Task shift and cooperation in everyday rehabilitation

Background: Demographic changes, age carrying capacity of the population and the expected shortage of certain professions, have given the acceleration of new professional practices within health services in the municipalities.... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Demographic changes, age carrying capacity of the population and the expected shortage of certain professions, have given the acceleration of new professional practices within health services in the municipalities. Everyday rehabilitation is considered to be an appropriate approach to meet the challenges. That means everyday life becomes a more important arena for cooperation, and should be subject to further studies. Overall objective for this study is to understand how collaboration and sharing of tasks are negotiated, practiced and justified among the actors involved in everyday rehabilitation – exemplified by use of the assessing tool COPM (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure). Field task shift is little explored in Norway.
Method:
A descriptive and qualitative approach, through focus group-interviews with skilled and professionals, and thereafter observation of teamwork with users and professionals, have been chosen to understand new constellations and organizational forms. Since the OT-tool seems to be popular and often used by other work groups, the study especially will look for the challenges and dilemmas in cross professional procedures using COPM.
Conclusion:
Tentative conclusions after content analysing of the focus group-interviews give notions about; the gaps between professional and personal/users preferences and aims, user and next of kin involvement, expectations of caring and helping, motivation, assessing, exercise versus activity/occupation, teamwork and supervision.
Application to Practice:
More widely and precisely be aware of and bring into discussion how tasks, task shift and cooperation are experienced by the user and by professionals, and what the changes entail for professional thinking in everyday rehabilitation.