Education and Perceptions of Post-Therapy Maintenance Programs in Long-Term Care: A mixed Methods Exploratory Study

Background Occupational therapists develop maintenance programs (MPs) for long-term care (LTC) residents to optimize participation in everyday activities. The purpose of this study was to examine nursing professional attitudes and knowledge of MPs and to evaluate the effectiveness of an occupational...

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Published inThe open journal of occupational therapy Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 1 - 11
Main Authors Novak, Laura S, Jewell, Vanessa D, Gerg, Michael, Thinnes, Andrea
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kalamazoo Western Michigan University, Department of Occupational Therapy 22.03.2023
Western Michigan University
Subjects
Attitudes
Long term health care
Long-term care of the sick
Methods
Mixed methods research
Nurses
Nursing
Nursing homes
Occupational therapy
Political aspects
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Summary:Background Occupational therapists develop maintenance programs (MPs) for long-term care (LTC) residents to optimize participation in everyday activities. The purpose of this study was to examine nursing professional attitudes and knowledge of MPs and to evaluate the effectiveness of an occupational therapist-led in-service. Method Nursing staff (n = 20) attended the in-service, completed a pre and posttest, and completed interviews (n = 5). We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods design with a one-group quasi-experimental design for the quantitative portion and a descriptive qualitative approach for the interviews. Results: The results indicated significantly increased knowledge regarding MPs, use of the MPs, and overall perception of nursing management support (p < 0.05). Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed four themes: MPs promote resident independence, perceived multiple barriers prevent implementation, the need for increased staff training and communication, and positive interdisciplinary MP communication. Conclusion: Preliminary data indicated that therapists-led educational sessions may have a positive impact on nursing staff knowledge and perceptions of MPs. However, future programming to develop training to overcome barriers of MP implementation is needed. Keywords functional decline, long-term care, maintenance programs, nursing facility, rehabilitation
ISSN:2168-6408
2168-6408
DOI:10.15453/2168-6408.2004