| Abstract: | The present study was designed to examine current practices in home health care among occupational therapists in the United States of America treating patients who have had a stroke. On any given day an estimated 1 237 100 patients receive home health care in the USA. This makes home health care a rapidly expanding industry of the 1990s. One of the most significant populations with whom occupational therapists work are patients who have had a stroke. General guidelines for occupational therapists working in home health care include: environmental safety, motor coordination, sensory deficits, perception, cognition, ADL/IADL, and leisure activities. Two hundred surveys were sent to registered occupational therapists working in home health care in the Midwestern region of the USA. Forty-three of the returned surveys were used in the data analysis. The results indicated that therapists are utilising an adaptive approach to treatment techniques within an eclectic frame of reference. Remedial techniques, such as Neurodevelopmental Therapy (NDT), were used often by therapists. The results also indicated that the most frequently used evaluations were standardised tests. Non-reimbursement of services was found to be a result of the patients' insurance not covering occupational therapy services. Further research regarding psychosocial issues with this population in home health care was indicated. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd. |
