Occupational therapy's value in provision of quality care to prevent readmissions

Abstract

Health care systems are prioritizing the quality of outcomes over the quantity of services provided, and health care payers and other stakeholders are focusing on preventing hospital readmissions. This priority supports the effort to reduce the cost of health care by avoiding the most expensive care type and improving the quality of health care by promoting sustained return to the community and remaining in the community. Occupational therapy practitioners have expertise that is critically important in this effort. Occupational therapy places a unique and immediate focus on patients' functional and social needs, which can be important drivers of readmissions if they are not addressed. By addressing activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, functional cognition, psychosocial needs, vision, fear of falling, and safety, occupational therapy practitioners can be a valuable addition to the effort to keep people out of the hospital and participating in their lives. This article reviews the literature supporting the role of occupational therapy in each of these key areas.