Creating synergies among education/research, practice, and policy environments to build capacity for the scholar role in occupational therapy and physiotherapy in the Canadian context.

Scholarly practice (SP) is considered a key competency of occupational therapy and physiotherapy. To date, the three sectors-education/research, practice, and policy/regulation-that support SP have been working relatively independently. The goals of this project were to (a) understand how representatives of the three sectors conceptualize SP; (b) define each sector's individual and collective roles in supporting SP; (c) identify factors influencing the enactment of SP and the specific needs of how best to support SP; and (d) co-develop goals and strategies to support SP across all sectors. We used interpretive description methodology. Consistent with an integrated knowledge translation approach, partners representing the three sectors across Canada recruited individuals from each sector, developed the content and questions for three focus groups, and collected and analyzed the data. Inspired by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, we developed the questions for the second focus group. We analyzed the data using an inductive thematic analysis method. Thirty-nine participants from the three sectors participated. Themes related to participants' conceptualization of SP included (a) ongoing process, (b) reflective process, (c) broad concept, and (d) collective effort. Themes describing factors influencing and supporting SP were (a) recognition, (b) appropriate conceptualization, (c) social network, (d) accessibility to resources, and (e) forces outside of practitioners' effort. Goals to support SP included (a) further recognizing SP, (b) sustaining SP competency, and (c) ensuring access to information. SP requires collaborative and integrated intersectoral support and further recognition of its importance through the collaboration of multiple stakeholders.

Referral Prioritization in Home Care Occupational Therapy: A Matter of Perspective.

BACKGROUND.: Prioritizing referrals for home care occupational therapy is somewhat subjective, and public and patient perspectives on waiting list priorities are unknown. PURPOSE.: To explore the views of home care occupational therapists (OTs), older persons (OPs) and adults with disabilities on waiting list priorities, as well as issues and challenges underlying these priorities. METHOD.: We conducted in-depth interviews with 11 OTs, 10 OPs and 9 adults with disabilities. Participants were asked to prioritize referral scenarios while explaining their choices. Directed and conventional content analysis allowed the identification of themes for each group of participants. FINDINGS.: OTs experienced conflicts of values but mainly prioritized referrals based on client safety. OPs sought to maximize client's independence, and persons with disabilities aimed to improve clients' social participation. IMPLICATIONS.: OTs should seek the perspectives of their target clientele on referral prioritization criteria and strive to adjust prioritization practices accordingly.

Differences in Waiting List Prioritization Preferences of Occupational Therapists, Elderly People, and Persons With Disabilities: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the preferences of occupational therapists, elderly people, and adults with disabilities regarding prioritization criteria for occupational therapy waiting lists in home care. DESIGN: Discrete choice experiment survey. SETTING: Survey mailed to occupational therapists working in home care and community-dwelling elderly or disabled persons. PARTICIPANTS: A sample (N=714) of home-based occupational therapists (n=241), elderly persons from a bank of research participants (n=226), and adults with physical disabilities recruited through community organizations (n=247). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The dependent variable was whether the referral scenario was prioritized or not in each question. The results were analyzed through logistic regression using conditional logit models. RESULTS: Prioritization preferences differed between groups (P<.001). Occupational therapists most strongly prioritized people who had a few falls (odds ratio vs no falls, 48.7), whereas elderly people and adults with disabilities most strongly prioritized people who were unable to enter and exit the home (odds ratio vs no difficulty entering and exiting the home, 30.8 for elderly people and 16.8 for persons with disabilities.) CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the gap between the priorities of home-based occupational therapists and their target clientele. Although further inquiry is needed to inform priority setting, the findings emphasize the importance of public or patient involvement in decisions on waiting list prioritization.

Walking Aids for Enabling Activity and Participation: A Systematic Review.

In this systematic literature review, we examined whether and how walking aids (i.e., canes, crutches, walkers, and rollators) enable activity and participation among adults with physical disabilities. Medline, Embase, all EBM reviews, PsychInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were used to identify studies published since 2008. Quantitative and qualitative designs were included. Data regarding participants, assistive device use, outcome measures, and domains of participation were extracted. Two reviewers independently rated the level of evidence and methodological quality of the studies. Outcomes were categorized per types of walking aids and activity and participation domains. Thirteen studies were included. Two studies involved canes, four pertained to rollators, and seven dealt with multiple types of walking aids. Mobility was the most frequently examined domain of activity and participation. Both negative and positive results were found. Negative outcomes were linked to the physical characteristics of the device, the use, environment, and personal reluctance. When incorporated in daily life, walking aids were found to enable several domains of activity and participation. Whether walking aids facilitate activity and participation may depend on the user's ability to overcome obstacles and integrate them in daily life. More high-quality research is needed to draw conclusions about their effectiveness.

Variations in demand and provision for publicly funded outpatient musculoskeletal physiotherapy services across Quebec, Canada.

RATIONALE: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is high and expected to increase in the next decade. Persons suffering from musculoskeletal disorders benefit from early physiotherapy services. However, access to publicly funded physiotherapy services has been shown to be compromised by long waiting times and limited availability of resources in many countries around the world. Decisions on resource allocation may create geographic disparities in provision and access to services, which may result in inequity in access. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess variations in demand and provision of publicly funded outpatient physiotherapy services across the province of Quebec, Canada, as well as to assess the demand to provision relationship. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data retrieved from the 2008 Quebec Health Survey and data obtained from a survey of hospitals in the province of Quebec in 2015. We used geographic information systems analyses and descriptive analyses to assess geographic variations and the relationship between demand and provision. RESULTS: Our results indicate substantial variations in the provision and demand for physiotherapy services in the province of Quebec. The variations in service provision did not follow the variations in demand. Long waiting times and insufficient provision of services were found in many regions. CONCLUSIONS: The variations in provision of physiotherapy services between regions reported in our study did not correspond to the variations in demand. Such geographic variations and demand to provision mismatches may create inequity in access to services, especially for those unable to afford private services.

