Introducing purposeful activity kits in a hand rehabilitation practice: Effects on clinical practice patterns and job satisfaction among occupational therapy practitioners

Abstract

Introduction Facilitating function through occupation and purposeful activity is the basic tenet of occupational therapy. However, the majority of research in hand rehabilitation clinics continues to focus on biomechanical interventions. The purpose of this research was to study practice patterns and personal opinions of occupational therapy practitioners before and after providing purposeful activity kits to an outpatient occupational therapy hand clinic. Methods Mixed-method design to evaluate an 8-week intervention of providing purposeful activity kits to a busy, military outpatient hand clinic. A paper survey was administered to nine occupational therapy practitioners before and after the intervention. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Results A descriptive analysis indicated an increase in the use of activities, crafts, and occupation after the introduction of the purposeful activity kits. Practitioners consistently reported time as the top factor in their inability to incorporate more purposeful activities. Qualitative results support use of the new activities during both intervention and evaluation due to the focus on function and ease of use of the kits. Conclusion Purposeful activities can enhance any rehabilitation clinic in an organized, cost-effective manner. Practitioners responded positively toward the added equipment; however, it will take time and effort to adjust the theoretical decision making of practitioners. Additional participants and length of intervention is needed.