Telehealth continence education classes: a feasible alternative to in-person classes

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many group education sessions provided by healthcare services during 2020 were transitioned to telehealth. Research evaluating the delivery of group continence education via telehealth is limited. To investigate the feasibility of telehealth continence education, we conducted a retrospective audit of telehealth classes from July to December 2020 and in-person continence education classes from July to December 2018. We compared client attendance to classes, demographic data including age and distance lived from the clinic, feedback survey responses, and time spent by staff organising and conducting the classes. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative survey responses were analysed to identify key feedback. The non-attendance rate for the telehealth classes was 32% (n=13) compared to 35% (n=26) for the in-person classes. Feedback for the telehealth classes was positive, with 73% of survey respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that it was easy to join the session. All respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the telehealth classes were interesting compared to 94% of respondents for the in-person classes. Lack of access to, or familiarity with, technology were limiting factors for telehealth class attendance. Telehealth therefore appears to be a feasible modality for the delivery of continence education classes, with comparable attendance rates to in-person classes. However, access to technology may be a barrier to attendance for some clients and telehealth classes may be more time consuming for clinicians.