Role of Occupational Therapy in Intensive Care Unit in Colombia

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational Therapy positively impacts on health and well-being by performing, through occupation, specificactions in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in which rehabilitation and recovery of skills are addressed. Materials and methods: study applied to occupational therapists with a minimum of 2 years of clinical experience and 1 year in the Adult Intensive Care Unit in Colombia, from December 2016 to March 2017. Specific categories aimed at knowledge based on participation, experience, evaluation, intervention and challenges. Results: 20 experienced therapists participated in different categories: (a) Participation: as executors, 70 %, and 55 % are part of early intervention in rehabilitation. (b) Experience: evidence of more referenced clinical entities is evidenced, models and recognized theoretical and practical frameworks are used and disseminated. (c) Evaluation is done in cognitive areas and Activities of Daily Life, using instruments such as occupational history and observation. (d) Intervention: emphasis on modalities and means of intervention aimed at Activities of Daily, Cognitive, Sensory and Work with Families. (e) Challenges: divided into strengths and difficulties where benefits, problems and others were expressed. Conclusion: actions of the Colombian occupational therapist are identified and analyzed in the ICU, correlating with the reports at the international level. The participation in the early intervention teams, their actions with the families and their actions focused on the occupation are highlighted.