Hodge, M., Sutherland, R., Jeng, K., Bale, G., Batta, P., Cambridge A., Detheridge, J., Drevensek, S., Edwards, L., Everett, M., Ganesalingam, C., Geier, P., Kass, C., Mathieson, S., McCabe, M., Micallef, K., Molomby, K., Pfeiffer, S., Pope, S., Tait, F., Williamsz, M., Young-Dwarte, L., Silove, N. (2018). Literacy Assessment Via Telepractice Is Comparable to Face-to-Face Assessment in Children with Reading Difficulties Living in Rural Australia. Telemedicine and e-Health, April 2019. 

Abstract

Background/Introduction: Literacy difficulties have significant long-term impacts on individuals, and therefore early identification and intervention are critical. Access to experienced professionals who conduct standardized literacy assessments with children is limited in rural and remote areas. The emerging literature supports the feasibility of using telepractice to overcome barriers to accessing specialist literacy assessment. The current study sought to determine the feasibility and reliability of telepractice assessments, using consumer-grade technology, in children with reading difficulties.

Materials and Methods: Thirty-seven children, aged 8 to 12 years, with reading difficulties, attended a multidisciplinary reading clinic. Children completed literacy assessments delivered via a web-based application by a remotely located research assistant. A teacher was stationed with the child and coscored the assessments. Scores and qualitative observations of the two assessors were compared.

Results: Spearman’s correlation analyses revealed strong agreement between telepractice- and face-to-face-rated scores (r = 0.79–0.99). Bland-Altman plots indicated excellent agreement between derived scores. Parents reported a high degree of comfort with the telepractice assessments. Clinicians reported the audio and video quality was sound in most cases.

Discussion/Conclusions: Web-based technology can enable remote delivery of literacy assessments. The technology has the potential to increase the availability of assessments to meet the needs of children who live remotely, in a timely manner and at their family’s convenience.

Download: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/tmj.2018.0049

Silvia Pfeiffer, “Beyond the Clinic: Transforming your Practice with Video Consultations”, book, SJ Publishing, October 2018, https://www.amazon.com.au/Beyond-Clinic-Transforming-Practice-Consultations/dp/0648333000/.

Sutherland, R., Hodge, A., Silove, N., Lee, S.,  Drevensek, S., Baggett, K., Medley, C., Eastley, F., Williamsz, M.,  Pope, S., Rayner, J., Percival, T., Pfeiffer, S., Hollowell, R., Roberts, J. &  Trembath, D.
Remote speech pathology assessments: making language assessments more accessible to children living in rural NSW.
Rural Medicine Conference, Dubbo, 2014.

Sutherland, R., Hodge, A., Trembath, D., Drevensek, S., & Roberts, J.
Overcoming barriers to using telehealth for standardized language assessments.
Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 1(18), 41-50, 2016.

Download: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308841967_Overcoming_Barriers_to_Using_Telehealth_for_Standardized_Language_Assessments

Abstract:
The clinical imperative to provide speech-language pathology services to families outside of the metropolitan area, while accounting for the barriers previously identified, was the impetus for a recent study conducted examining the use of telehealth in Australia (Sutherland et al., 2016). That study found that delivering standardized language assessments via telehealth using consumer grade equipment was feasible, reliable, and tolerated by students with language impairment. In the present article, a follow-up to Sutherland et al. (2016), the barriers to using telehealth are described, along with the steps taken to overcome these barriers in completing the original study. The current article also seeks to describe to the responses of the school-aged students and clinicians involved.

Sutherland, R., Trembath, D., Hodge, A., Drevensek, S., Lee, S., Silove, N., & Roberts, J.
Telehealth language assessments using consumer grade equipment in rural and urban settings: Feasible, reliable and well tolerated.
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 23 (1), 106-115, 2017.

Download: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1357633X15623921

Abstract:
Telehealth can be an effective way to provide speech pathology intervention to children with speech and language impairments. However, the provision of reliable and feasible standardised language assessments via telehealth to establish children’s needs for intervention and to monitor progress has not yet been well established. Further, there is limited information about children’s reactions to telehealth. This study aimed to examine the reliability and feasibility of conducting standardised language assessment with school-aged children with known or suspected language impairment via a telehealth application using consumer grade computer equipment within a public school setting.

Website

A talk about the co-design principles that we use at Coviu and how it created the Coviu platform through several speech pathology projects.

slides

About the event

Hear about the emerging technologies coming out of CSIRO’s deep tech Innovation Accelerator, ON. Gain insights on the following ground-breaking technologies in a panel discussion moderated by King & Wood Malleson’s Scott Bouvier.

Program panellists

Coviu provides all the tools necessary to make video consultations, as an alternative means of delivering therapy and advice, a reality by supercharging the patient-clinician conversation. [Silvia Pfeiffer]

Modular Photonics produce a glass chip micro device which can achieve a 100 times increase in data transfer speeds at approximately one tenth of the current cost across various ranges. [Michael Whithford]

Cardihab™ is a digital health company helping patients with heart disease. The Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation (DCR) solution uses smartphone apps and web portals to give clinicians the ability to deliver more convenient, flexible and engaging cardiac rehabilitation services to patients. [Simon McBride]

The ON program partners with 30 universities, has over 400 mentors and has graduated 200 groups in just two short years.

Hear from CSIRO’s Chief Exective Dr Larry Marshall about the unique value of accelerators like ON in the VC landscape; what’s on the Australian innovation horizon; and the role CSIRO plays in taking valuable world-class research out of the lab and into the marketplace.

Speakers

• Dr Larry Marshall, Chief Executive, CSIRO
• Scott Bouvier, Partner, King & Wood Mallesons