Interprofessional Collaboration Between Nurses and Occupational Therapists Enhances Independence and Reduces...

The prospective, historically controlled study evaluated whether a collaborative practice (CP) model between nurses and occupational therapists improves activities of daily living (ADLs) and reduces the use of disposable absorbent products and physical restraints in hospitalized older patients.

Data from the historical control group (n = 72), who received usual care, were collected from medical records, and the intervention group (n = 46), who participated in the CP-based intervention, was recruited in a community-based care ward in a regional hospital. The CP model was designed to facilitate collaborative planning for improving ADLs between nurses and occupational therapists. Outcome measures included disposable absorbent product use, physical restraint use, and the functional independence measure (FIM). Assessments were conducted at admission and discharge. Propensity score matching was applied to balance baseline characteristics between groups and to reduce potential confounding factors.

Propensity score matching generated 45 pairs ("historical controls," n = 45, and "interventions," n = 45). Although physical restraint use was reduced in both groups (p ≤ 0.007), the use of disposable absorbent products in the intervention group was significantly reduced compared to the historical control group (p = 0.020). Additionally, significant interaction effects were observed between time and group for all FIM scores, indicating greater improvements in ADLs in the intervention group, with moderate to large effect sizes (p ≤ 0.013, partial η ² ≥ 0.068).

This study demonstrated the positive impact of a CP model between nurses and occupational therapists in improving ADLs and reducing disposable absorbent product use in older patients. These findings suggest that this model of CP enhances the quality of geriatric care. Trial Registration: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry number: UMIN000047072.