FEATURE SERVICE EVALUATION
‘ Yes , occupational therapy provides a space for distraction ( colouring art , community access , music , sports , games )’. While another said : ‘ Yes , it can be used as a distraction tool ’.
Another theme to emerge was that occupational therapy helps decrease the instances of risk events and negative behaviours on the ward . When asked about the potential effect of not having an occupational therapy programme in inpatient units , respondents seemed to report the following : ‘…[ people ] may engage in negative behaviours and have more episodes of distress or self-harm ’; and ‘… there would be more unhelpful behaviours ’.
Although patients and some of the nursing team highlighted that occupational therapy helps reduce risk events on the ward , this view was not observed in responses recorded by other multidisciplinary team and education staff .
Furthermore , patients , nursing staff and education staff highlighted that occupational therapy promotes an easier transition to the community , but this theme was not evident in the wider multidisciplinary team ’ s responses . People commented :
‘ Occupational therapy helps you to improve your wellbeing , as well as find activities you may be able to engage in in the community , either individually or in a group setting , so helps with the transition from inpatient to community support .’
And : ‘ Having a wide range of occupational therapy activities supports young people to develop individual interests and skills , which supports recovery and wellbeing post-discharge .’
Another significant contribution of occupational therapy reported in the questionnaires was offering new skills , interests and activities for young people , often to help with everyday living skills .
This aspect of occupational therapy appeared to be explored in responses by the nursing team and the wider multidisciplinary team , but not by the patients and the education staff .
Comments included : ‘ It is an accessible way to learn life skills and use these in everyday tasks ’; and ‘… it helps an individual to reconnect with activities they enjoyed before they became unwell , as well as discover new talents they may not have known they had and achieve things they didn ’ t feel they were capable of achieving ’.
A further emergent theme highlighted how occupational therapy provides structure and a routine for the young people .
Although this view was evident in patients ’ and nursing staff ’ s responses , it was not observed within the wider multidisciplinary team and education staff ’ s responses : ‘ If inpatient units did not have an occupational therapy programme , the young people would become bored at times and they would miss the structure to the day .’
And : ‘ The lack of structure without occupational therapy groups would not aid adolescents and would leave a big gap in the system .’
In addition , responses within the nursing team explored how occupational therapy supports the social development of the young people , promoting positive relationships , whereas this view was not highlighted in patients and education staff ’ s responses .
Similarly , although the nursing team pointed out the importance of assessments – for example sensory , mobility and interest – that occupational therapy can offer , such an observation was not highlighted in the responses of the rest of the multidisciplinary team or education staff .
Comments included : ‘… occupational therapy can provide mobility assessments , advise on judgements required to support quality of life ’; and ‘ Occupational therapists play a crucial role in assessing young people ’ s skills , daily activities , whether they have any interests and hobbies . They also assess sensory needs through completing a sensory profile ’.
Finally , responses within the nursing team and the wider multidisciplinary team indicate that occupational therapy decreases the strain on other teams and helps the various other disciplines , whereas this view was not observed within the education staff ’ s responses .
Feedback included : ‘… compliments other disciplines in supporting a person in their recovery ’; and ‘ If inpatient units did not have an occupational therapy programme , the nursing staff would be overwhelmed ’.
Overall , it appeared that most of the responses within the education team referenced the importance of occupational therapy in regard to offering a distraction and structure to young people ’ s recovery , as well as an easier transition from the ward to the community .
However , there was an apparent lack of insight into other occupational therapy interventions that can be offered within an inpatient unit .
Similarly , the wider multidisciplinary team gave reference to the effectiveness of occupational therapy when it comes to providing useful assessments and helping other teams , but seemed to lack awareness when it comes to other occupational therapy involvements in an inpatient unit .
Evidently the nursing team appeared to show a wider understanding on the effectiveness of occupational therapy and mentioned a lot of examples regarding the role of occupational therapy .
50 OTnews May 2021