Evidence to Support

It has been shown that OT is uniquely suited to address the patient's functional and social needs to best prepare them for the next level of care and decrease readmissions.1 And are also the only hospital spending category to significantly lower readmission rates.2 This data highlights OTs’ unique focus on assessing functional and social needs to recognize ADL deficits that could lead to readmission. OTs can recommend the least restrictive discharge plans and address deficits impacting ADL, cognition, vision, and falls, which help to reduce readmissions.1-3 In the hospital and ICU setting, OTs work to simultaneously evaluate and provide intervention across a wide array of impairments—motor, cognition, visual, and psychosocial, and function—ADL, mobility, strength, functional cognition to facilitate safe discharges.3 We also work to maintain and improve function through the use of compensatory strategies, use of equipment, and positioning aids.3 These treatments are individually tailored to the patient and modified as needed.

What Does the Research Say?

References

  1. Weinreich, M., Herman, J., Dickason, S., & Mayo, H. (2017). Occupational therapy in the intensive care unit: A systematic review. Occupational Therapy In Health Care, 31(3), 205–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380577.2017.1340690

  2. Rogers, A. T., Bai, G., Lavin, R. A., & Anderson, G. F. (2017). Higher hospital spending on occupational therapy is associated with lower readmission rates. Medical Care Research & Review, 74(6), 668–686. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558716666981

  3. Smith, L. C., Whittaker, B., Eldridge, M., & Creekmore, J. (2020, June). Caring for the critically ill client in the intensive care unit. OT Practice, 25(6), 10–14.