VOTC Newsletter - Winter 2020

How to Gain Referrals for Occupational Therapy?
By: Dr. Karthik Mani, OTD, OTR/L

For decades, one of the challenges faced by occupational therapists (OTs) in India and elsewhere is to gain referrals for occupational therapy (OT) services. The reasons identified in the literature pertaining to poor OT referrals include lack of awareness of OT among patients, belief of physicians that physical therapy could manage all of the patient’s physical rehabilitation needs, and limited awareness about the OT scope of practice among health professionals and service coordinators (Kelly & Steinhauer, 1991). Dunford et al. (2004) emphasized that professionals and stakeholders who refer patients to OT services need training and guidance to make necessary referrals and avoid unwarranted referrals.

This article discusses a few strategies that OTs could use to gain referrals for OT services in various practice settings.

VOTC Wishes you all a very Happy New Year 2021!

IOTTT Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice

Indian Occupational Therapists Think Tank (IOTTT) would like to thank all stakeholders who reviewed and commented on the official Scope of Practice (SOP) document (pertaining to the Indian context of practice) it drafted. The IOTTT officially adopted the SOP in September 2020. The document is under review for consideration for publication in a national journal. To learn more about IOTTT and its activities, please visit its official blog.