Anita Atwal

London South Bank University | LSBU · Faculty of Health and Social Care

Abstract Background Falls are the main cause of death and injury for older adults in the UK. Many of these falls occur within the home as a result of extrinsic falls risk factors such as poor lighting, loose/uneven flooring, and clutter. Falls education plays an important role in self-management education about extrinsic hazards and is typically de...

Background: The home environment falls-risk assessment process (HEFAP) is a widely used falls prevention intervention strategy which involves a clinician using paper-based measurement guidance to ensure that appropriate information and measurements are taken and recorded accurately. Despite the current use of paper-based guidance, over 30% of all...

Involving patients in their own care is associated with improved health outcomes. Complementary therapies are popular among patients and enable them to receive the palliative care they want and need. However, the range of complementary therapy services available to patients need to be evaluated for efficacy. This study evaluated the complementary t...

Introduction High quality guidance in home strategies is needed to enable older people to measure their home environment and become involved in the provision of assistive devices and to promote consistency among professionals. This study aims to investigate the reliability of such guidance and its ability to promote accuracy of results when measure...

Purpose: Post-polio syndrome refers to a late complication of the poliovirus infection. Management of post-polio syndrome is complex due to the extensive symptomology. European and United Kingdom guidelines have advised the use of rehabilitation programmes to manage post-polio syndrome. There is a paucity of research in relation to the effectivenes...

The assistive equipment provision process is routinely carried out with patients to mitigate fall risk factors via the fitment of assistive equipment within the home. However, currently, over 50% of assistive equipment is abandoned by the patients due to poor fit between the patient and the assistive equipment. This paper explores clinician percept...

Background In the field of occupational therapy, the assistive equipment provision process (AEPP) is a prominent preventive strategy used to promote independent living and to identify and alleviate fall risk factors via the provision of assistive equipment within the home environment. Current practice involves the use of paper-based forms that incl...

Purpose: Measurements play a vital role in providing devices that meet the individual needs of users. There is increasing evidence of devices being abandoned. The reasons for this are complex but one key factor that plays a role in non-use of equipment is the lack of fit between the device, environment and person. In addition, the abandonment of de...

In recent years, an ever increasing range of technology-based applications have been developed with the goal of assisting in the delivery of more effective and efficient fall prevention interventions. Whilst there have been a number of studies that have surveyed technologies for a particular sub-domain of fall prevention, there is no existing resea...

Objective: Engaging in food activities and maintaining identity are each important for productive aging. This study explored the role of food activities in identity maintenance among community-living older adults. Method: We used a grounded theory approach to analyze data collected in semistructured interviews with 39 predominantly White, Britis...

In the UK occupational therapy pre-discharge home visits are routinely carried out as a means of facilitating safe transfer from the hospital to home. Whilst they are an integral part of practice, there is little evidence to demonstrate they have a positive outcome on the discharge process. Current issues for patients are around the speed of home v...

A key role of Occupational Therapists (OTs) is to carry out pre-discharge home visits (PHV) and propose appropriate adaptations to the home environment in order to enable patients to function independently after hospital discharge. However, research shows that more than 50% of specialist equipment installed as part of home adaptations is not used b...

tract BACKGROUND: A key role of Occupational Therapists (OTs) is to carry out pre-discharge home visits (PHV) and propose appropriate adaptations to the home environment in order to enable patients to function independently after hospital discharge. However, research shows that more than 50% of specialist equipment installed as part of home adaptat...

Objectives: Services provided to older people should be developed based on active ageing policies. Nutrition is one aspect of active ageing, but little is known about how food activities contribute to psychological well-being in later life. This is a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative research that answers the question 'What is know...

Introduction Occupational therapists have the knowledge and skills to improve nutritional risk in community-living older adults by improving performance of food-related occupations. However, few tools are available to evaluate these interventions. We developed the first item pool that measures community-living older adults' occupational performance...

