Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review

Background: With the growing adoption of telehealth in allied health disciplines, establishing clear training and education standards is crucial. This review aims to map the current training and education that has been delivered to support development of telehealth competencies in allied health prof...

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Main Authors: Krithika Anil, Adam Bird, Kate Bridgman, Shane Erickson, Jenny Freeman, Carol McKinstry, Christie Robinson, Sally Abey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mary Ann Liebert 2025-01-01
Series:Telemedicine Reports
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Online Access:https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0083
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author Krithika Anil
Adam Bird
Kate Bridgman
Shane Erickson
Jenny Freeman
Carol McKinstry
Christie Robinson
Sally Abey
author_facet Krithika Anil
Adam Bird
Kate Bridgman
Shane Erickson
Jenny Freeman
Carol McKinstry
Christie Robinson
Sally Abey
author_sort Krithika Anil
collection DOAJ
description Background: With the growing adoption of telehealth in allied health disciplines, establishing clear training and education standards is crucial. This review aims to map the current training and education that has been delivered to support development of telehealth competencies in allied health professionals. This scoping review extends our previous review with an updated search. Methods: The Population Concept Context framework was used, and the following databases were searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, PEDro, United Kingdom Health Forum, WHO, Health Education England, and all U.K. and Australian Allied Health Profession (AHP) professional bodies. Results: Out of 1,05,980 articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria. Training and education differed greatly, with no definite pattern in teaching approaches. Three articles used standardized questionnaires for training and education assessment, while the remaining articles used author-designed assessments. Eight articles reported that participants achieved the targeted telehealth competencies, and five reported improved attitudes toward telehealth following training and education. Articles recommended various factors that may improve telehealth training and education outcomes, which included a combination of online and face-to-face methods, interprofessional training, consolidation of their skills through supervised clinical work, and separating video and telehealth competencies. Discussion: This scoping review represents the first comprehensive exploration of telehealth training and education across allied health disciplines. While articles yielded generally positive outcomes, the absence of standardized methods prompts questions about its efficacy. Research should focus on developing evidence-based curriculums informed by pedagogic practices tailored to allied health needs.
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spelling doaj-art-91fae8ed4f3e4cef8fbc5541bcbe45cd2025-08-20T03:09:57ZengMary Ann LiebertTelemedicine Reports2692-43662025-01-0161769010.1089/tmr.2024.0083Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping ReviewKrithika Anil0Adam Bird1Kate Bridgman2Shane Erickson3Jenny Freeman4Carol McKinstry5Christie Robinson6Sally Abey7School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom.School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom.School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom.School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom.Background: With the growing adoption of telehealth in allied health disciplines, establishing clear training and education standards is crucial. This review aims to map the current training and education that has been delivered to support development of telehealth competencies in allied health professionals. This scoping review extends our previous review with an updated search. Methods: The Population Concept Context framework was used, and the following databases were searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, PEDro, United Kingdom Health Forum, WHO, Health Education England, and all U.K. and Australian Allied Health Profession (AHP) professional bodies. Results: Out of 1,05,980 articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria. Training and education differed greatly, with no definite pattern in teaching approaches. Three articles used standardized questionnaires for training and education assessment, while the remaining articles used author-designed assessments. Eight articles reported that participants achieved the targeted telehealth competencies, and five reported improved attitudes toward telehealth following training and education. Articles recommended various factors that may improve telehealth training and education outcomes, which included a combination of online and face-to-face methods, interprofessional training, consolidation of their skills through supervised clinical work, and separating video and telehealth competencies. Discussion: This scoping review represents the first comprehensive exploration of telehealth training and education across allied health disciplines. While articles yielded generally positive outcomes, the absence of standardized methods prompts questions about its efficacy. Research should focus on developing evidence-based curriculums informed by pedagogic practices tailored to allied health needs.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0083telehealthallied health professionalseducationtraining
spellingShingle Krithika Anil
Adam Bird
Kate Bridgman
Shane Erickson
Jenny Freeman
Carol McKinstry
Christie Robinson
Sally Abey
Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
Telemedicine Reports
telehealth
allied health professionals
education
training
title Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
title_full Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
title_fullStr Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
title_full_unstemmed Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
title_short Telehealth Training and Education for Allied Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
title_sort telehealth training and education for allied health professionals a scoping review
topic telehealth
allied health professionals
education
training
url https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0083
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