The Client's Perceived Value on Occupational Therapy Interventions in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Abstract

Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) provide medical care from short to long term care (AOTA, 2015). Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) aim to implement occupation-centered interventions in SNFs (Jewell, et al., 2016). However, according to Reynolds, et al (2019) OTPs experience barriers that impact using occupation-centered practice in SNFs. As a result, occupational therapy (OT) interventions lack relation to occupation and when this occurs it is suggested that the OT profession surrenders distinct value to the clients served (Lamb, 2017). The goal of this research is to investigate how the clients perceive the value of OT interventions in SNFs. Data will be collected using an exploratory, quantitative research design. Clients in short-term rehabilitation will be recruited using informative flyers. Participants will voluntarily complete a paper-based survey to provide subjective impressions on the OT services received. This study hopes to provide evidence to support a gap within the literature regarding the clients’ perceptions of OT interventions in SNFs.