Access to publicly funded outpatient physiotherapy services in Quebec: waiting lists and management strategies.

PURPOSE: Problems with access to outpatient physiotherapy services have been reported in publicly funded healthcare systems worldwide. A few studies have reported management strategies aimed at reducing extensive waiting lists, but their association with waiting times is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to document access to public outpatient physiotherapy services for persons with musculoskeletal disorders in hospitals and explore organizational factors associated with waiting time. METHODS: We surveyed outpatient physiotherapy services in publicly funded hospitals in the province of Quebec (Canada). RESULTS: A total of 97 sites responded (99%) to the survey. The median waiting time was more than six months for 41% of outpatient physiotherapy services. The waiting time management strategies most frequently used were attendance and cancelation policies (99.0%) and referral prioritization (95.9%). Based on multivariate analyses, the use of a prioritization process with an initial evaluation and intervention was associated with shorter waiting times (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence that a large number of persons wait a long time for publicly funded physiotherapy services in Quebec. Based on our results, implementation of a prioritization process with an initial evaluation and intervention could help improve timely access to outpatient physiotherapy services. Implications for Rehabilitation Access to publicly funded outpatient physiotherapy services is limited by long waiting times in a great proportion of Quebec's hospitals. The use of a specific prioritization process that combines an evaluation and an intervention could possibly help improve timely access to services. Policy-makers, managers, and other stakeholders should work together to address the issue of limited access to publicly funded outpatient physiotherapy services.

Waiting list management practices for home-care occupational therapy in the province of Quebec, Canada.

Referral prioritisation is commonly used in home-based occupational therapy to minimise the negative impacts of waiting, but this practice is not standardised. This may lead to inequities in access to care, especially for clients considered as low priority, who tend to bear the brunt of lengthy waiting lists. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe waiting list management practices targeting low-priority clients in home-based occupational therapy in the province of Quebec, Canada, and to investigate the association between these practices and the length of the waiting list. A structured telephone interview was conducted in 2012-2013 with the person who manages the occupational therapy waiting list in 55 home care programmes across Quebec. Questions pertained to strategies aimed at servicing low-priority clients, the date of the oldest referral and the number of clients waiting. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. The median wait time for the oldest referral was 18 months (range: 2-108 months). A variety of strategies were used to service low-priority clients. Programmes that used no strategies to service low-priority clients (n = 16) had longer wait times (P < 0.0001) and a greater number of people on the waiting list (P = 0.006) compared with programmes that applied a maximum wait time target (n = 12). In conclusion, diverse strategies exist to allocate services to low-priority clients in home-based occupational therapy programmes. However, in programmes where none of these strategies are used, low-priority clients may be denied access to services indefinitely.

Wait times for physical and occupational therapy in the public system for people with arthritis in quebec.

PURPOSE: Although arthritis is the leading cause of pain and disability in Canada, and physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) are beneficial both for chronic osteoarthritis (OA) and for inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there appear to be problems with access to such services. The aim of this study was to document wait times from referral by physician to consultation with PT or OT in the public health care system for people with arthritis in Quebec, Canada. METHOD: Appointments were requested by telephone, using hypothetical case scenarios; wait times were defined as the time between initial request and appointment date. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the wait times in relation to diagnosis, service provider and geographic area. RESULTS: For both scenarios (OA and RA) combined, 13% were offered an appointment within 6 months, 13% offered given an appointment within 6-12 months, 24% were told they would need to wait longer than 12 months, and 22% were refused services. The remaining 28% were told they would require an evaluation appointment for functional assessment before being given an appointment for therapy. No difference was found between RA and OA diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that most people with arthritis living in the province of Quebec are not receiving publicly accessible PT or OT intervention in a timely manner.

Objet : Même si l'arthrite constitue la principale cause de douleur et d'incapacité au Canada et si la physiothérapie (PT) et l'ergothérapie (ET) sont bénéfiques à la fois contre l'arthrose chronique (AC) et l'arthrite inflammatoire comme la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (PR), il semble y avoir des problèmes d'accès à ces services. Cette étude visait à documenter les temps d'attente entre la référence par le médecin et la consultation en PT ou ET dans le système public de soins de santé pour les personnes atteintes d'arthrite au Québec, Canada. Méthode : On a demandé des rendez-vous par téléphone en utilisant des scénarios de cas hypothétiques. Les temps d'attente ont été définis comme le temps écoulé entre la demande initiale et la date du rendez-vous. Nous avons utilisé des statistiques descriptives pour analyser les temps d'attente par rapport au diagnostic, au fournisseur de service et à la région géographique. Résultats : Pour les deux scénarios (AC et PR) combinés, 13 % ont reçu un rendez-vous dans les six mois, 13 %, en six à 12 mois, on a dit à 24 % qu'ils devraient attendre plus de 12 mois et l'on a refusé des services dans 22 % des cas. Dans les 28 % de cas restants, on a dit que la personne en cause aurait besoin d'un rendez-vous d'évaluation fonctionnelle avant d'obtenir un rendez-vous de traitement. On n'a constaté aucune différence entre les diagnostics de PR et d'AC. Conclusions : Notre étude indique que la plupart des personnes qui vivent avec l'arthrite dans la province de Québec ne reçoivent pas en temps opportun de services publics de PT ou d'ET.