The term 'post-polio syndrome' (PPS) is used to describe new and late manifestations of poliomyelitis that occur later in life. Research in this area has focused upon health status rather than its effect on quality of life. To gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning of quality of life for polio survivors and to determine the type of strategie...

Background: Home visits prior to discharge from hospital are an integral part of both occupational therapy practice and the discharge process. However, there is remarkably little understanding as to why they occur in practice and who is thought to best benefit from a home visit. The aims of this research were to explore occupational therapists' pe...

Occupational home visits for older adults are a standard part of the discharge process within the NHS. However, there is limited research on the efficacy of this practice (Atwal et al 2012) or on alternative approaches, including the use of technology, for carrying out this intervention more effectively. Home visits typically involve a short visit...

Abstract PURPOSE: The 3D interior design software (3DIDS) is a technology, which primarily allows users to simulate their homes and visualize any changes prior to implementing them. This feasibility study aimed to examine occupational therapists' perceptions about the clinical utility of the 3DIDS. A secondary aim was to explore the attitudes of oc...

Environmental factors can interact with a health condition to either create a disability and/or restore functioning, depending on whether the environmental factor can be regarded as a facilitator or a barrier. This chapter discusses more about the physical and environmental factors such as transport and driving, assistive technology (AT) and home m...

This book locates older people as major clients of occupational therapy services. It provides a comprehensive resource for students and a basic working reference for clinicians. The book encompasses current theories, debates and challenges which occupational therapists need to engage in if they are to provide pro-active and promotional approaches t...

Purpose: The 3D interior design software (3DIDS) is a technology, which primarily allows users to simulate their homes and visualize any changes prior to implementing them. This feasibility study aimed to examine occupational therapists' perceptions about the clinical utility of the 3DIDS. A secondary aim was to explore the attitudes of occupation...

Scand J Caring Sci; 2013; 27; 238–245 Living with polio and postpolio syndrome in the United Kingdom The term Postpolio Syndrome (PPS) is used to describe new and late manifestations of poliomyelitis that occur later in life in polio survivors. Polio had been eradicated in the United Kingdom (UK) and most of Europe, although this is not the case...

Background Pre-discharge occupational therapy home assessments are routinely performed with older adults in Europe, Australia, and North America. Their primary aim is to facilitate a timely and safe discharge. There has been remarkably little research on the impact of pre-discharge occupational therapy home visits upon the subsequent discharge outc...

Background Occupational therapists in many countries routinely perform predischarge home visits. Although there have been repeated calls to ascertain whether predischarge home visits are clinically and cost effective, there has been a tendency to neglect users' perceptions and experiences of this intervention. Objective The objective was to conduc...

Although occupational therapists are integral to the rehabilitation process of people with amputations, the effectiveness of the occupational therapy intervention for older adults with lower limb amputations has not been investigated. To identify the effectiveness of the occupational therapy interventions with older adults aged 65 years and older w...

Internationally, there is evidence that hospital discharge to home for older adults is a complex and challenging process that is dependent upon multidisciplinary team working. At the centre of the discharge process is the management of risk, which involves occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals managing perceived dangers and det...

Purpose: To explore the relationship between level of happiness in people with post-polio syndrome (PPS) and assistive technology (AT) by taking into account confounding factors such as age, gender and house composition. Method: Existing data from 218 adults with PPS, who had completed a cross-sectional survey conducted by the British Polio Fell...

Health policy requires occupational therapy to demonstrate evidence-based clinical outcomes and efficiency in order to survive. This has significant implications for occupational therapy researchers and managers and suggests a re-evaluation of the profession's priorities for research. This opinion piece aims to stimulate debate regarding the impact...

Introduction In acute care hospitals, risk assessments are integral to therapy practice. However, to date, this area has not been explored in any specific depth within occupational therapy or physiotherapy, although there is evidence that the management of risk causes uncertainty and anxiety among professionals. Different perspectives of risks may...

