AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS AMONG OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS - A SURVEY

BACKGROUND: Occupational Therapist is an integral part of Neonatology team. The purpose of this research is to explore and promote the awareness of the role of Occupational Therapy (OT) within Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). A survey was created to determine and assess the awareness of neonatal care guidelines by occupational therapists using a stratied random sample, distributed to occupational therapists working in Government Hospitals, Private Hospital Settings and in Private Practice throughout India. Study Design: Survey Research Design. METHODS: A survey was created by the researchers using Google Forms based on a thorough literature review of the topic. The survey consisted of 20 quantitative and qualitative items. After pilot testing, the survey was sent via social media through WhatsApp link to occupational therapy practitioners working in various healthcare setups throughout India. Data was collected from 26th May 2020 to 5th June 2020. Total 54 responses were received. RESULTS: Out of 54 therapist responses 60% were from tertiary care Government hospitals, out of which 3.8% were working full time in NICU, among all 29 % therapist had comprehensive knowledge about practical applications, but 50% therapists were interested in gaining indepth knowledge. All the therapists were aware about commonly used practices such as positioning, Kangaroo Mother Care etc. CONCLUSION: This survey helped to assess Occupational Therapy knowledge about the role of occupational therapist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and also provided awareness to the therapists about the various approaches used for intervention in NICU. Many therapists are aware about this developing branch in Occupational therapy, but have restricted scope to practise in the highly specialised area. The results may guide and facilitate further research of this important speciality area of occupational therapy practise.