Primary Care for Underserved Populations: Navigating Policy to Incorporate Occupational Therapy Into

Federally Qualified Health Centers. Murphy, A. et al. American Journal of Occupational Therapy,

Vol. 71, Jan 2017. http://ajot.aota.org/article.aspx?articleid=2599871

This article provided information about how people belonging to underserved populations, including minority groups and low-income people, have limited access to much needed occupational therapy services.  Using a case example of a federally qualified health center serving American Indian/Alaska Native populations, effective treatment methods as well as solutions to various cultural or economic barriers were proposed.  This article was helpful in establishing the importance of occupational therapy for all people, not only those that can afford it or actively seek out services.

OT Practice Framework Table 2. Client Factors. American Occupational Therapy Association. March

2014. Volume 68(Supplement 1).

http://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/Advocacy/Federal/coding/OT-Practice-Framework-Table-2-Client-Factors-Table-3-Performance-Skills.pdf

This chart provides occupational therapists a framework in identifying numerous client factors that may affect the treatment plan or effectiveness.  The chart is broken into three categories of factors: values, beliefs, and spirituality, body functions, and body structures that reside within the client that influence the client’s performance in occupations.  Within each category, these factors are broken up and specified in a way that makes it easy for the therapist to gauge a patient’s level in each category.  The values, beliefs, and spirituality portion serves as a helpful tool in establishing a patient’s cultural background and what types of treatment they are comfortable with.  This table is very helpful in evaluating all aspects of a patient and humanizing them instead of focusing solely on the issue the therapist needs to fix.  This would help occupational therapists treat their patients in the best way possible.