What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy emphasizes self-management; being in charge of one’s life and managing one’s condition, instead of being managed by that condition. We help clients to understand their condition and take responsibility for their health by learning specific health-management skills to manage the chronic condition. Occupational therapy practitioners look at barriers that prevent clients from integrating health management tasks successfully into their daily routines in a way that fits with existing routines and patterns.
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My favorite quote is “Occupational therapy practitioners ask, “What matters to you?” not, “What’s the matter with you?” (Virginia “Ginny” Stoffel, PhD, OT, BCMH, FAOTA, past president AOTA). This emphasizes Occupational Therapy's client-centered focus and holistic perspective to lifestyle/behavior change.
Health Coach
Health Coaches engage patients and encourage them to take an active role in their health by providing them with the tools necessary to make healthy lifestyle choices and adopt lifelong healthy behaviors. Health coaching is the use of evidence-based skillful conversation, clinical strategies, and interventions to actively and safely engage clients in health behavior change to better self-manage their health, health risk(s), and acute or chronic health conditions resulting in optimal wellness, improved health outcomes, lowered health risk, and decreased health care costs (Huffman & Miller, 2015).
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Who is a Certified Hand Therapist?
A Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) is an Occupational therapist or Physical therapist who has a minimum of three years of clinical experience, including 4,000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy. In addition, the Certified Hand Therapist has successfully passed a comprehensive test of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper quarter rehabilitation. Because of changes in the profession, every CHT is required to demonstrate continued professional development and competency by recertifying every five years. There are approximately 7000 CHT in the world.
A hand and upper extremity therapy specialist provides:
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Accurate assessments, immediate care and effective treatment to reduce treatment time
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A continuum of care eliminating the need for multiple medical providers
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Faster recovery results in decreased medical costs
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Functional outcomes ensuring a faster return to work and productive lifestyle
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The most comprehensive care for their patients
Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE)
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A Baseline FCE tests the overall physical demands of gainful employment.
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A Job Specific FCE compares functional abilities to the physical demands of a job.
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A Physical Residual FCE supports Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) FCE. This test is designed as a shortened functional capacity evaluation that specifically meets the needs of SSDI and SSI FCEs.