AOTA

Earn CE Credit With AJOT Articles!

Learn about tested treatment strategies by reading AJOT articles in your area of practice. Become an evidence-based practitioner and demonstrate your knowledge by passing the course exam.  Articles have been selected for their relevance to practice, fresh ideas, and strong evidence supporting treatment and the distinct value of OT.

Abstract:

Occupational therapy practitioners enable clients to improve performance in everyday occupations. As health care reform precipitates changes across health care service organizations, occupational therapy professionals must seize the opportunity to apply their unique skills and perspective to meet the changing needs of clients and other stakeholders. In this article, we explore the role and distinct value of occupational therapy practitioners in one area of changing need: medication management. We find that occupational therapy practitioners have unique skills that complement the factors affecting medication nonadherence and evidence based interventions. With reforms to research, teaching, and practice, occupational therapy practitioners can better integrate medication management into regular evaluation and treatment, thereby contributing to broader patient outcomes defined by the Affordable Care Act.

Learning Objectives:

Following this course, the learner will be able to:

1)  Understand the importance of medication management, relationship to health care reform and opportunities for the profession of occupational therapy

2)  Describe factors that can negatively impact medication adherence for individuals and populations and identify OT interventions that can help

3)  Discuss occupational therapy’s distinct value, roles and challenges pertaining to medication management for individuals and populations 

Authors:

Jaclyn K. Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami; jaclyn.schwartz@fiu.edu

Roger O. Smith, PhD, OT, FAOTA, RESNA Fellow, is Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Technology, College of Health Sciences, and Director, Rehabilitation Research Design and Disability Center, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Exam questions for this course authored by Marie Morreale, OTR/L, CHT

Learning Level: Intermediate

Target Audience: Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants

Content Focus: Category 1: Domain of OT; Category 2: OT Process: Intervention

Reference Information:

Schwartz, J. K., & Smith, R. O. (2017). The Issue Is—Integration of medication management into occupational therapy practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71, 7104360010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.015032