Abstract
This presentation will describe examination of the impact of OT services for former refugees who now reside in one community in the US. Goal Attainment Scaling was used to track personalized outcomes in independent living skills over a period of three years with 88 cases. Areas addressed include nonmedical issues as well as problems caused by physical disabilities or mental-health concerns. Data collected demonstrates clinical significance across intervention areas.
Primary Author and Speaker: Yda Smith
Refugees fortunate enough to be relocated to a third country can face tremendous difficulty learning to adapt to their new environment. Services are provided by resettlement agencies but a large number of former refugees struggle to learn the wide array of new life skills that are required for successful participation in what matters to them (Huot, Kelly, & Park, 2016; Smith, 2016). Occupational therapy is a discipline well suited to address this problem but little evidence exists of its impact when working with this population. This presentation will describe outcomes of a study that examined the impact of occupational therapy services addressing life skills training, provided by occupational therapy students under the supervision of an occupational therapist, for former refugees who now reside in one community in the United States.
Data were collected by retrospectively examining weekly occupational therapy SOAP notes that included goals and the weekly tracking of outcomes in goal areas.
Goal Attainment Scaling was used to track personalized outcomes in activities of daily living and independent living skills over a period of three years with 88 cases (Ottenbacher & Cusick, 1990; Schaaf, 2015). Many were newly arrived and others had been in the United States for several years. The vast majority were adults but several children were included as well. Areas addressed include non-medical issues as well as barriers to participation in occupations caused by physical disabilities or mental health concerns. Occupational therapy students provide intervention strategies that are designed to help former refugees adjust to life in their new context, increase independence in valued occupations, and improve quality of life. Common goal areas include use of public transportation, medication management, keeping track of appointments, health system navigation, managing health issues (diabetes, high blood pressure…), money management, household maintenance, sleep hygiene, leisure activity exploration and participation in other meaningful occupations.
For analysis, all participants were de-identified. Demographic and goal attainment data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Clinical significance is demonstrated across intervention areas. Moderating factors such as number of visits and area of intervention will be described. It is clear from this data that occupational therapy can make a significant contribution to current resettlement services increasing independence for former refugees in participation in meaningful occupations. Evidence of this kind can be used to advocate for occupational therapy services for this population with refugee resettlement agencies.
Huot, S., Kelly, E.H., & Park, S.J. (2016). Occupational experiences of forced migrants: A scoping review. Australian occupational therapy journal, 63 3, 186-205. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12261
Ottenbacher, K. J., & Cusick, A. (1990). Goal attainment scaling as a method of clinical service evaluation. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 44(6), 519-525. doi: 10.5014/ajot.44.6.519
Schaaf, R. C. (2015). Creating evidence for practice using data-driven decision making. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (2) 1-6. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2015.010561
Smith, Y.J. (2016). Fostering Cultural Awareness through Fieldwork with People from a Refugee Background, in S. Wells, R. Black, & J. Gupta (Eds.), Culture & Occupation (3rd Edition) (pp. 333-343). Bethesda, MD: AOTA.