Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Interprofessional Primary Care: The Value Of Occupational Therapy, Sue Dahl-Popolizio, Oaklee Rogers, Sherry Lynne Muir, Jennifer Carroll, Lesley Manson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The authors explore the training and expertise of occupational therapists and the cost benefit of the strategic use of occupational therapists as members of the interprofessional primary care (PC) team. PC practices can optimize successful and cost-effective patient care delivery, outcomes, and access to care by using interprofessional care teams and allowing physicians to off-load patients whose issues relate to routines and habits and do not require diagnostic or prescriptive intervention. This, and the occupational therapist’s ability to obtain reimbursement for his or her services, demonstrates that this professional can be an invaluable addition to the integrated PC team. The …

Occupational Therapy In Primary Care: Determining Receptiveness Of Occupational Therapists And Primary Care Providers, Sue Dahl-Popolizio, Sherry Lynne Muir, Kaila Davis, Sabrina Wade, Rachael Voysey

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Primary care (PC) is an emerging practice setting for occupational therapy; however, few occupational therapists currently practice in this setting due to barriers, including uncertainty about reimbursement and the role of occupational therapists. This pilot study aimed to determine if PC providers and occupational therapists are receptive to occupational therapists as integrated interprofessional PC team members if barriers to inclusion are addressed.

Method: After a brief educational paragraph explaining potential occupational therapy contributions to PC teams, the participants accessed a link to survey questions regarding their personal level of receptiveness to occupational therapy in PC. The questions comprised …

Capacity Building To Improve Interprofessional Collaboration Through A Faculty Learning Community, Shannon L. Mcmorrow, Kate E. Decleene Huber, Steve Wiley

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Though much has been written on Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) independently, there is limited literature devoted to examining the use of

FLCs to enhance IPE for the health professions. A FLC dedicated to building capacity for IPE in a small, private midwestern university comprised of faculty representing occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, public health, gerontology, medical anthropology, psychology, social work, and exercise science was conducted over the course of one semester. This article details the implementation process for the IPE FLC; describes outcomes related to teaching, scholarship, and service of faculty from a qualitative evaluation conducted …

Exploring The Value Of Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapy And Design: A Pilot Survey Study, Amy Wagenfeld, Lori Reynolds, Tamar Amiri

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Consistent with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Vision 2025, interprofessional partnerships between occupational therapy and designers is necessary to “maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people . . . through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living” (2016, para 1). Occupational therapy’s knowledge of the person-environment-occupation fit appears to make us well suited to collaborate with design teams to create environments that facilitate optimal function and promote health and well-being (Ainsworth & de Jonge, 2014).

Method: Two short closed-ended online questionnaires were designed to gain an understanding of designer and occupational therapy practitioner impressions of …