Australian occupational therapists working in adult physical dysfunction settings: What treatment media do they use?

Abstract

The use of exercise‐based treatment media, which target the underlying basis of physical dysfunction but can overlook the psychological, social, and cognitive aspects of human function, has been criticised as being incongruent with occupational therapy philosophy. This study aimed to explore the treatment choices of Australian occupational therapists in adult physical dysfunction settings, to identify the influences on those choices, and to determine whether the use of client priority assessments impacts on treatment choice. Responses to a mail‐out questionnaire were obtained from 147 occupational therapists working in eight specialty areas of physical dysfunction practice. Following descriptive analysis, the five most frequently used treatment media were education and counselling, home visits/modifications, functional mobility, self‐care and pure upper extremity exercise. Regardless of the treatment medium chosen, participants identified client‐related factors, such as clients’ skill level or special interest in the activity, as the greatest influence on their selection of that medium. Results suggest a trend toward the use of treatments that are functional, client‐focused and that address occupational dysfunction. Further exploration of the clinical reasoning associated with decisions about treatment choices is needed.

Clinical utility of the four-quadrant model of facilitated learning: Perspectives of experienced occupational therapists

“…In accordance with other studies (e.g. McEneany et al, 2002;Rodger et al, 2005), this indicates that facilitation of learning is a core clinical competency. Participants agreed that the 4QM provides a useful framework through which to understand and implement teaching-learning within the context of occupational therapy.…”

“…Both groups highlighted concerns over the utility of the model with particular populations, particularly those with cognitive impairments, despite evidence that occupational therapists regularly engage teaching-learning in working with such clients (McEneany et al, 2002). Interestingly, Vygotsky (1978) acknowledged the need for scaffolding to support insufficiency in cognitive processes at various stages of learning.…”

“…Occupational therapists use a range of intervention approaches drawn from various frames of reference to enable occupational performance (McEneany, McKenna, & Summerville, 2002;Rodger, Brown, & Brown, 2005). One frequently employed approach is teaching-learning (Berkeland & Flinn, 2005), which aims to facilitate mastery of tasks and activities viewed as pivotal in a client's goal attainment.…”

Written Education Materials for Stroke Patients and Their Carers: Perspectives and Practices of Health Professionals

“…In a survey of the treatment media that Australian occupational therapists who work in adult physical dysfunction settings use, education and counselling was ranked as the most frequently used treatment, with three quarters of the respondents stating that they use it often or most of the time. 28 Participants from the same hospital provided varying answers to the question about which team member/s provides the most written information to patients and carers, indicating a lack of knowledge about their team members' practices. The low proportion of health professionals in this study who reported providing written information to patients and carers may be due to their assumption that other team members have or will do so.…”

Occupational therapy practice in Australia with people with dementia: A profile in need of change

“…Development of the questionnaire was partially guided by previous surveys of practice patterns of occupational therapists with different patient populations (Koh, Hoffmann, Bennett & McKenna, 2009;McEneany, McKenna & Summerville, 2002;Rodger, Brown & Brown, 2005). Questions in section 1 used mainly fixed response category options asking about practice setting, caseload and length of time they had previously worked in dementia care.…”