Therapy services for children and youth living in rural areas of high-income countries: a scoping review

Purpose To identify and describe therapeutic services provided to children and youth with disabilities living in rural areas of mid- and high-income countries and to summarize the benefits, positive outcomes, and challenges related to these services. Methods This scoping review involved a systematic search of four academic electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Psych INFO, using a combination of subject headings and keywords related to (1) child disabilities; (2) rehabilitation: occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, physiotherapists, audiologists, and recreation therapists; (3) multidisciplinary care team; (4) rural areas. Charting involved an iterative process whereby the full text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were abstracted using the charting form by two independent reviewers. Results Thirty-seven articles from seven high-income countries were included in the analysis. Twenty-seven articles reported on in-person services, and 19 on telepractice (nine evaluated in-person and telepractice). In person services included outreach programs and specialized on-site programs. Positive outcomes and challenges of in person and telepractice services in rural areas are described. Conclusions Findings of this review highlight the need for further research on service delivery models offered in rural areas of upper middle and high-income countries, especially those focusing specifically on the rural communities, with a clear description of services.