Occupational therapy interventions for adults with learning disabilities: evaluating referrals received pre and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic

Intervenções da terapia ocupacional para adultos com dificuldades de aprendizagem: avaliando os encaminhamentos recebidos antes e durante o pico da pandemia pelo COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on service provision for adults who have a learning disability, resulting in reduced occupational activities, routine, and social contact.

Objective

To analyse referrals received for Occupational Therapy intervention for adults who have a learning disability pre-COVID-19 (2019) and during COVID-19 (2020).

Method

This is a descriptive study conducted as a service evaluation with an NHS Trust Clinical Effectiveness Team in a city in the North of England. The data source was obtained from referral documentation. Quantitative and qualitative data were extracted from a data Performa and analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, and standard deviation) performed by the Software Microsoft Excel.

Results

The total number of cases used in this evaluation was 274. There was an increase in referrals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the greatest increase was for Occupational Therapy intervention focusing on engagement in meaningful occupation. Over both years the predominant referrals were for equipment reviews.

Conclusion

Data collected captures a broad range of information regarding Occupational Therapy service provision pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic and puts this in the context of future considerations regarding the Occupational Therapy services for adults who have a learning disability.

Keywords:
Learning Disabilities; Delivery of Health Care; Evaluation Study; Occupational Therapy; COVID-19