Occupational Therapists as Responders in Disaster Management
Event Type
Presentation
Start Date
12-1-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
12-1-2020 12:00 PM
Description
Purpose: The quantitative study explored the awareness, participation in disaster management stages, training, relationship of practice settings to likelihood of responding, and difference between occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) likelihood of responding in each stage of disaster management.
Method: A Healthcare Practitioner Disaster Management Questionnaire was used via REDCap survey system to survey licensed OTs and licensed OTAs actively practicing in the state of Florida. Data were collected through convenience sampling through the Florida Department of Health public portal download. A review of personal and professional demographic descriptive data indicated the 282 OTs and 115 OTAs responded similarly.
Results: Goodness of fit tests indicated that the study population was similar to the AOTA workforce population for median age but not practice setting or median years of practice. A chi-square test indicated participants were not aware of opportunities to participate in disaster management stages. A descriptive analysis review found OTs and OTAs lack involvement in disaster management stages. A descriptive analysis identified a limited number of practitioners received training to enable participation in the stages of disaster management. The results from Mann-Whitney U analyses suggested OTAs are more likely than OTs to respond to different types of disasters. Eta squared statistics for OTs and OTAs indicated no relationship between practice setting and likelihood of responding to disasters.
Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that OT practitioners have the capability to respond within the different stages of disaster management, however, there is a lack of training and involvement in disaster response. This study contributes to the literature in occupational therapy to increase awareness of the lack of knowledge, training, and involvement of occupational therapists in the disaster management stages. Hopefully, this study provides a wake-up call to educators of the need to provide knowledge of disaster management in the training of new OT practitioners, continuing education providers of the need to offer disaster management training to practicing therapists, and all OT practitioners of the need to be involved in the health and welfare of people and communities they live in as well as around the world.
Recommended Citation
Estes, R. I., Bing, N. J., Byrne, M. E., Delgado, G. M., Eady, J. S., Hollywood, K. E., & Kopp, A. B. (2020), Occupational Therapists as Responders in Disaster Management, Presentation, Seventh Annual Research Colloquium, https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ot_colloquium/seventh/events/2
Occupational Therapists as Responders in Disaster Management
Purpose: The quantitative study explored the awareness, participation in disaster management stages, training, relationship of practice settings to likelihood of responding, and difference between occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) likelihood of responding in each stage of disaster management.
Method: A Healthcare Practitioner Disaster Management Questionnaire was used via REDCap survey system to survey licensed OTs and licensed OTAs actively practicing in the state of Florida. Data were collected through convenience sampling through the Florida Department of Health public portal download. A review of personal and professional demographic descriptive data indicated the 282 OTs and 115 OTAs responded similarly.
Results: Goodness of fit tests indicated that the study population was similar to the AOTA workforce population for median age but not practice setting or median years of practice. A chi-square test indicated participants were not aware of opportunities to participate in disaster management stages. A descriptive analysis review found OTs and OTAs lack involvement in disaster management stages. A descriptive analysis identified a limited number of practitioners received training to enable participation in the stages of disaster management. The results from Mann-Whitney U analyses suggested OTAs are more likely than OTs to respond to different types of disasters. Eta squared statistics for OTs and OTAs indicated no relationship between practice setting and likelihood of responding to disasters.
Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that OT practitioners have the capability to respond within the different stages of disaster management, however, there is a lack of training and involvement in disaster response. This study contributes to the literature in occupational therapy to increase awareness of the lack of knowledge, training, and involvement of occupational therapists in the disaster management stages. Hopefully, this study provides a wake-up call to educators of the need to provide knowledge of disaster management in the training of new OT practitioners, continuing education providers of the need to offer disaster management training to practicing therapists, and all OT practitioners of the need to be involved in the health and welfare of people and communities they live in as well as around the world.