BUSHkids Annual Report 2018-2019

Section

Pioneering research proves benefits of high-tech reach to remote kids and families Providing improved opportunities for isolated clients to receive online clinical and therapeutic support has been the goal of the three-year study to test and validate the ground-breaking BUSHkids teleHealth program and the impressive results confirm the new service to be practical, valuable and cost-effective.

The results are in: BUSHkids is uniquely skilled to deliver best-practice telehealth services across the farthest reaches of the State to benefit both clients and staff after completion of research with The University of Queensland’s Centre for Research Excellence in TeleHealth . Since 2016 BUSHkids has been trialling teleHealth services as part of a research partnership with our sponsored UQ PhD candidate Jessica Campbell. The trials were completed at the end of 2018 and the final evaluations completed in 2019. The research aimed to address two key areas:  Understand the changes involved to introduce telehealth services in an existing health organisation  Understand the impact that telehealth has on The research investigated how clinicians instinctively adapt their practice to ensure the same service is provided to both teleHealth and in-person clients. From this we developed a staff training program including topics such as:  maintaining therapeutic presence (building rapport with clients through a screen)  compensating for physical touch and objects (playing online games — rather than with toys — and their reward systems)  extending roles (guiding parents to a more prominent therapy role)  and how to best use our teleHealth platform in an interactive way. Results demonstrated that the way BUSHkids teleHealth is delivered is effective in providing Allied Health and support services to families lacking practical, regular access to one of our physical Centres, produces similar outcomes to face- to-face contact with a high level of satisfaction, and delivers cost benefits for both families and our organisation. Findings also revealed the efficacy of the telehealth concept across other clinical disciplines and its transferrable potential across BUSHkids to our EarlyStart and other services. On these evidence-based foundations, we are investing in expanding both the technological prospects and our statewide operational capabilities. improving access to services, and the cost, learning outcomes and overall satisfaction.

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CASE STUDY: MASON’S ANXIETY Success means no longer being needed!

Seven-year-old Mason* and his mother Sarah* have been working with our Brisbane-based telePsychologist Kaitlin Hinchliffe, connecting via the dedicated teleHealth room at the Emerald Centre. Mason was referred to BUSHkids for help with separation anxiety which was impacting daily life for the family. “It was really good, great actually,” Sarah said. “I was concerned that talking to a computer would make it difficult to build a relationship with a person. However, I think it may have been better for Mason as it’s not as intimidating as having that person in front of you. He dealt with it really well. “Kaitlin was great, very thoughtful and non-judgemental … she acknowledged [our family’s values] and worked around it. Mason didn’t really say [how he felt about the sessions], but it worked! It was a great experience and we are very happy, we would do it again. All concerns were met, and Kaitlin was great.” In his final session, Mason expressed to the telePsychologist in writing, “I do feel a lot better and good!” On the way to his final session, he said to Sarah, “I don’t need to see Kaitlin anymore, because I know in my heart I’m okay.”

Kaitlin (L) and colleague Megan MacDonald were all smiles at Mason’s good news.

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