Purpose This study evaluated the use, quality and readability levels of occupational therapists' pre-discharge home visit information leaflets. Method One hundred and twelve surveys were sent via email to occupational therapists working with older people. The International Patient Decision Aids Standards and the SMOG Readability Formula were used...

The feasibility of using interactive 3D home visualization software (I3DHVS) as a tool to aid Occupational Therapists (OTs) in carrying out pre-discharge home visits (PDHV) is explored. Three focus groups involving 25 OTs from across the UK were carried out. Participants were asked to report their level of experience with Information Technology (IT...

Predischarge occupational therapy home assessments are routinely performed with older adults in Europe, Australia and North America. Their primary aim is to facilitate a timely and safe discharge from hospital. However, there is a lack of published research on this topic, especially studies exploring occupational therapists' perceptions of home ass...

pre-discharge occupational therapy (OT) home visits are an integral part of the discharge process for older adults in acute care. There is limited quality research demonstrating that these pre-discharge visits enhance the health and well being of older adults. This paper outlines the perceptions of older adults and carers of the home visit process...

Current healthcare policy in the UK advocates that healthcare professionals should work as effective multidisciplinary team members. However, while the healthcare assistant (HCA) role is being extended, there is little evidence of it being formally recognised within the multidisciplinary team. Indeed most articles do not even refer to the role of t...

The British Journal of Occupational Therapy provides guidance on categories for submission within its author's guide. The Editorial Board has undertaken a major revision of these categories. This paper provides an overview of the new categories, in advance of publication of the full author's guide.

Rehabilitation is a key component of nursing and allied healthcare professionals’ roles in most health and social care settings. This paper reports on stage 2 of an action research project to ascertain older adult's experience of rehabilitation. Twenty postdischarge interviews were conducted and the interview transcripts were analysed using themati...

The present paper is derived from a larger survey which examined the perceptions of recently qualified health care professionals' experience on evidence-based practice, team working and cancer care. This study reports solely on the findings relating to cancer care. The perceptions of recently qualified professionals in relation to their initial edu...

Multidisciplinary teamwork is viewed as one of the key processes through which care is managed in the British National Health Service, and yet is often viewed as one of the most problematic. Working in a multidisciplinary team requires many skills, which involves understanding not only one’s own role but also the role of other professionals. The ai...

This article reports on the findings of a study that aimed to explore how relevant initial training is in relation to teamwork, and to explore the perceptions of newly qualified practitioners about their confidence to work as a member of a team. A cross-sectional postal survey was used to ascertain the views of nurses, social workers, occupational...

This paper describes the perceptions of nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors and therapists of rehabilitation and the role of nurses and healthcare assistants on an acute older adults ward in a London teaching hospital. The role perception, education and training and attitudes towards the older adults have been identified as barriers that have an...

Observation is a highly valued and effective research method, as well as being an essential part of nursing practice. The authors explore the way in which nonparticipant observation as a research method might be enhanced by the use of video recording. The utility, ethical considerations and constraints of video recording as a data collection tool a...

Problems around deficits in interprofessional collaboration have been identified since the National Health Service (NHS) was introduced. It is within the context of the current policy focus on improving collaborative working that this study was undertaken. A direct observational study using the Bales’ Interaction Process Analysis tool was carried o...

There has been limited research in Spain examining the specialist roles carried out by social workers since the introduction of mental health reforms. The aim of this research was to identify specific work activities of community mental health social workers in Spain (Catalonia) and to ascertain their perceptions of their role. A postal survey of 1...

Background and Aims: Health and social care reforms have emphasised the need for health and social care professionals to monitor user satisfaction. Obtaining the opinions of clients is an important mechanism for improving quality in health and social care. This paper discusses methodological issues in measuring satisfaction among older service clie...

In response to correspondence relating to the need to consider the internationalisation of the British Journal of Occupational Therapy and to achieve an impact factor rating, this communication from its Editorial Board discusses the issues involved and provides information on work in progress. The relevance to clinical practice is also highlighted....

