You are an occupational therapist meeting with a physician and a health-care administrator to advocate they add OT to the primary care team. What benefit can OT bring to the primary care team?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The benefits to primary care physicians of utilizing occupational therapists (as an employee or a contractor) to provide health-promotion and prevention services in their practice settings potentially include:
• Availability of high-quality prevention and health-promotion services on-site, thus increasing the physician's time to focus on medical interventions,
• Better patient health outcomes as a result of comprehensive health-promotion services,
• Less need for medications and better compliance with self-management regimens,
• Identification of patients who have mental health needs not readily recognizable in a short medical office visit, including alcohol and drug abuse problems, domestic violence, depression, anxiety, and bereavement,
• Detection of performance deficits that may affect impact the safe participation in everyday activities, and
• Early identification of patient lack of adherence to medical treatment plans, thereby preventing secondary complications of medical conditions.

You Are an Occupational Therapist Meeting with a Physician and a Health-Care