Job Stress in Occupational Therapy: An Examination of Causative Factors

1993 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace M Sweeney ◽  
Keith A Nichols ◽  
Paul Kline
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Patient Contact ◽  
Causative Factors ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Professional Value

This article, the first in a series of two on job stress in occupational therapy, reports the results of a postal survey which set out to identify factors that contributed to stress in a sample of Britain-based occupational therapists. Three hundred and ten NHS and LASS occupational therapists were surveyed between November 1989 and February 1990. The results indicated that four different dimensions of job stress were relevant to occupational therapists, and these were labelled ‘professional value’, ‘resources and demands’, ‘rewards and recognition’ and ‘patient contact’. Further analysis indicated that occupational therapists who worked longer hours, who had been in the job for a longer period of time, and who were employed in social services tended to score higher on the dimension of rewards and recognition. Employment at the level of basic grade, senior II or senior i tended to be predictive of a high score on the dimension of stress related to patient contact. Occupational therapists who had been qualified for longer periods of time tended to score lower on both these dimensions of job stress. This article explores possible explanations for these differences, and the second article will propose individual and organisational strategies for stress reduction.

Job Stress in Occupational Therapy: Coping Strategies, Stress Management Techniques and Recommendations for Change

1993 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace M Sweeney ◽  
Keith A Nichols ◽  
Maggie Cormack
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
District Health ◽  
Management Techniques

This article, the second in a series of two on job stress in occupational therapy, reports the results of 30 semi-structured interviews with a random sample of occupational therapists from the Bath District Health Authority and selected local authority social services departments. All 30 subjects had participated in a larger study which set out to identify the factors contributing to job stress in this professional group,1 and the follow-up interviews aimed to examine coping strategies which were used by the subjects in their work situation. This is an applied article, where the attempt is to distil the main findings of the combined studies (the postal survey and the interviews) to recover information that can be made available to occupational therapy managers and to clinical occupational therapists.

‘Positive Preparation’: Educational Input on HIV/AIDS in British Occupational Therapy Schools

1994 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 76-78
Author(s):  
Sue Rugg
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
Group Settings ◽  
Hiv Aids

This article presents the results of a national postal survey to determine the type and amount of educational input on HIV/AIDS received by British occupational therapy students. All respondents (18/25 courses, 72%) indicated that they currently provided such input, with an average of 11.9 hours of course time being devoted to it. The majority of presenters were occupational therapists, although colleagues from many other backgrounds were also involved. Much of the material was considered in small group settings, with the content being balanced among a range of aspects. The article concludes that most British occupational therapy students are ‘positively prepared’ to work with clients with HIV/AIDS.

A Survey of Current Occupational Therapy Practice for Parkinson's Disease in the United Kingdom

2003 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
K H O Deane ◽  
C Ellis-Hill ◽  
K Dekker ◽  
P Davies ◽  
C E Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Postgraduate Training ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health And Social Care

Little is known about the current character of occupational therapy practice for Parkinson's disease in the United Kingdom. The study aimed to document this in order to inform plans for a future multicentre randomised controlled trial. Two hundred and forty-two occupational therapists that treated people with Parkinson's disease were sent a questionnaire regarding demographics, service organisation and therapy content. One hundred and sixty-nine occupational therapists (70%) responded. They had worked with people with Parkinson's disease for a median of 6 years and personally treated a median of 15 people with Parkinson's disease annually. Most (86%) were at senior grade or above; 87% worked in the National Health Service and 12% in social services. Forty per cent worked in specialist Parkinson's disease clinics. Most (79%) felt that they needed more specialist postgraduate training. Occupational therapists are employed in both health and social care settings. The character of the occupational therapy is often determined by the location in which it is provided. Current occupational therapy appears to focus on functional activities rather than on the wider social and psychological aspects of occupation. Many occupational therapists felt that they needed more specialist postgraduate training to treat people with Parkinson's disease effectively.

Management Budgeting for Occupational Therapists?

1988 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 425-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Clinical Treatment ◽  
Patient Contact ◽  
Contact Hours ◽  
Therapy Services ◽  
Preliminary Study

This article describes a preliminary study into the implications of management budgeting for occupational therapy services. † In the Derby Unit of Psychiatry, occupational therapists used a database provided by the hospital to determine measurable clinical treatment time, to examine patient contact hours for differing grades of occupational therapy staff, and to determine possible links between time spent in clinical contacts and staff job satisfaction. Although the sample size is small (N= 43 investigated working days), results and discussion give rise to important budgeting implications and suggestions for further study.

Knowledge about Pain among Newly Graduated Occupational Therapists: Relevance for Curriculum Development

1999 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 221-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Strong ◽  
Leigh Tooth ◽  
Anita Unruh
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Pharmacological Management ◽  
New Graduates ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
Pain Knowledge ◽  
The University

In recent years there has been a growing awareness amongst health professionals of the need to prepare undergraduate students more adequately for practice with clients who have pain. Occupational therapists have a central role in enabling such clients to have productive lives despite pain. In this study, an examination was made of the adequacy of preparation for pain practice in graduates from one Australian occupational therapy curriculum. Recent occupational therapy graduates from the University of Queensland, Australia, who responded to a postal survey, obtained an overall 53% correct response rate to a 69-item pain knowledge and attitudes questionnaire. Results indicated the need for further education in this area, especially in the areas of pharmacological management, and pain assessment and measurement. These results were comparable to those obtained from final year occupational therapy students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia prior to undertaking an elective course about pain. Follow-up interviews with a number of new graduates supported the inclusion of an elective pain course in the undergraduate occupational therapy curriculum at the University of Queensland in Australia.

