title: A systematic review of the factors that influence the quality and effectiveness of telesupervision for health professionals.
abstract: Introduction Whilst telesupervision (clinical supervision undertaken using communication technology) is being used more frequently, there is limited information on what factors influence its effectiveness and quality. We undertook this systematic review to address this gap. Methods Eligible telesupervision studies were identified following targeted search of electronic databases and the grey literature. Data were synthesised thematically, resulting in development of core themes. Results We identified 286 papers for initial relevancy screening by title and abstract. The full text of 36 papers were then retrieved and assessed for further relevance. A total of 11 papers were included in the final analysis. We identified eight themes that contribute to effective and high-quality telesupervision: supervisee characteristics, supervisor characteristics, supervision characteristics, supervisory relationship, communication strategies, prior face-to-face contact, environmental factors and technological considerations. Conclusion From the available evidence, telesupervision can be a feasible and acceptable form of clinical supervision if set up well. Further studies with robust designs are required to strengthen the existing evidence on what makes telesupervision effective, as well as to examine its cost-effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: 1 International Centre for Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE), School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Australia.|2 Allied Health, Cunningham Centre, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service, Australia.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: 3 Joanna Briggs Institute, University of Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucylynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lizarondo
authors.affiliation: 1 International Centre for Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE), School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Saravana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Tele-education; clinical supervision; continuing professional development; telesupervision