The Occupational Therapists’ Role with the Injured Worker

In past blogs we have identified numerous roles that Physical Therapists can play in the occupational health and workers’ compensation industries. In addition to physical therapy, many injured workers could benefit from a multidisciplinary approach, including assessment and interventions provided by an Occupational Therapist. Occupational Therapists are health care professionals with similar levels of education and training as Physical Therapists, and are particularly skilled in helping individuals adapt to injuries, illnesses and disabilities, and improve their overall quality of life. This training makes them highly qualified to assist in returninginjured workers back to work safely and effectively.

In 2021, Results Physiotherapy became a part of Upstream Rehabilitation and their family of brands, becoming the largest outpatient therapy provider in the United States with over 1,100 clinics across the country. This partnership has added many new services, including many locations with occupational therapists on staff or in leadership roles. Pam Tutten, OTD, OT, CHT is a Clinic Director and Senior Therapist in the Raleigh, NC market for Benchmark Physical Therapy. Pam had this to say about the Occupational Therapist’s role with the injured worker, “As an OT, working with the injured worker exemplifies the root of my profession. My goal is to improve the occupational performance of the injured worker through the use of graded activity, adaptive equipment or technique, and psychosocial strategy. Returning the injured worker to full performance requires an evidence-based approach and a holistic view of the person, including their roles, skills, and routines.”

In 2011, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) developed a position statement to provide external audiences information about OT in work programs. The document outlines the scope that OT encompasses for evaluation and intervention of injured workers.

As part of their evaluation, an Occupational Therapist can:

• Perform a job analyses to identify activity demands and possibilities for assistive technologies, job adaptations or work accommodations
• They can evaluate work and productive tasks including work routines, tools and equipment, ergonomics, and accessibility
• They can evaluate work organizational culture, including psychological and social factors, productivity expectations, job requirements both internal and external to the organization, and regulatory issues
• They can assess the client’s social and communication skills, functional abilities, potential for improvement, need for adaptation, compensation or occupational change
• They can assess the client’s vocational aptitudes and interests for transitions from school to work or work to retirement

Occupational therapy interventions can include:

• Education for health, safety and injury prevention, body mechanics posture, joint protection, ergonomics, symptom awareness, stress and pain management, and strategies to enhance productive abilities
• Adaptations to work activities, the work environment, and work demands including the use of assistive technologies
• Strategies to improve social communication, emotional regulation, and coping skills
• Strategies to improve foundational work behaviors and work skills
• The development of programs like work conditioning that incorporate graded activity, simulated activity, and work trials to allow for the gradual return to work after an illness or injury
• The development of occupational activities to develop, increase or improve productive work behaviors and skills

Occupational Therapists along with Physical Therapists can and should play an important role in the care for and prevention of workplace injuries. Finding a good Occupational Therapist when available can ensure injured workers are returning back to work safely or assist in programs that can help prevent workers from being injured.

To request more information about occupational therapy, please reach out to our Workers’ Comp team at https://resultspt.com/request-info

• “Occupational Therapy Services in Facilitating Work Performance.” American Occupational Therapy Association, Oxford University Press, 1 Nov. 2011, https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/65/6_Supplement/S55/5618/Occupational-Therapy-Services-in-Facilitating-Work?redirectedFrom=PDF.