Assessment and Intervention

 Frequency and duration. The frequency and duration of treatment should be individualized for each participant. It is possible that the therapy needs of the participant can be addressed more quickly than is typical in other settings. Instead of a longer duration of therapy, perhaps 6-12 weeks with multiple sessions per week, effective outcomes may be reached in far fewer sessions. For example, one study found that as few as two sessions led to significant improvements in health behaviors for clients with heart disease (Carroll et al., 2017). Alternatively, if the occupational therapist is addressing chronic and complex conditions, a longer course of intervention may be warranted. For example, when addressing chronic pain with a participant, or when looking at medication adherence and disease management for someone with cognitive deficits, it may be more appropriate for the participant to receive occupational therapy intervention for several months. As in all areas of occupational therapy, client-centered goal setting with continual reassessment of progress will be helpful in determining the appropriate frequency and duration of intervention.

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Occupational profile. One area of assessment that separates an occupational therapist from other disciplines is the use of the occupational profile. This is a collaborative process where the occupational therapist uses skilled interview techniques to determine what is meaningful and important to the client. The therapist gains an understanding of what occupations and roles are valuable to the client and what in their environment supports or inhibits participation in these roles and occupations. Starting with an occupational profile helps the occupational therapist and client identify the goals that are most meaningful, which in turn helps create client buy-in and the likelihood of a successful intervention (AOTA, 2014). Winship et al. (2019) note that the primary care team rarely identifies deficits in occupational performance, however patients often identify this as a top issue. This suggests that the addition of the occupational therapist to the primary care team would allow for a more complete assessment and intervention of a person’s care needs.

 

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