What are the common areas of risk and their characteristics found in intermediate care from an occupational therapy perspective? A scoping review

Newman, Craig, Whitehead, Phillip and Thomson, Mary (2022) What are the common areas of risk and their characteristics found in intermediate care from an occupational therapy perspective? A scoping review. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 85 (10). pp. 779-802. ISSN 0308-0226

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Abstract

Engaging with risk is a certain and unavoidable part of occupational therapy. Intermediate care services are mostly accessed by older people with complex needs, yet little is known in the literature about the extent, type and nature of risk involved in these services. Method: A scoping review was systematically conducted to map the common areas of risk (risk domains) from an occupational therapy perspective. Thematic analysis was conducted in order to identify the risk characteristics related to the literature reviewed. Results: Twenty-five journal articles were identified and arranged into ten risk domains: falls, discharge, practice errors, activities of daily living, pressure care, frailty management, patient handling, loneliness, nutritional care, and language barriers. Three risk characteristics were identified 1) Risk awareness and identifying risk, 2) Decision-making under risk 3) Improving safety. Conclusion: Occupational therapists play a diverse role in mitigating risk for older people which is not fully explored beyond addressing deficits in functional ability and hazardous environments. The process of how risk is controlled, reconciled with occupation and how positive risk-taking is facilitated are implicit and not directly addressed within the literature reviewed. The findings reveal gaps in knowledge and provide a foundation for further research.

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