FEATURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
diagnosis-specific knowledge , medication management , communication techniques , task simplification , environmental adaptation , problem solving and information about helpful aids / equipment ;
• hands on demonstration ( for example for manual handling technique );
• teaching and practice of stress management and coping strategies ;
• provision of equipment and / or assistive technology ; and
• signposting onwards .
Though there is a great deal I could say about the findings of the review , some of the main take-home messages are as follows :
Evidence suggested , overall , that occupational therapists can improve outcomes for carers . For example , one intervention was found to increase feelings of mastery and self-efficacy , as well as a reduction in carer distress .
Carers valued the input of , and therapeutic relationship with , occupational therapists . They particularly appreciated flexibility , acknowledgement of ( and tailoring of support to ) their particular situation , advice that was specialist but accessible , good communication and validation from the occupational therapist with regards to their caring role . Occupational therapists appeared to appreciate taking part and flexing their ‘ core OT skills ’. They liked being able to develop deeper relationships with carers and patients .
As you may expect , strong managerial support , confidence in ( and familiarity with ) the intervention and good communication within the multidisciplinary team ( if other professionals were involved ) helped facilitate positive occupational therapy involvement in carerfocused interventions .
Time pressures , poor relationships between the multidisciplinary team , difficulties or delays in accessing onward services and equipment , overly-complex research procedures and low patient / carer motivation to engage did the opposite .
There was lots of other data collected as part of the review – for example , studies that suggested occupational therapy-led , carer-focused interventions could carry financial benefits to health and social care systems if adopted more widely .
I also encountered some interesting findings in relation to varying outcomes when trialling the same intervention in different countries , and some interventions where feelings of burden on carers significantly increased for carers taking part in the intervention versus their control group counterparts – so it ’ s clear there is a lot to think about when designing carer-focused interventions .
I would encourage anyone who is interested to read the full review when available for further details – or you are very welcome to get in touch .
Overall , the project has been extremely interesting and very helpful for my own development as a clinical academic . It has given me the opportunity to learn new skills , use new tools ( for example , for critical appraisal ) and has given me further experience at writing for publication .
A recent highlight was presenting a poster at the RCOT annual conference . I have also been trying to apply lessons learned from the review in my day-to-day clinical practice , so it has certainly improved the support I am able to provide carers I meet on the ward .
To anyone who is interested in answering important questions in an area they are passionate about , but are worried about securing the time and resources to do so , I would deeply recommend applying for the grant .
It has been a fantastic opportunity I have been very grateful to receive . I would also encourage fellow therapists to consider if there are any additional ways of improving carer support within their own service or practice – and am heartened to have already been contacted by those planning to do so .
References
Buckner L and Yeandle S ( 2015 ) Valuing carers 2015 . The rising value of carers ’ support . Carers UK . Available online at : www . carersuk . org / for-professionals / policy / policy-library / valuingcarers-2015 [ accessed 29 December 2019 ]
Office for National Statistics ( 2018 ) Household satellite accounts : 2005 to 2014 . Available online at www . ons . gov . uk / economy / nationalaccounts / satelliteaccounts / compendium / householdsat elliteaccounts / 2005to2014 [ accessed 22 December 2019 ]
Carers UK ( 2019 ) Facts about carers . Available online at : www . carersuk . org / images / Facts _ about _ Carers _ 2019 . pdf [ accessed 29 June 2021 ]
Carers Week ( 2020 ) Carers Week 2020 research report : The rise in the number of unpaid carers during the coronavirus ( COVID- 19 ) outbreak . Available online at : https :// bit . ly / 3mBpKTT [ accessed 29 June 2021 ]
Carers UK ( 2020 ) Caring behind closed doors : six months on . Available online at : https :// bit . ly / 3FtS7Mq [ accessed 29 June 2021 ]
NHS ( 2019 ) NHS : The NHS Long Term Plan . Available online at : www . longtermplan . nhs . uk / wp-content / uploads / 2019 / 08 / nhslong-term-plan-version-1.2 . pdf [ accessed 5 December 2019 ]
Kerry Micklewright , senior occupational therapist , Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and research associate , University of East Anglia ( UEA ). Contact :
kerry . micklewright @ nnuh . nhs . uk and on Twitter @ KerryMicklewri1
38 OTnews October 2021