Occupational Therapy in Primary Care: Determining Receptiveness of Occupational Therapists and Primary Care Providers

Abstract

Background: Primary care (PC) is an emerging practice setting for occupational therapy; however, few occupational therapists currently practice in this setting due to barriers, including uncertainty about reimbursement and the role of occupational therapists. This pilot study aimed to determine if PC providers and occupational therapists are receptive to occupational therapists as integrated interprofessional PC team members if barriers to inclusion are addressed. Method: After a brief educational paragraph explaining potential occupational therapy contributions to PC teams, the participants accessed a link to survey questions regarding their personal level of receptiveness to occupational therapy in PC. The questions comprised Likert scale and open-ended answers. Results: Of the Likert scale responses, 94%-99% provided by occupational therapists and 82%-97% provided by PC providers indicated possibly or yes to the inclusion of occupational therapists on the PC team. The descriptive responses were primarily supportive. Discussion: The majority of the occupational therapists and PC providers surveyed indicated support for including occupational therapists in primary care. This indicates that when barriers are addressed, occupational therapists and PC providers are receptive to the inclusion of occupational therapists as members of the interprofessional PC team.

Keywords

• occupational therapy
• interprofessional
• integrated
• primary care
• behavioral health