Paediatricots: Utilisation of an Australian list serve to support occupational therapists working with children

The development of list serves has enabled occupational therapists working in a range of practice settings and geographical locations to share information and provide each other with professional support. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the nature of communications occurring on the Paediatricots list serve, and determine whether topics and issues raised were congruent with current practice trends for therapists working with children.

A content analysis was undertaken of all archived Paediatricots emails sent between 1 June 2003 and 31 May 2004, using the previous Yahoo paediatricots group. The group is now maintained by the NSW Department of Health.

A total of 2104 postings were made to Paediatricots during the 12-month period. These postings addressed a wide range of issues; however, the majority were of a clinical nature related to day-to-day practice. The focus of these communications was mainly on the performance components of children's skills, with less emphasis on task demands, environmental factors and practice approaches.

The variety of issues raised, coupled with high membership levels and reciprocity rates, suggests that Paediatricots is providing a valuable professional resource for occupational therapists. Members appear to predominantly utilise the list serve to address day-to-day practice issues, particularly concerning performance components impacting on children's occupations. The facility also served to support organisational and professional development needs.