Occupational Therapy Interventions and Outcomes in United States' Early Intervention in Psychosis Programs: A Mixed Methods Survey Study.

Abstract

Young adults experiencing psychosis are at high risk for disengagement from their daily lives. Occupational therapy (OT) services play an important role in fostering participation, yet their intervention efficacy in Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) remains poorly understood. To determine the commonly utilized OT interventions and measurement tools that require further research to determine their efficacy and effectiveness. Cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey study. Quantitative descriptive statistics were completed on Microsoft Excel and qualitative thematic analysis was completed by two researchers using Dedoose. Online survey. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) working on EIP programs in the United States were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The survey consisted of 24 closed and open-ended questions assessing use of interventions, outcomes tracked, and measurement tools. Study had 21 respondents. The most frequent interventions were self-regulation and activities of daily living (ADL). Self-regulation interventions were overwhelmingly sensory-based. Most commonly reported outcome measure was observation of participation in occupations. This study confirms the use of sensory and ADL-based interventions by OTPs in EIP programs. Findings suggest a strong sense of the role of OT within EIP as intervention use is relatively consistent across programs and focuses on client-centered, occupation-based interventions. Outcome tracking and quality improvement were gaps as most OTPs are not using standardized methods or not performing this. Additional study is required to determine the efficacy of commonly used interventions and to improve outcome measurement methods in EIP programs. Occupational therapy is an undervalued profession on teams that provide services to young adults dealing with the onset of a psychotic illness. This study is the first of many needed to demonstrate the impact OT services can have on the outcomes of the young adults who receive care for their psychotic illness. This study identifies what OT interventions are common, and what outcomes OT professionals track to determine their services' impact on these mental health care teams. These results will help to build the needed research on how helpful these common interventions are for young adults facing psychotic illnesses.