Healthcare transition practices of occupational therapists in South African public healthcare

African Journal of Disability

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Healthcare transition practices of occupational therapists in South African public healthcare
 
Creator Hoosen, Ilhaam Breytenbach, Fiona van der Linde, Janine
 
Subject occupational therapy; adolescent health healthcare transition; adolescence; occupational therapy; paediatric to adult healthcare; HCT
Description Background: Healthcare transition (HCT), the process of transitioning an adolescent from paediatric- to adult-oriented care, is vital for improving the long-term health of adolescents with chronic conditions. The role of occupational therapy in HCT has not been well-researched. Effective HCT practices are necessary to ensure that adolescents have access to coordinated, optimal and uninterrupted occupational therapy services throughout this period of development.Objectives: This study describes occupational therapists’ self-perceived knowledge of HCT within the context of South African public health facilities, the HCT practices used, and the factors that promote or hinder the success of HCT within this context.Method: The study utilised a quantitative, non-experimental and descriptive cross-sectional design. Simple convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants via professional databases and social media forums. An online survey was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and simple content analysis were used to analyse the information.Results: This study identifies limitations in the knowledge and practical implementation of HCT within South African occupational therapy practice. Healthcare transition is characterised by inadequate use of policies, insufficient transition preparation and poor outcome measurements.Conclusion: There is a need for the development of training programmes and practice guidelines to optimise and support HCT implementation within South African occupational therapy practice.Contribution: This study provides novel data on HCT practices utilised by occupational therapists in South African public health facilities. This study has potential use for the development of effective HCT programmes that can improve the functional outcomes of South African adolescents. 
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2024-08-29
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional study
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1413
 
Source African Journal of Disability; Vol 13 (2024); 14 pages 2226-7220 2223-9170
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1413/2827 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1413/2828 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1413/2829 https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1413/2830
 
Coverage South Africa; Africa 2022-2023 Occupational therapists; public healthcare workers
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Ilhaam Hoosen, Fiona Breytenbach, Janine van der Linde https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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