Date Presented 03/26/20
This research examined workplace factors that influence the delivery of OT services. Change, challenges, productivity, performance expectations, absenteeism, stress, quality, and service delivery were examined. The purpose of this research was to determine if and how the identified work-related factors help or hinder the optimal delivery of OT services. Managers could foster discussions about these factors with OT practitioners to enhance service delivery and quality.
Primary Author and Speaker: Robert Mullaney
PURPOSE: This research is a study on workplace factors that have the potential to influence the delivery of occupational therapy services in healthcare settings. Change, challenges, productivity, performance expectations, absenteeism, stress, quality of occupational therapy services, and occupational therapy service delivery were examined. The purpose of this research is to determine if and how the identified work-related factors help or hinder the optimal delivery of occupational therapy services in the healthcare setting.
DESIGN AND METHOD: A collective case-study inquiry and analysis was used to determine the overall meaning of the perspectives of 21 hospital, skilled nursing, outpatient, and community-based participants who were occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants. Interviews and transcription of occupational therapy practitioner participants took place, with a validation review. Data triangulation occurred by converging the data sources of multiple participants’ perspectives. Emotional attributes were noted for participant responses. NVIVO-10 Qualitative Software was used to aid in the analysis and coding of the a-priori factors using deductive reasoning, followed by the derivation of themes, and the determination of the meaning of the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners regarding the work-related factors.
RESULTS: The results yielded information about how occupational therapy practitioners identified work related factors impacting optimal service delivery. Change factors related to the challenges of the duties performed by occupational therapy practitioners had to do with client’s clinical conditions, scheduling, insurance-related limitations, and coverage during periods of co-worker absence. Change factors were viewed as stressful, challenging, anxiety provoking, and constant. Absenteeism, as a concept, yielded results primarily related to communication. Productivity related responses were split between knowing and being affected, and not knowing and not being affected by performance expectations. Perceptions of worker stress depended on the day and other work-related factors.
CONCLUSION AND IMPACT STATEMENT: This research project communicated the rich findings of the occupational therapy participants’ perspectives about work-related factors and explored the participant meanings of their experiences related to them. The occupation of being a healthcare worker, specifically, an occupational therapy healthcare worker, was of concern in this study. The findings of this project provide an excellent source for managers to use within occupational therapy settings to foster communication and educate staff about workplace factors impacting service delivery. Considering foundational research, such as the indicators of OT practitioner stress levels found by Wilkins (2007, as cited in Gupta et al., 2012), hyper-changing conditions (Hinojosa, 2007, and 2012), the Affordable Care Act [and PDPM] (or changes that may occur) (Yuen et al., 2017), managers could foster discussions about expectations for a typical work day, challenges and changes in the workplace setting, altered routines, absenteeism, productivity, stress, and on-the-job training. Each of these areas was found to impact OT practitioners’ performance in their respective environments. Using these results to enhance professional development programming will help identify workplace trends and opportunities for quality improvement in OT service delivery.
KEYWORDS: occupational therapy, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy practitioners, service delivery, challenges, change, absenteeism, productivity, performance expectations, stress, quality, value
References
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