Evaluation of occupational therapy interventions for elderly patients in Swedish acute care: a pilot study

The aim was to evaluate whether occupational therapy interventions in acute care could improve the elderly patient's perception of ability to manage at home after discharge. A pilot study was performed, including 22 patients in the experimental group and 19 in the control group. Occupational therapy interventions were conducted in the experimental group concerning personal care, information, prescription of assistive devices, planning of discharge, and reporting to primary care or community care. The control group was given no occupational therapy interventions. Structured interviews were performed on discharge and at a follow-up in about 14 weeks after discharge. The two groups were comparable concerning gender, age, days of care, and diagnoses. Patients in the experimental group scored lower on mental health and were more anxious on discharge. However, there was no difference between the groups in managing at home after discharge. Patients in the control group had greater need of further contacts with healthcare after discharge. Due to the small sample interpretations must be made with caution. The findings indicate that occupational therapy interventions in acute care might have a positive effect from the perspective of the elderly patient. These results need to be confirmed in a larger study.