Occupational Therapy Business Tips
August 24, 2024
When designing an occupational therapy intervention plan, think of intervention as the primary purpose that’s fuelling occupational therapy practice. Each intervention plan is carefully tailored to meet the needs of each client, based on their own goals, to improve functional performance and increase overall quality of life. In this article, we will discuss the meaning of occupational therapy intervention and summarize some commonly-known OT intervention approaches.
Occupational therapy intervention includes different methods to improve a client’s overall participation in activities they love or need to do from day to day. Interventions can be applied with an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, one-on-one or in a group.
The following intervention approaches are common in occupational therapy practice for clients of many different ages and with a wide variety of medical diagnoses.
Self-care activities can be disrupted by illness or injury. Clients may choose to work on a specific activity during their session, such as preparing a meal, vacuuming the floor, or medication management. OTs analyze the task and client’s performance, then introduce interventions to improve the client’s ability to do that activity at home.
When function can’t be fully restored with practice and strengthening exercises, occupational therapists may supplement a client’s task performance with adaptive equipment. Adaptive equipment such as toilet risers, shower chairs, reachers, shoe horns, and button hooks, to name a few, are OT intervention approaches that can modify and improve a client’s life.
Like adaptive equipment, environmental modifications, such as removing barriers at home or in the community, can improve a client’s capabilities. Examples include removing throw rugs, replacing tubs with shower stalls, and renovating a kitchen to lower counters. These are a few ways to modify a client’s living space to increase access and foster independence.
Depending on the OT, “adaptive equipment” can be synonymous with assistive technology, or used as an umbrella term for all adaptive devices. For some, this means using high-tech assistive devices to improve function. Occupational therapists can outfit clients with communication boards, sip n’ puff devices, or other advanced technology to increase independence.
Occupational therapists may select strengthening exercises to increase muscle mass and endurance for tasks that matter for a client. This means the occupational therapy intervention plan coordinates exercises to fit with a client’s goal, for example increasing upper body strength to propel a wheelchair independently.
Occupational therapists may pair up with physical therapists, nurses, and/or caregivers to provide functional mobility training to help clients transfer from one place to another safely. For example, an occupational therapy intervention could include a combination of strengthening exercises and training to get in and out of bed without injury or falling.
Functional activity tolerance, or endurance pertaining to a specific task, is essential for individuals to perform anything over an extended period of time. For example, occupational therapy intervention plans may include activities that increase a patient’s functional activity tolerance for sitting or standing unsupported, so they can complete self-care tasks in a bathroom setting.
Specialized technology, including electrical stimulation (E-Stim), neuromuscular stimulation (NMES), ultrasound, and therapeutic hot/cold packs were developed for the purpose of healing the body after illness or injury. Occupational therapists may incorporate PAMs into their intervention plans to reduce or prevent pain during a client’s chosen activity.
Clients with progressive or degenerative disorders often need to ration their physical efforts to prevent paralyzing exhaustion. Occupational therapists can tailor their intervention plan to cover energy conservation training and scheduling strategies to prevent getting fatigued too early in the day.
Hand and nerve injuries can devastate a client’s ability to grasp small objects like spoons or buttons. Occupational therapy intervention plans traditionally include exercises to enhance fine motor coordination and hand dexterity to complete desired daily activities in a timely manner.
Balance is easily compromised by medication use, weakness, illness, injury, and movement disorders. Occupational therapists often work side by side with physical therapists to address postural stability and standing balance to prevent falls, but to also teach clients how to safely recover once a fall occurs.
Children thrive on play-based activities. Skills gained during these activities carry over into social interactions and leisure activities in adulthood. Occupational therapists create intervention plans that incorporate purposeful play to aid in overall physical, emotional, and cognitive development.
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Cognitive rehabilitation is commonly needed after acute brain injury caused by things like trauma, stroke, or infection. Occupational therapists may work with clients to create an intervention plan to restore mental function so they can participate in chosen activities as independently and safely as possible.
Mental illness across the age span is complex and greatly affects a client’s ability to function. The appropriate tools can help a lot here. Occupational therapy intervention plans could address coping strategies to reduce stress and promote mental wellbeing to help clients continue participating in daily activities.
Therapeutic massage, joint range-of-motion exercises, and lymphatic drainage are just a few of the hands-on techniques that occupational therapists may use to improve overall movement. In some cases, occupational therapists pursue specialty certifications and set up clinics to address specific client needs, including sensory integration, neurodevelopmental treatment, lymphedema management, and hand therapy.
As well as using manual therapy, occupational therapists may pursue additional training to create customized splints and orthotic device schedules for clients recovering after serious injury or illness. Clients with partial to full paralysis, tendon injury, or bone fractures are at risk for muscle breakdown, which can be prevented with splinting intervention.
Occupational therapists create intervention plans based on a client’s goals to restore function or help the client modify tasks and the environment to suit individual needs. They draw on their problem-solving skills and adaptability to create unique therapy sessions that are tailored to the client’s priorities.
ClinicSense provides technology for occupational therapists to help them write occupational therapy SOAP notes that capture every detail. Try your SOAP notes free trial at ClinicSense today.
While each occupational therapy session is different, the therapist still needs accurate documentation for each intervention. Best practices include using occupational therapy software that provides professional templates for SOAP notes to clearly and easily communicate your occupational therapy intervention plans to other healthcare professionals.
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