During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, healthcare professionals worldwide abruptly shifted from an in-person to a telehealth service delivery model. Many did so without advanced training or preparation. This cross-sectional study explored how occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they found it to be an effective service delivery model that should be a permanent option for providing occupational therapy services. An online survey was disseminated; it included Likert scale questions, multiple option questions, and open-ended questions regarding telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 230 respondents, 176 (77%) support telehealth as a substitute for in-person services; 179 (78%) support telehealth as a permanent option for occupational therapy service delivery. This information lends support to the uninterrupted use of telehealth by OTPs when government emergency orders in response to COVID-19 expire.

These preliminary findings support the potential use of technology to provide an effective therapy and HEP system. Additional research utilizing a larger sample size is warranted to determine if this product can be an effective tool to improve HEP compliance and to determine the effectiveness of HFT as an adjunctive treatment in the clinic.

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

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.

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