Why Telehealth Continence Assessments Are Perfect For Children With Spina Bifida
Posted on: 2 February 2023
The stress, frustration and sometimes embarrassment that can come with incontinence after often overwhelming challenges for children with spina bifida—and their parents.
While doctors can often recommend many strategies to manage continence, keeping up with appointments isn't always easy or pleasant. Thankfully, with the advancement of technology, there's now an even better solution for children's continence assessments: telehealth.
Typically held over online video calls, telehealth assessments and check-ups are transforming the lives of children with spina bifida and incontinence. From convenience to confidence, here are three reasons to consider them.
1. More autonomy
With telehealth assessments, children get to have more autonomy over their health. Young people with spina bifida often rely heavily on their parents for daily assistance and medical needs, reducing their sense of independence. It's crucial that children can feel a sense of control over their health and well-being, and telehealth can be a big help.
With telehealth, children can undergo assessments and treatment plans from the comfort of their own homes—without the need for parents to take them to the clinic or micromanage their care. Parents can still oversee their appointments from a distance, or talk to the doctor to get all the information they need, but children get a better chance to sit at the forefront of their health management. In turn, this gives young people a sense of empowerment and autonomy, helping them maintain a sense of independence.
2. Increased confidence
The traditional model of visiting the doctor's office for appointments can be intimidating for children, leading to feelings of nervousness or embarrassment. Combine this with parents taking charge of the appointment process, and many young people choose not to speak up to their doctors.
With telehealth assessments, today's children (who often feel far more comfortable with technology than in-person meetings) often feel more confident about discussing their continence. Alongside improving well-being, this will be invaluable in their older needs. As your child becomes a teenager or adult, they will need to be able to advocate for their health and discuss any problems with a doctor. Building this skill ahead of time ensures your child will always get the support and treatment they need.
3. Less disruption
Finally, telehealth assessments are a lot less disruptive to daily life than traditional face-to-face appointments. Constant assessments, check-ups and doctor visits can have a major impact on family life. Many parents have to take time off work or find a babysitter for siblings, and the children themselves miss school or leisure activities. Spina bifida and incontinence can already have a major impact on daily routines, so it's important to reduce disruptions where possible.
When children can attend their assessments or appointments from home, families no longer need to put regular life on pause. Telehealth is flexible, making it easy to fit check-ups into any time slot you have available.
Speak to a service like Dreamcare121 to find out more.
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