Forensic occupational therapy in Europe: A comparative evaluation

Background: The number of patients in receipt of forensic mental health services are rising and the length of admissions increasing. Prolonged admissions impact patient quality of life and are expensive for national... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
The number of patients in receipt of forensic mental health services are rising and the length of admissions increasing. Prolonged admissions impact patient quality of life and are expensive for national taxpayers. The individual and external factors contributing to this phenomena are unknown, prompting multidisciplinary attention across Europe (European Collaboration in Science and Technology, 2015 ).

Recognition of occupational therapists within forensic mental health services varies by nation and is limited by, among other things, the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of occupational therapy in achieving the specific outcomes important in forensic mental health services, i.e. improved mental health and reduced risk of offending (Connell, 2015).

This study will establish the evidence applied in forensic occupational therapy across Europe, explore forensic occupational therapists perspectives of their role, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the system in which they operate. It is intended that the findings will contribute to the development of European best practice guidelines.

Method:
A purpose-designed questionnaire was embedded in an online survey and advertised via print, social media and email with assistance from European occupational therapy organisations ENOTHE and COTEC. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) respectively.

Results:
Preliminary findings will be presented.

Application to Practice:
Findings are intended to contribute to establishing international best practice guidelines, initiate discussion on the contribution of the profession among multidisciplinary colleagues, and identify areas where further research should be focused.