Hi Ron,
Thanks for reading the Model Definition of Occupational Therapy
Practice for the AOTA Model Practice Act which was published in the
March 3, 2004 issue of OT practice and is available online at:
http://www.aota.org/members/area6/links/link92.asp?PLACE=/members/area6/links/link92.asp
(I'll paste it below as well).
Here is some background from the AOTA President's Report:
In 2003 the Representative Assembly (RA) charged the President and the
Speaker to ensure that core documents reflect consistency with the
Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. The Definition of Occupational
Therapy Practice for the AOTA Model Practice Act is used by legislators
and regulators to define occupational therapy practice in state law. A
cross-functional team of AOTA staff met over a period of 6 months to
draft a revised definition. The draft was sent to a broad spectrum of
stakeholders for review and comment, including state regulatory boards
and councils, educators, state association presidents, RA
representatives, and Board members. Stakeholder comments were integrated
into the revised definition. The revised definition will replace the
current definition in the AOTA Model Practice Act and will be
distributed to state regulatory boards, state associations, and other
interested parties.
**********
I can appreciate your comments, staff prepare and edited 13 version of
the document and it is not final yet, so your suggestions are welcome.
I think one thing to keep in mind is that this model definition is for
state statute/regulation. In my view the top section of the definition
applies to the rest of the definition. You mention PAMs. In my view
the occupation context would apply to OT's use of modalities. The other
thing that must be considered is how this will be used. Other
professions and payers look to state practice acts to determine in a
certain practice is in the scope of practice or not (or whether or not
it will be covered when provided by an OT, ie orthotics). Whatever you
think about PAMs, the fact is that some OTs use modalities and they
should be mentioned in the definition for state regulation.
We published the definition in OT Practice so that all members could
review it and provide feedback to their Representative Assembly members.
I encourage you and other members of the OTnowlist that are AOTA
members to do the same. This is a proposed draft definition that will
be considered at AOTA Annual Meeting in May 2004.
Chuck Willmarth
Manager, State Affairs
AOTA
***************************************************************
Definition of Occupational Therapy Practice for the AOTA Model Practice
Act
**************************************************************
Draft Draft Draft Draft Draft Draft
The practice of occupational therapy means the therapeutic use of
everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or groups for
the purpose of participation in roles and situations in home, school,
workplace, community, and other settings. Occupational therapy services
are provided to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness,
injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity
limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational therapy addresses
the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of
performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday
life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.
The practice of occupational therapy includes:
A. Methods such as:
1. Establishment, remediation, or restoration of a skill or ability
that has not yet developed or is impaired.
2. Compensation, modification, or adaptation of activity or environment
to enhance performance.
3. Maintenance and enhancement of capabilities without which
performance in everyday life activities would decline.
4. Health and wellness promotion to enable or enhance performance in
everyday life activities.
5. Prevention of barriers to performance, including disability
prevention.
B. Evaluation of factors affecting activities of daily living (ADL),
instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), education, work, play,
leisure, and social participation, including:
1. Client factors, including body functions (e.g., neuromuscular,
sensory, visual, perceptual, cognitive) and body structures (e.g.,
cardiovascular, digestive, integumentary systems).
2. Habits, routines, roles, and behavior patterns.
3. Cultural, physical, environmental, social, and spiritual contexts
and activity demands that affect performance.
4. Performance skills, including motor, process, and
communication/interaction skills.
C. Interventions and procedures to promote or enhance safety and
performance in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities
of daily living (IADL), education, work, play, leisure, and social
participation, including:
1. Therapeutic use of occupations, exercises, and activities.
2. Training in self-care, self-management, home management, and
community/work reintegration.
3. Development, remediation, or compensation of physical, cognitive,
neuromuscular, and behavioral skills.
4. Therapeutic use of self, including one's personality, insights,
perceptions, and judgments, as part of the therapeutic process.
5. Education and training of individuals, including family members,
caregivers, and others.
6. Care coordination, case management, and transition services.
7. Consultative services to groups, programs, organizations, or
communities.
8. Modification of environments (home, work, school, or community) and
adaptation of processes, including the application of ergonomic
principles.
9. Assessment, design, fabrication, application, fitting, and training
in assistive technology, adaptive devices, and orthotic devices, and
training in the use of prosthetic devices.
10. Assessment, recommendation, and training in techniques to enhance
mobility, including wheelchair management and adaptive driving.
11. Management of feeding, eating, and swallowing to enable eating and
feeding performance.
12. Application of physical agent modalities, and use of a range of
specific therapeutic procedures (e.g., wound care management; techniques
to enhance sensory, perceptual, and cognitive processing; manual therapy
techniques) to enhance performance skills.
**** END DRAFT *****
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 3/24/2004 12:10:47 PM >>>
Hello All:
I was reading over AOTA's proposed Model Practice Act. I am
really
disappointed in the act because it seems so dang confusing.
The first sentence of the Act states:
"The practice of occupational therapy means the therapeutic
use of
everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or
groups for
the purpose of participation in roles and situations in home,
school,
workplace, community, and other settings."
The Act then goes on to describe a whole host of:
"Interventions and procedures to promote or enhance safety
and
performance in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental
activities
of daily living (IADL), education, work, play, leisure, and
social
participation, including"...
These interventions are pretty inclusive of the things that OT's do.
This whole thing is confusing because on one hand the act says that
we are
about "the therapeutic use of everyday life activities" but then it
ends with
things like PAMs.
So which is it??? Are we about therapeutic use of occupations or
about the
treatments that are supposed to facilitate engagement in occupations.?
If you are an AOTA member, you may read the proposed practice act
online at:
http://www.aota.org/members/area4/links/link02C.asp
Ron
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