A survey of current occupational therapy practice for Parkinson's Disease in the United Kingdom

Deane, K.H.O., Ellis-Hill, C., Dekker, K., Davies, P. and Clarke, C. E. (2003) A survey of current occupational therapy practice for Parkinson's Disease in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66 (5), 193 - 200.

Abstract

Little is known about the current character of occupational therapy practice for Parkinson's disease in the United Kingdom. The study aimed to document this in order to inform plans for a future multicentre randomised controlled trial.
Two hundred and forty-two occupational therapists that treated people with Parkinson's disease were sent a questionnaire regarding demographics, service organisation and therapy content. One hundred and sixty-nine occupational therapists (70%) responded. They had worked with people with Parkinson's disease for a median of 6 years and personally treated a median of 15 people with Parkinson's disease annually. Most (86%) were at senior grade or above 87% worked in the National Health Service and 12% in social services. Forty per cent worked in specialist Parkinson's disease clinics. Most (79%) felt that they needed more specialist postgraduate training.
Occupational therapists are employed in both health and social care settings. The character of the occupational therapy is often determined by the location in which it is provided. Current occupational therapy appears to focus on functional activities rather than on the wider social and psychological aspects of occupation. Many occupational therapists felt that they needed more specialist postgraduate training to treat people with Parkinson's disease effectively.

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