusions: Results highlight the critical need for structured training, enhanced platforms, and patient support in order to maintain the integration of telehealth across allied health professions in an uninterrupted fashion.