Observation is a highly valued and effective research method, as well as being an essential part of nursing practice. The authors explore the way in which non-participant observation as a research method might be enhanced by the use of video recording. The utility, ethical considerations and constraints of video recording as a data collection tool...

The social and occupational consequences of mental illness have a considerable impact on quality of life. In addition to high levels of unemployment, many users of mental health services experience significant barriers to satisfying leisure participation. The Active Advice project is a systematic client-centred approach to leisure enhancement for a...

Over the last two decades, there has been a growing international interest by some associations of occupational therapy and their respective members in the contribution that occupational therapists can make to the multidisciplinary field of health promotion. More recently, the College of Occupational Therapists in the United Kingdom has recommended...

In the UK, current health-care policy has outlined the importance of evidence-based practice. Within social services, the need for evidence of efficacy of occupational therapists’ practice in social services is often raised. This article discusses the use of the Community Dependency Index (CDI), reporting an initial evaluation undertaken by occupat...

Occupational therapists play a significant role in the discharge process and are often exposed to ethically challenging decision-making. This paper examines the moral basis of discharge planning, relating it to the four fundamental bio-ethical principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. Using a case study design, d...

This article outlines the problems of interprofessional practice in the hospital setting. It examines the difficulties associated with competing ideologies and aims, inequalities in power relations, communication and role confusion and overlap. Within the hospital setting such problems often arise although the roots of the problem may go unacknowle...

Multiprofessional working is a central aspect of current health and social care policy. A key aspect of teamwork is role perception. This article presents the findings of a small-scale study of occupational therapists' perceptions of their core roles in specialist learning disability teams. It presents the views of community occupational therapists...

Falls are common in older people and become more frequent with advancing age. Falling in older people is associated with mortality, decreased mobility, premature nursing home admissions and a reduced ability to perform activities of daily living. In an attempt to reduce the incidence of falls, the National Service Framework for Older People has emp...

In the United Kingdom, a wide range of health care reforms has been introduced to enhance the wellbeing of older people. These reforms should ensure that both the public and the private sectors deliver best practice to older people. The role of the occupational therapist with older people is well established in a variety of health and social care s...

In occupational therapy, there is much debate regarding many aspects of practice. In order to make effective decisions in situations where there is contradictory or insufficient information, it is important to reach a consensus decision. The Delphi technique is a survey method of research, which aims to gain consensus among a panel of experts using...

This paper reports on the evaluation stage of an action research project on interprofessional collaboration in discharge planning. Findings from interviews with health care professionals working in the acute sector had revealed concerns about discharge planning and multidisciplinary teamwork. In the United Kingdom the National Health Service (NHS)...

To provide an in-depth understanding of nurses' perceptions of the hospital discharge process in a London teaching hospital. Discharging patients from hospital is a key component of the nurse's role in acute health care settings. It is remarkable that despite government legislation and research, which stretches back over 20 years in both Europe and...

Multidisciplinary teamwork is one of the key processes through which care is managed in the British National Health Service. Working in a multidisciplinary team requires many skills, which include understanding not only one's own role but also that of other professionals. The aim of this paper is to provide an understanding of occupational therapis...

In health and social care, occupational therapists are acknowledging the importance of being evidence-based practitioners. The challenge is not only how to find the evidence but also how to implement research findings or best evidence in clinical practice. Furthermore, the pressure for more effective implementation of research findings is likely to...

Interprofessional collaboration is an essential component of working in the health and social services. This paper explores the structures, aim and constraints of multidisciplinary teamwork. A national survey was conducted to compare these different aspects of contemporary interprofessional working across the United Kingdom.

In the allied health professions there is an acknowledgement that the transition from graduate to clinician can be challenging. The transition from student to practitioner requires health professionals to work as an effective team member within complex organisations. Hence clinicians need to posses a wide range of hard and soft skills. Hard skills...