Clinical outcomes research from the occupational therapist's perspective

Abstract

With increasing costs and scarcity of resources, occupational therapists need to embrace outcomes research to demonstrate the effectiveness of its clinical interventions. To explore clinicians' perspectives on clinical outcomes research a qualitative study was undertaken involving three in-depth group interviews with 15 occupational therapists from the South Western Sydney Area Health Service. Five broad themes permeated participants' perception: (a) defining the process, (b) factors that impact on participation in clinical outcomes research, (c) organizational influences, (d) the value of clinical outcomes research, and (e) potential partnerships with academics. Three conceptual categories are identified: knowledge and understanding about clinical outcomes research, clinicians' experience conducting or participating in clinical outcomes research and the relevance of clinical outcomes research to occupational therapy clinical practice. Similarity to findings in the international literature on occupational therapists' engagement in clinical research suggests that the findings from this small sample of Australian therapists are robust. The implications of the findings for continuing professional education programmes and clinical supervision are presented.

Evaluating outcomes of therapies offered by occupational therapists in adult mental health

“…This appears to reflect previous findings that some occupational therapists have difficulty measuring clinical outcomes (Bowman & Llewellyn, 2002). With the UK government promising that care in the NHS will focus on continuously improving those things that really matter to patients, particularly the outcome of their healthcare (Department of Health, 2010), it is important for occupational therapists to increase their use of outcome measures.…”

“…It has been suggested that few occupational therapists measure clinical outcomes because they struggle to articulate clearly their goals and interventions (Bowman and Llewellyn, 2002). The future of health services in the UK will be one where providers of services will be paid according to the quality of performance which reflects outcomes and not simply activity (Department of Health, 2010).…”

Aspects affecting occupational therapists' reasoning when implementing research-based evidence in stroke rehabilitation

“…A complex interplay of personal characteristics, professional culture, and context influences whether occupational therapists take up the challenge of thoroughly examining their clinical interventions (16). Development into evidence-based practice will involve high levels of personal change as it requires reflection, planning, and action in a local context over long periods of time (17) Despite a growing awareness that implementation of evidence in practice is a complex, multifaceted process, a lack of knowledge remains as to what methods and approaches are effective, with whom, and in what contexts (13).…”

Outcome Measures with COPM of Children using a Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton

“…The COPM has been used extensively in occupational therapy research (Bowman & Llewellyn, 2002;Law et al, 1998). It uses a semistructured interview format with standardized methods for administration and scoring, and it has established reliability and validity (Bosch, 1995;Chan & Lee, 1997;Cup, Scholte op Reimer, Thijssen, & van Kuyk-Minis, 2003).…”