“You have to be super flexible and let go of that plan you originally had,” said Maggie deLong, MS, OTR, an occupational therapist for Cambridge Public Schools. “If they can’t do the activity you planned, you figure out a game, or you just talk with the parent.”

DeLong was among several panelists who spoke November 16 at “Telepractice: Challenges and Strategies for Compassionate Caregiving Through the Screen,” the second Kenneth B. Schwartz Center Educational Rounds of the 2020-2021 academic year at MGH Institute of Health Professions.

She was joined by Dr. Margaret Brown, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing; Sheila Swales, an instructor in the School of Nursing; and Devanshi Patel, a senior genetic counselor at the MGH Center for Cancer Risk Assessment. Dr. Emily Eddy, the associate director of clinical education in the Department of Occupational Therapy, moderated the virtual Zoom event to an audience of MGH Institute students, faculty, and staff.

The panelists discussed the impact of telepractice on the client relationship and the ability to build empathic and compassionate connections with patients and families.

Watch the full Schwartz Rounds video.

The educational "Rounds" format provides IHP students, faculty, alumni, and staff with an opportunity to engage in interprofessional dialogue on important issues that advance a compassionate approach to patient care. Participants are invited to engage in self-reflection and reflective dialogue with their peers.

-    Andrew Criscione