Skip to main content

What is the OTPF?

   The OTPF, which stands for Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, is one of the major tools that OTs utilize today. It summarizes all of the most important ideas that guide OT practice, identifies the scope of practice for OT, and gives OTs a common language to improve communication within the field. The OTPF highlights domains of concern, or areas that OTs are concerned about and address.  All of these domains influence how a client might perform their occupations, or daily meaningful activities. We usually don't even think about most occupations that we perform on a daily basis unless they are taken away or there is a barrier that makes completing that occupation more difficult. The OTPF guides OTs in their evaluation, intervention, and assessing outcomes of patients with the overarching goal of "supporting health and participation in life through engagement in occupation."


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Aging and Sexual Health Lecture

While we have had a few lectures previously in occupational therapy school on the topic of sexual health, we had not had one that was as in-depth and focused on aging until this lecture. I think that the fact that this area is in the scope of practice of OT emphasizes the holistic view that occupational therapists take on their clients. There are very few other healthcare professionals that will address this topic with their clients, and while it might be a little difficult or awkward to discuss, I think it is very powerful that OTs can help clients in this area of their lives. One of the main things that I took away from this lecture was that sexual activity is beneficial for reducing stress, improving sleep, can boost immune system function and lifespan, and can also produce higher levels of cognitive functioning. When there are disruptions in this area of someone’s life, it can be difficult for them to reach out for help. However, sexual health is a key component i...

Me Before You

The movie Me Before You, available to stream on Amazon Video, follows a young man's journey after a devastating spinal cord injury. I chose this movie because I remembered seeing it when it came out a few years ago, but wanted to see this portrayal of life with a spinal cord injury through my "OT lens." I have learned a great deal about SCI since starting OT school, and I was curious to see what new things I noticed that I did not see when I watched the movie the first time. Will Trainer led a very active and spirited lifestyle before he was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the street one rainy day. I didn't catch if they said his exact injury level, there were a few inconsistencies that make it hard to say. Will was unable to feed himself, which would mean his injury level was at or above C5. However, he was unable to use his shoulders and arms at all (which would be C1-C4), yet able to use a power wheelchair by use of one hand (C8). They mentioned in the movie th...

Children's Hand Skills Framework (CHSF)- OT Theory

The Children's Hand Skills Framework is a conceptual tool used to describe and analyze children's hand skills during assessment and intervention. The CHSF divides hand skills into 6 categories, based on the extent to which their hands are in contact with objects or parts of the body or not. These categories include manual gesture and body contact; these two categories do not involve contact with a specific object. The next categories are object-related hand skills, adaptive skilled hand use, bimanual use. The final category is general quality of hand use skills, such as accuracy or pace of children's hand skills. The population targeted with this theory, as indicated by the title, is children, and involves any diagnosis. Hand skills adequate enough to enable children to participate in daily occupations are considered functional in this framework. Object-related hand skills include actions such as reaching, turning/rotating, throwing, or catching an object. Adaptive skilled ...