Date Presented 4/8/2016
A focus on preparing health care professionals as well as students (future health care professionals) for understanding the value of interprofessional collaborations and its direct effect on the therapeutic process should be incorporated within the academic and clinical environments.
Primary Author and Speaker: Naser Alotaibi
Contributing Authors: Fahad Manee, Lisa Broom, Mehdi Rassafiani
HYPOTHESIS: The study participants would demonstrate significant improvement in their knowledge base of occupational therapy after participation in the occupational therapy educational workshop.
BACKGROUND: Although occupational therapists are expanding their services across Kuwait, knowledge about other health care professionals’ understanding of the role and contributions of this relatively new profession to the health care team is not yet known. This study aimed to investigate health care professionals’ perceptions of occupational therapists’ role in patient care in Kuwait and measure change in their perceptions following participation in the workshop.
DESIGN: This study utilized a pre–post intervention design (quantitative).
PARTICIPANTS: Health care professionals working in the Ministry of Health or in private sectors in Kuwait were invited to participate in this study. Inclusion criteria were (1) both men and women; (2) working in educational settings or clinical positions in Kuwait; (3) working with adults or children; and (4) at least 1 yr working experience. Recruitment was stratified by discipline.
METHOD: One questionnaire regarding health care professionals’ perceptions of the role of occupational therapy in patient care was developed. It was established by a panel of experts in the field of occupational therapy. The questionnaire was self-administered online by health care professionals prior to workshop attendance and then at the conclusion of the workshop.
ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were reported, reflecting the characteristics of the study participants. Nonparametric measures were utilized to analyze the nominal and ordinal survey data. Chi-square was used to address the association between variables (p < .05). The Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze the ordinal data (p < .05). In addition, analyses of the pre- and postworkshop questionnaire scores were calculated using the paired-sample t test, where ps < .05 were considered significant.
RESULTS: The total sample consisted of 98 participants from various disciplines. The study hypothesis that participants would demonstrate significant improvement in their knowledge of occupational therapy practice following participation in the workshop was supported. Following the educational workshop, there were significant differences found between participants pre- and postworkshop awareness of occupational therapy areas of practice and the domains of occupational therapy practice (p < .001).
In addition, they demonstrated positive attitude (p = .035) and self-efficacy (p = .006) regarding the occupational therapy profession. Following the workshop, participants further identified the value of having common goals (p = .02) leading to desired mutual efforts, as well as a holistic approach to team management (p < .001) as an advantage of teamwork.
DISCUSSION: The results of this study provide preliminary evidence for lack of knowledge about the occupational therapy role among different health care professionals in Kuwait, which potentially acts as a barrier to effective interprofessional practice and collaboration in the region.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Future emphasis on interprofessional education within the health science curricula at Kuwait University is suggested. Thus, future engagement in various interprofessional experiences whether in the academic or clinical settings is highly recommended.