An Evaluation of the Use of the Mayers' Lifestyle Questionnaire

1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 393-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A Mayers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Physical Disability ◽  
Delphi Technique ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Lifestyle Questionnaire

This article describes two studies that evaluated the use of two tools of a client-centred approach for use in community occupational therapy, namely the contact letter and the Mayers' Lifestyle Questionnaire. The first study involved community occupational therapists, mainly working in social services. They used the contact letter and the Lifestyle Questionnaire with their clients who had problems caused mainly by physical disability. The second study used an adapted Delphi technique in order to involve a Disability Action Group in the evaluation process. Finally, the article brings the reader up to date with the present use of the Lifestyle Questionnaire and related research being undertaken with clients with mental health problems.

Community Occupational Therapy: Past Dreams and New Visions

1992 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 257-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheelagh E Richards
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Traditional Concept ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Therapy Services

The traditional concept of community occupational therapy services, located in local authorities and developing to meet the needs of the broad range of social services' client groups, is being challenged by the NHS and community care reforms. This article reflects on past aspirations, considers emerging trends and invites community occupational therapists to participate more fully in developing the profession's views on its future.

All Change? The Role and Tasks of Community Occupational Therapists in Scotland

1996 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Stalker ◽  
Chris Jones ◽  
Pete Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Problematic Area ◽  
Staff Recruitment And Retention

In November 1994, the Scottish Office commissioned a short study of occupational therapy in Scotland. It aimed to examine the structure, scale and outputs of the service and the role of occupational therapy in the context of community care. A variety of methods was employed. The total number of posts for occupational therapists has increased recently but a critical shortage of support posts remains. Staff recruitment and retention are not problematic, In contrast to the situation south of the border. Occupational therapists still spend most of their time on equipment and adaptations. Authorities have been developing a range of strategies for tackling this problem, but more are needed. The Involvement of occupational therapists in care management is at an early stage. Practitioners are working with a more diverse range of clients than before, and some have greater opportunities to utilise their wider skills. Most have compjex extended networks for collaboration, although links with home care and health colleagues are often underdeveloped. Hospital discharge is a problematic area. The findings Indicate the need for occupational therapists to become better Integrated within community care teams, for more authorities to consider developing a unitary workforce straddling social services and health agencies, and for the deployment of occupational therapists to a wider and more Imaginative range of settings.

Head Injury: Developing Community Occupational Therapy to Meet the Challenge

1992 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Warnock ◽  
Debbie Northin ◽  
Susan Carberry ◽  
Elizabeth Ward ◽  
David Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Head Injury ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Occupational Therapist ◽  
City Council ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Administrative Area ◽  
Injured Patients

A project has been established to try to improve the quality of care given to patients after discharge from neurosurgery following a head injury. Set within the administrative area of Leeds City Council with a population of nearly three-quarters of a million people, it attempts to focus a small part of the social services occupational therapy service to respond to head injured patients and their families. During 1990, 56 patients were discharged from neurosurgery after 2 or more days' stay following a head injury, and were visited by one of three community occupational therapists specialising in head injury. They were given a comprehensive assessment of need after which the occupational therapist responded by (a) implementing a treatment programme and/or (b) providing equipment/adaptations and/or (c) referring to another agency. The average time taken to date for the initial assessment has been 2½ hours, with a range of 1–4 hours. Questions have arisen about the expanding role for the community occupational therapist with this group of service users.

An Evaluation of the Prioritisation of Referrals by Leeds Social Services Senior Occupational Therapists

1993 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 448-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Kappa Statistic ◽  
Occupational Therapist ◽  
Kappa Statistics ◽  
Priority Level ◽  
Priority System ◽  
Field Workers ◽  
Level Of Agreement

Leeds occupational therapy section formally adopted a priority system for referrals in 1989. Written priority guidelines defined three levels of priority: immediate need (P1), urgent need (P2) and non-urgent (P3). Senior occupational therapists assign priority to referrals which they subsequently allocate to field workers. P1 and P2 referrals are visited by occupational therapists and P3 referrals by occupational therapy assistants. This study attempted to discover if the priority assigned by the senior occupational therapists was accurate. The senior occupational therapists were asked to allocate a number of referrals from each priority level to the occupational therapists without indicating what priority they considered the referral to be. The occupational therapists were asked to visit the client and record the priority of the case on the basis of their home assessment, using the written guidelines. The priorities assigned were compared and agreement was measured by use of the kappa statistic. The senior occupational therapists allocated 264 study referrals. Occupational therapist information was gathered on 216 of these. The occupational therapists and senior occupational therapists agreed on 64.4% of the P1s, 40.3% of the P2s and 47.4% of the P3s. The kappa statistics indicate that the level of agreement was poor to fair. Further information should be gathered on those referrals considered to be either P2 or P3 by the senior occupational therapists to allow more accurate prioritisation.

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