Summary: Increasing medical students’ understanding of the role ofoccupational therapists

Understanding the roles and responsibilities of different healthcare professionals allows for collaborative care to occur. 

A recent study by Roberts and Shamus evaluated a student-designed, case-based educational module about the roles and responsibilities of occupational therapists (OTs) designed to increase the knowledge of occupational therapy among medical students. The study used a quasi-experimental, pre-/post-test design.

Independent paired t-tests showed medical students’ mean score on the OT Awareness Education Module at post-test was significantly greater than their mean score at pre-test. Results demonstrated how using an evidence-based approach to design an educational strategy can increase the knowledge of one member of the healthcare team about the role of another within a short period.

This study documented an effective approach for educating future physicians about the roles and responsibilities of occupational therapy as they prepare to make decisions affecting patient care outcomes.