Inpatient Rehab
Held at least once a week, this required meeting brings together physicians, nurses, therapists, and social workers to coordinate patient care and track progress toward rehab goals.
What is an interdisciplinary conference/meeting?
This basic OT assessment used in home health measures a patient's ability to perform daily tasks like feeding, grooming, and mobility, focusing on basic activities of daily living (ADL), however patient does not need to be directly observed.
What is the Barthel Index?
In a complete blood count, these two values are commonly abbreviated as H&H and typically range from 12-15.5 g/dL and 36-46% in healthy adults.
What are hemoglobin and hematocrit?
In a skilled nursing facility, occupational therapist and speech-language pathologists often collaborate to support this shared goal, which includes improving a resident's ability to safely eat, communicate, and participate in daily routines.
What is functional independence?
When working with a patient recovering from cardiac event, OTs often teach strategies like sitting while dressing or breaking tasks into smaller steps in order to reduce physical strain and prevent fatigue during daily routines.
What is energy conservation?
In inpatient rehab, OTs use various assessments to evaluate a patient's ability to perform ADLs. One such assessment is used to measure functional independence and is often used to determine the level of care needed for tasks like dressing and grooming.
What is the Functional Independence Measure (FIM)?
When recommending a home modification for an elderly patient at risk for falls, OT's often prioritize this environmental change before adding equipment.
What is removing environmental hazards (like rugs, clutter, poor lighting)?
This patient positioning technique, where the head of the bed is lower than the feet, used for shock, but can also help with repositioning the patient in bed.
What is the Trendelenburg position?
In SNFs, SLPs address dysphagia and cognitive-communication deficits, while OTs reinforce these goals by addressing these two related areas of function during ADLs.
What are safe swallowing strategies and executive function skills.
In cardiac rehab, OTs may use this system - which categorizes physical activities by how much energy they require - to help safely grade tasks like grooming, cooking, or walking during recovery.
What are MET levels (Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks)?
To comply with this Medicare rule, inpatient rehab facilities must ensure that at least 60% of their patients have one of 13 qualifying medical conditions, or risk being reimbursed at a lower, general hospital rate.
What is the 60/40 rule?
This OT intervention technique encourages elderly clients with cognitive impairments to complete familiar tasks by setting up the environment to promote automatic responses.
What is procedural memory use or task chaining?
This cardiac biomarker becomes elevated in the bloodstream within 4-6 hours after myocardial injury and is the gold standard laboratory test for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction.
What is troponin?
To address challenging behaviors like agitation, wandering, or refusal to participate in care, OTs and SLPs in SNFs may implement these types of strategies, which include using routines, redirection, environmental cues, and personalized activities instead of medications.
What are non-pharmacological behavioral interventions?
After open-heart surgery, OTs educate patients on sternal precautions to protect the healing chest. One common precaution is avoiding this movement during bed mobility or transfers, which could place stress on the sternum.
What is pushing or pulling with the arms (e.g., pushing up from a chair or bed)?
OTs use this neuroplasticity-based intervention in inpatient rehab to enhance motor function and independence through repetitive, goal-directed tasks in patients with neurological conditions like stroke or TBI.
What is task-specific training or constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT)?
What is "nose over toes" strategy?
Moving a reservoir bag of urine during mobility to ensure the bag is not placed above the bladder nor any dependent loops are present.
What is the Foley management?
An OT working in a SNF uses the ACL assessment to determine that a resident is functioning at a Level 3. To support success and reduce frustration, the therapist should choose activities that focus on this type of task engagement, such as repetitive motions or hand-over hand assistance.
What are manual or tactile activities with guided cues?
A patient in cardiac rehab expresses frustration with difficulty completing their morning routine due to fatigue and movement restrictions. The OT addresses this by introducing task simplification, rest breaks, and this approach, which involves changing the environment or how the task is performed to support independence.
What is activity or task modification?
OTs play a critical role in preparing patients for discharge by assessing ADLs, recommending adaptive equipment, and ensuring home safety to promote a smooth transition from the hospital to independent living.
What is discharge planning and home safety assessment?
When an older adult with arthritis in the hands struggles with cooking, OTs might recommend built-up handles, rocker knives, or electric can openers. These are all examples of this broader type of OT intervention.
What is compensatory strategy training?
This line, often placed in the neck or chest, allows for simultaneous administration of multiple medications, rapid fluid resuscitation, and hemodynamic monitoring in critically ill patients.
What is a central venous catheter (or cental line)?
An OT in a SNF is evaluating a resident with decreased postural control, unilateral neglect, and poor trunk stability. When recommending a wheelchair, the therapist must consider these three key factors to ensure proper fit, function, and safety.
What are seat width and depth, postural support needs, and cognitive/visual-perceptual abilities?
As people age, the cardiovascular system experiences changes such as a slower heart rate recovery after activity. In cardiac rehab, an OT helps older adults by focusing on this strategy to gradually increase their physical activity, ensuring they do not overexert themselves.
What is gradually increasing exercise intensity with frequent rest periods?