Management Budgeting for Occupational Therapists?

Abstract

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.