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Barriers to the use of Information and Communication Technology by occupational therapists working in a rural area of New South Wales, Australia

journal contribution
posted on 2013-06-01, 00:00 authored by Rebecca Jean Chedid, Angela DewAngela Dew, Craig Veitch
BACKGROUND/AIM: This qualitative study formed part of a large-scale, multi-phase study into the delivery of therapy services to people with a disability, living in one rural area of New South Wales, Australia. The study's purpose was to identify the impact of Information and Communication Technology on the workforce practices of occupational therapists' working in a rural area of New South Wales. METHODS: Individual semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 occupational therapists working in disability, health and private practice in a rural area of New South Wales. Participants were asked about access to, skills and limitations of using Information and Communication Technology. A modified grounded theory approach, based on thematic analysis and constant comparison, was used to analyse the interview transcripts. RESULTS: This study found widespread use of technology by rurally based occupational therapists working in the disability sector in New South Wales. However, Information and Communication Technology was primarily used for client contact, professional development and professional networking rather than therapy provision. The study identified individual, workplace and community barriers to greater uptake of Information and Communication Technology by this group. The individual barriers included: age cohort, knowledge and personal preferences. The workplace barriers included: support and training and availability of resources. The community barriers included: infrastructure and perceptions of clients' acceptance. CONCLUSION: The potential exists for Information and Communication Technology to supplement face-to-face therapy provision, enhance access to professional development and reduce professional isolation thereby addressing the rural challenges of large distances, travel times and geographic isolation. To overcome these challenges, individual, workplace and community Information and Communication Technology barriers should be addressed concurrently.

History

Journal

Australian occupational therapy journal

Volume

60

Issue

3

Pagination

197 - 205

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons

Location

Chichester, Eng.

eISSN

1440-1630

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2012, The Authors

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