MEDICINE

Occupational Therapist's Role within Generic Community Mental Health Team

Occupational Therapist's Role within Generic Community Mental Health Team

Culverhouse & Bibby, (2008), “Occupational therapy and care coordination: the challenges faced by occupational therapist in community mental health settings”, British Journal of Occupational Therapy

Summary of Article

This article conceived by Culverhouse and Bibby discusses the challenges occupational therapists face within community health settings for mental treatment with regard to the coordination of care in occupational therapy. The article goes on to stress the fact that there has been perpetual debate regarding the role that occupational therapists face in mental health facilities. The purpose of this article is to point to the fact that occupational therapists must look to engage in profession-related work. The study also makes use of case studies and views of the therapists that have been serving in the profession for more than 10 years.

In the year 1991, the Department of Health presented the Care Program Approach which was to serve as a guideline for achieving effectiveness in mental health care in the United Kingdom. The government of the time confirmed that it would be committed toward the successful implementation of this within the Effective Care Coordination. In addition, the government also announced that every individual qualifying as eligible for mental health care would be assigned a care coordinator as per the framework. Upon review of evidence, it was found that occupational therapists serving community mental health facilities and other specialized health centers have been operating a number of varying manners. These forms of operation fell within the ECC framework assigned by the government. Of these methods, three stood out which are;

Therapists serving as care coordinators to all the patients that were present in their caseloads

Therapist were undertaking complete responsibility for occupational therapy interventions with another individual assuming the duties of a care coordinator

Therapists resorting to distributing workload in a manner that make use of the aforementioned techniques to work

Based on the experiences of the authors of this article (both used the distribution of workload method of work, the need for such a discussion was felt that would take into consideration the care coordination method and profession-related role approach.

It is well-documented that occupational therapists face a number of challenges when working as care coordinators. One such example was that of a service user at the College of Occupational Therapist who stated that there exists a conflict in the roles of a care coordinator and an occupational therapist. It is the duty of the care coordinator to force the health professional to take into consideration relevant aspects of a patient's circumstance. These include medicine, legal and criminal issues, symptomology and misuse of illicit substances. However, the view of occupational therapy philosophy aims at the strengths of the patient and the willing and potential required to function in an optimum manner. On a number of occasions, occupational rehabilitation has been witnessed to be successful even though there have been a variety of problems. Occupational therapists, by employing the profession-related approach to work, ...