In class last week, we began to learn about documentation in
the world of occupational therapy. While completing my observation hours prior to
applying to school, I always dreaded this part of the day. I would even
sometimes struggle to keep my eyes open as I watched the therapist document
her therapy sessions. As a future OT, I have developed more of an appreciation for documentation. My professor made a point in
class that proper documentation can even be a way to promote the field of occupational
therapy. This idea seemed questionable at first, but then I thought more about
it. Some doctors still do not even have a clear understanding of what we do or why we do it. If we take the time to properly document and represent our profession, we will begin to build a greater name for occupational therapy in the medical field. Sure, paperwork isn’t the
most exciting part of our day, but we owe
it to our field and our clients to properly document our sessions. So go rock those docs!
The article I chose to review was titled The Benefits of Group Occupational Therapy for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease. I found this article through AJOT, and chose it because I am very interested in Parkinson's Disease interventions. This study looked at how progressive physical symptoms of Parkinson's disease affect participation in activities of daily living. The aim of the study was to see whether a group rehab program using an OT approach specifically designed for IPD, in association with ideal medical management, could maintain the functional status of these patients. A two group experimental design was used in this study. Individuals with Idiopathic Parkinson's disease were randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving group occupational therapy intervention, or a control group receiving only medicinal treatment. Immediately after randomization, the experimental group received 10 sessions of group occupational therapy....
It seems like every OT's least favorite thing about working is documentation. I was like you when I did my observation hours; I began to dread documentation and I hadn't even gotten into OT school yet! I like your optimistic attitude about documentation. Hopefully I will develop an appreciation for it when I practice!
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