Primary care practice transformation is a priority in our rapidly evolving and complex health care system. Medical practices must maximize the use of staff to develop effective and efficient interprofessional care teams to optimize patient care delivery and improve outcomes and access with less cost. Occupational therapists have training and expertise that can provide valuable contributions to integrated primary care teams. In this article, we review the educational background and core competencies of this group of professionals and compare them to the core competencies of integrated behavioral health in primary care. Additionally, we explore the potential financial benefits of including occupational therapists as a member of the interprofessional team. With a comprehensive background addressing physical health, behavioral health, rehabilitation, and habilitation, occupational therapists complement the interprofessional team by dealing with the issues that affect function and quality of life. We recommend that primary care practices include occupational therapists as an essential member of the integrated primary care team. (PsycINFO Database Record

Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) provide services to underserved populations while enhancing student education. Occupational therapy (OT) participation in integrated care SRFCs is an emerging area of practice and enhances the interprofessional model necessary for holistic patient care. The Student Health Outreach for Wellness (SHOW) organization, located in Phoenix, Arizona, is a SRFC comprised of three state universities that incorporates nine different health professional programs to deliver interprofessional care, including OT. The SHOW clinic provides direct care services where student volunteers practice clinical and interprofessional skills under the guidance of licensed health care providers. OT preceptors and students participate in team-based assessment and care delivery to practice their discipline-specific treatment knowledge of upper-extremity impairments, musculoskeletal pain, medication management, fall prevention, and behavioral health issues, among many others. OT integration into the clinic provides students and preceptors an opportunity to build a unique skill set in interprofessional care, educate other disciplines about OT, and become emerging leaders in the field. Challenges for OT involvement in this SRFC include recruitment and sustainability of volunteers and lack of knowledge and understanding about the role of OT on an interprofessional team. Further research is needed to identify additional benefits of OT services in SFRCs.

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 authors review the educational background, core competencies, and skill set of this group of professionals. Occupational therapists have a comprehensive education and are well equipped to address patient issues related to general health and chronic illness management, behavioral health, rehabilitation, and habilitation. Their ability to treat health issues that affect quality of life and overall function ensures that they are an asset to the interprofessional team. They can improve patient care and assist practices in their goal to achieve the triple aim. The authors encourage PC practices to include occupational therapists as value-added members of integrated PC teams.

Substance use disorder (SUD) afflicts a large percentage of the United States population, with negative implications that cost more than $420 billion annually. This population often experiences negative emotions throughout the recovery process, including anxiety, depression, stress, and negative affect. Currently, evidence-based treatment strategies for SUD include cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, 12-step programs, and mindfulness-based treatment. One intervention that has not been studied at length among individuals with SUD is use of the natural environment as treatment. Among other patient populations, nature has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety by regulating autonomic nervous system function, reducing symptoms of depression, and improving mood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether viewing nature videos could similarly reduce stress and improve mood in individuals with SUD. A crossover design was used to compare viewing a nature scene and practicing mindfulness-based activities for women with SUD at a residential treatment facility. Over four weeks, participants engaged in the two activities for the first 10 minutes of their daily program. Immediately before and after each 10 minute session, measures were taken for heart rate, in beats per minute (BPM); affect, using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS); and overall mood, using a 10-point rating scale from “very unpleasant” to “pleasant.” Thirty-six women completed the study. For viewing a nature scene and practicing the mindfulness-based activities, there were statistically significant reductions in mean negative affect scores (p=0.001) and heart rate (p≤0.001). In addition, for participants in both conditions, overall mood improved significantly (p=0.030). The results from this study provide initial evidence that viewing nature has similar benefits to MBT in the treatment of stress and negative mood associated with the SUD recovery process and may be an additional, cost-effective treatment strategy for individuals with SUD.

Introduction: The call for increasing interprofessional education requires institutional support for educators in the clinical environment. Innovative ideas, such as partnering with multiple universities and programs to facilitate an interprofessional workshop, have the opportunity to reach a broader group of clinical educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitude of healthcare professionals towards interprofessional learning, familiarity with concepts of interprofessional teaching, and interprofessional practice, and to examine the influence of an interprofessional faculty development workshop on participant familiarity with concepts of interprofessional teaching and learning. Methods: The occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs from two universities collaborated to implement an all-day inter-institutional, interprofessional clinical faculty development workshop. Community clinical educators who participated in the event were surveyed pre- and post-workshop to examine their attitude, readiness, and knowledge of interprofessional learning and teaching. Using the revised version of the Readiness of Interprofessional Learning Scale, the following subscales were measured and analyzed: 1) Teamwork and Collaboration, 2) Negative Professional Identity, 3) Positive Professional Identity, and 4) Roles and Responsibilities. Results: Forty-three participants representing six different healthcare professions completed pre- and post-course surveys. Forty-four percent reported participating in interprofessional education. Overall, the attendees reported the value of the workshop as a 4.6 on a 5.0 point Likert scale, with 5.0 being the highest rating. Self-reported familiarity of the fundamental concepts of interprofessional teaching, interprofessional practice, and interprofessional education improved up to 32% following participation in the workshop. The highest increase in familiarity was in the area of knowledge of interprofessional practice and education. Participants reported high levels of agreement about the value of teamwork, collaboration, and positive professional identity. Conclusion: Integrating the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice into educational programs and clinical practice can facilitate improved understanding of professional roles and improved collaborative practice.