Occupational Therapy Department, Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service, Herston Health Precinct, Herston, Australia.
Logan Hospital, Meadowbrook, Australia.
Aust Occup Ther J. 2022 Jun;69(3):316-330. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12794. Epub 2022 Feb 27.
Occupational therapy practice within intensive care units (ICUs) is limited with respect to published research evidence and guidelines regarding scope of practice. An understanding of the current level of service provision, feasibility of services in ICUs and training and development needs of occupational therapists is required to enable consistent best practice and promote the occupational therapy profile. This study aimed to explore occupational therapy practice within ICUs in Australia including the barriers and enablers to practice perceived by occupational therapists.
In this cross-sectional study, a national customised online survey was completed by registered occupational therapists who provide services in intensive care settings in Australia. Recruitment was from July to September 2019 through Occupational Therapy Australia and other professional networks and interest groups.
The survey was completed by 43 respondents. The majority were experienced therapists from Queensland with greater than 10-years post-qualification and working in a tertiary hospital setting. The most common length of time spent working in the ICU was 0-2 h per week. Formal and informal self-care measures, cognitive screens and physical outcome measures were commonly used. Bed-based grooming retraining, pressure care management, functional upper limb retraining and passive ranging were the most frequent interventions provided on a daily basis. Perceived barriers to occupational therapy service provision in ICU included lack of funding for staffing, competing workload demands, lack of occupational therapy role delineation and scope of practice and lack of published evidence and training.
Occupational therapy services in intensive care settings in Australia are limited. Published practice guidelines, further research, applications for service funding and ongoing education of the ICU multidisciplinary team regarding the scope of occupational therapy practice are recommended to promote the development of occupational therapy services in ICU.
在重症监护病房（ICU）中，职业治疗实践受到发表的研究证据和实践范围指南的限制。为了实现一致的最佳实践并促进职业治疗形象，需要了解当前服务提供水平、在 ICU 中提供服务的可行性以及职业治疗师的培训和发展需求。本研究旨在探讨澳大利亚 ICU 中的职业治疗实践，包括职业治疗师认为的实践障碍和促进因素。
在这项横断面研究中，澳大利亚注册职业治疗师通过澳大利亚职业治疗协会和其他专业网络和利益集团，于 2019 年 7 月至 9 月期间完成了一项定制的全国在线调查。
该调查由 43 名受访者完成。他们大多是来自昆士兰州、经验丰富的治疗师，拥有超过 10 年的资格认证，并在三级医院工作。在 ICU 工作的最常见时间是每周 0-2 小时。他们通常使用正式和非正式的自我护理措施、认知筛查和身体结果测量。床上修饰再培训、压力护理管理、功能性上肢再培训和被动范围训练是每天最常提供的干预措施。职业治疗服务在 ICU 中提供的感知障碍包括人员配备资金不足、工作量竞争需求、职业治疗角色描述和范围不足以及缺乏发表的证据和培训。
澳大利亚重症监护病房的职业治疗服务有限。建议制定发表的实践指南、进一步研究、申请服务资金以及对 ICU 多学科团队进行职业治疗实践范围的持续教育，以促进 ICU 中职业治疗服务的发展。
