通所リハビリテーションで作業療法士は専門的役割を果たしているか—作業療法士へのアンケート調査から

Dooccupational therapists play a professional role in day-care centers for the elderly in Japan ?

要旨：通所リハビリテーションに勤務する作業療法士(以下，OTR)200名に対し，作業療法(以下，OT)の内容，OT以外の業務への関わり，OTの役割についてアンケート調査を行い46名から有効回答を得た．個別OTの内容は身体機能面への関わりが最も多く，OTの特徴である手芸や趣味的活動はほとんど用いられていなかった．OTRの役割を果たせていると回答したのは「手工芸」，「趣味的活動」などを行う者が多く，役割を果たせていないと回答した者は「身体機能訓練」，「物理療法」などを行っており両者に有意差があった．通所リハビリテーションでOTの専門的役割を発揮してクライエントに関わることの必要性が示唆された．

　The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional roles occupational therapists (OT) play in day-care centers for the elderly in Japan. A questionnaire focusing on the details of the occupational therapy programs, roles of OT and duties other than occupational therapy was sent to two-hundred OT working in elderly day-care centers, and Forty-six valid replies were received. Concerning the occupational therapy programs, some OT replied that they did individualized occupational therapy everyday, and some answered that they did not do individualized occupational therapy at all. Details of the occupational therapy program were predominantly physical training, although high profile occupational therapy characteristics like craft and hobbies were seldom used. The respondents who felt they were fulfilling the OT's role, tended to use crafts, hobbies and self-help devices. On the other hand, respondents who did not feel they were accomplishing OT's role tended to use physical training and physical therapy. There was a significant difference between the two groups.