The Department of Occupational Therapy is a part of the Division of Medical Services. The department employs both full- and part-time staff, amounting to 29,5 full-time equivalents. The Head of Department is Bodil Stokke.
The Department of Occupational therapy serves the following clinical departments at Haukeland University Hospital:
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AFMR), ward I and II
- Regional Unit for Traumatic Head Injuries (RETH)
- The Neurological Clinic
- The Reumatology Department
- Department for Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
- Department for Plastic Surgery
The World Federation of Occupational Therapist provides the following definition of Occupational Therapy:
“Occupational therapy is as a profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying the environment to better support participation."
The Occupational therapists employed at Haukeland University Hospital are usually based within multidisciplinary teams. They primarily treat in-patients, who have experienced traumatic injuries or manage chronic (long term) diseases. Occupational therapists work closely alongside doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, Speech and Language therapists and other health professionals to optimise the care provided to each patient.
After referral to Occupational therapy an individual assessment will be performed. This will allow the evaluation of a patient’s physical and cognitive ability and how this effects their performance of important daily tasks. The assessment itself provides the basis on which a tailor made rehabilitation programme can be designed, aimed to suite the patient’s specific need.
Patients are encouraged to take an active role in the planning and execution of their own personalised rehabilitation programme, which will be orientated towards coping strategies, exercises and other interventions that they can take forward individually. For some patients only a few sessions with an occupational therapist will be sufficient, before they are able to carry on their rehabilitation independently; whilst others may need support over a longer period of time.
Example of treatment:
- Activity training i.e. personal hygiene, getting dressed, eating, cooking, shopping etc.
- Functional training; for instance arm/hand exercises.
- Environment adaptation, functional aids and hand splints.