Conducting home and school visits via the Internet for children undergoing rehabilitation: a feasibility and reliability study of telerehabilitation.

The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility and reliability of utilising telerehabilitation technology (Internet videoconferencing) to conduct home and school visits for children undergoing rehabilitation. There are many situations where the ideal of undertaking a home or school visit cannot be achieved for children making a transition from hospital to home and community because of distance and concomitant costs. If the feasibility and reliability of using telerehabilitation technology in the setting of the proposed study can be established, it has the potential to provide a means of providing equitable and high quality service to all children requiring assessment of home and community environments. While children undergoing rehabilitation will be the focus of the proposed study, the findings will have broad application to occupational therapists across a range of practice areas and to clients with a range of presenting problems.