Database of Health Workforce Innovations

659

Title

The role of occupational therapists in the contexts of a natural disaster: a scoping review

Brief Description of Challenge

The people affected by a disaster may not only sustain physical injuries (e.g. burns, amputation and brain injuries) but also psychological distress (e.g. anxiety, fear and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]), which sometimes lasts longer than physical injuries.[6] To relieve this damage, the role of rehabilitation has been acknowledged and research has supported the use of rehabilitation across the spectrum of a disaster

Brief Description of Innovation

Who-Occupational therapists involved in disaster relief
What- A study comparing the roles of OT's as part of disaster relief teams (consideration of psychological distress, co-ordination of OT's with various organisations, Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) approach)
When- disasters during the years 2000-2014
Where- internationally
How- This review revealed six roles in preparedness (i.e. design plans, assess risks and resources, educate on the evacuation of people with disabilities, obtain sufficient knowledge about disaster management and functions of key organisations, inform stakeholders and the public about OTs’ capacity and partner with agencies and organisations), three roles in emergency response (i.e. implement OT clinical practise, assess resources available and educate first responders) and three roles in the recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction stage of a disaster (i.e. implement OT clinical practise, educate first responders and build OTs’ capacity

Innovation – Increase Numbers

Innovation – Increase Flexibility

New roles
Expanded roles

Innovation – Increase Availability

Worker

Occupational Therapists

Task/Skill

Training / Retraining

Brief Description of Setting

Natural disasters responses from 2000-2014 that involved occupational therapists

Setting - Organization

Critical Care
Emergency Medical Services

Setting - Geography

Facilitators

The incorporation of OT's into existing relief projects/ aid systems

Barriers

Lack of specific OT awareness and capacity of disaster management as a clinicians

Impact / Evaluation

Jeong, Y., Law, M., DeMatteo, C., Stratford, P., & Kim, H. (2015). The role of occupational therapists in the contexts of a natural disaster: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 38(16), 1620–1631.

Link

https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2015.1106597

Contact

Yunwha Jeong

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Organization

Institute for Applied Health Sciences, McMaster University

Phone Number

Country

Expert Assessment – Impact

Assessed Risk - Workers

Assessed Risk - System

Assessed Risk – Patients

Expert Assessment – Confidence

Language

English

Type

Published Literature

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