Abstract:Importance: Occupational therapy's scope of practice aligns with the goals of comprehensive primary care set forth by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111-148). To successfully integrate occupational therapy into primary care, we must understand occupational therapy practitioners' experiences in this setting.
Objective: To explore facilitators of, barriers to, and recommendations for integrating occupational therapy into primary care.
Design: A descript… Show more
“…Another study in this special issue relevant to access to care addresses opportunities to increase occupational therapy's role in primary care. Rouch et al (2022) explored occupational therapists' experiences practicing in primary care to make recommendations for occupational therapy's role in this setting. Results underscore the need to gain buy-in from the interprofessional team, and they add to the calls advocating for the profession's unique contributions to primary care (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020b; Halle et al, 2018;Pape & Muir, 2019;Winship et al, 2019).…”
Health services research focuses on access, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care. As a result of increasing emphasis on value-based reimbursement models, conducting health services research to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy is timely. This special issue serves to highlight health services research relevant to occupational therapy practice. Articles included in this special issue describe (1) clients’ access to and use of occupational therapy, (2) the effects of occupational therapy on important quality-of-care indicators and client outcomes, and (3) the value of occupational therapy services through the lens of cost-effectiveness. This special issue illustrates the state of health services research in the field of occupational therapy and reveals key insights to advance occupational therapy practice using health services research.
“…Another study in this special issue relevant to access to care addresses opportunities to increase occupational therapy's role in primary care. Rouch et al (2022) explored occupational therapists' experiences practicing in primary care to make recommendations for occupational therapy's role in this setting. Results underscore the need to gain buy-in from the interprofessional team, and they add to the calls advocating for the profession's unique contributions to primary care (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020b; Halle et al, 2018;Pape & Muir, 2019;Winship et al, 2019).…”
Health services research focuses on access, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care. As a result of increasing emphasis on value-based reimbursement models, conducting health services research to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy is timely. This special issue serves to highlight health services research relevant to occupational therapy practice. Articles included in this special issue describe (1) clients’ access to and use of occupational therapy, (2) the effects of occupational therapy on important quality-of-care indicators and client outcomes, and (3) the value of occupational therapy services through the lens of cost-effectiveness. This special issue illustrates the state of health services research in the field of occupational therapy and reveals key insights to advance occupational therapy practice using health services research.
Background
Earlier detection of children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders is critical and has longstanding repercussions if not addressed early enough.
Objectives
To explore the supporting or facilitating characteristics of paediatric primary care models of care for early detection in infants and toddlers at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, identify practitioners involved, and describe how they align with occupational therapy’s scope of practice.
Methods
A scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute framework was used. PubMed Central, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature, and Scopus databases were searched. The search was conducted between January and February 2022. Inclusion criteria were: children aged 0–3 years old; neurodevelopmental disorders including cerebral palsy (CP) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD); models of care used in the paediatric primary care setting and addressing concepts of timing and plasticity; peer-reviewed literature written in English; published between 2010 and 2022. Study protocol registered at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MD4K5
Results
We identified 1,434 publications, yielding 22 studies that met inclusion criteria. Models of care characteristics included the use of technology, education to parents and staff, funding to utilize innovative models of care, assessment variability, organizational management changes, increased visit length, earlier timeline for neurodevelopmental screening, and collaboration with current office staff or nonphysician practitioners. The top 4 providers were paediatricians, general or family practitioners, nurse/nurse practitioners, and office staff. All studies aligned with occupational therapy health promotion scope of practice and intervention approach yet did not include occupational therapy within the paediatric primary care setting.
Conclusions
No studies included occupational therapy as a healthcare provider that could be used within the paediatric primary care setting. However, all studies demonstrated models of care facilitating characteristics aligning with occupational therapy practice. Models of care facilitating characteristics identified interdisciplinary staff as a major contributor, which can include occupational therapy, to improve early detection within paediatric primary care.
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