Occupational therapy utilisation of apps in practice in the United States

The purpose of this cross-sectional research study was to explore the use of apps by occupational therapy practitioners in the United States to gain a more complete overview of utilisation and perceived effectiveness, and assess trends by population served, practice setting, occupation addressed, and client deficit.

For this cross-sectional study, 160 self-identified occupational therapy practitioners, 126 occupational therapists and 34 occupational therapy assistants, recruited through snowball sampling on social media participated in this 26-question survey available for two weeks online. Data analysis was conducted through SurveyMonkey and SPSS version 26.

The majority of respondents (71.9%) reported that they have used apps in practice, most frequently as treatment modalities (84.3%) and as recommendations (71.9%) for clients. Likewise, most respondents who reported using apps considered apps to be as effective (70.5%) or better than (27.3%) traditional practice methods. Use of apps was significantly associated with practice setting X²(9, N = 160) = 46.437, p < .001.

Occupational therapists are using apps with clients of all age groups, and these apps are being used in all phases of the occupational therapy process. Apps are available that address all eight areas of occupation, and apps are perceived to be as effective or better than traditional occupational therapy interventions.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILIATIONThe majority of occupational therapy practitioners surveyed are using apps in practice.Most therapists are being provided devices by employers that support app use in practice.Neuromusculoskeletal and movement related functions and mental functions related to cognition are the primary client impairments therapists are addressing when using apps.Lack of app knowledge and familiarity with apps were the leading barriers to app use in practice.