NIHR Signals Occupational Therapy Research Summaries

NIHR Signals are short summaries of recently published research, accompanied by an expert commentary. They aim to make it easier for practitioners and decision makers to access important research from the NIHR and high impact journals. Each Signal explores why the study was needed, what was involved (design/methodology), the findings and implications, and how it relates to current guidelines.

NIHR My Signals: Occupational Therapy collection

The NIHR also publishes ‘My Signals’ collections, in which health and social care professionals and people who access services select and comment on Signals that are of interest to them.

In the My Signals: Occupational Therapy collection seven occupational therapists, who work in a variety of settings and roles, have selected and written about Signals that are of interest to them and of relevance to their practice.

Contributors included a recently qualified occupational therapist, specialist occupational therapists, a trainee consultant, a consultant occupational therapist, commissioner and post-doctoral occupational therapists.

Access the My Signals: Occupational Therapy collection.

Other Signals of relevance to occupational therapy

Some of the other NIHR Signals that are of particular relevance to occupational therapy are:

Closer links between police and health services can improve experiences for people in mental health crisis

A National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Signal published on 27 August 2019 will be of particular interest to occupational therapists working in mental health services. It focuses on an NIHR-funded rapid evidence synthesis by Rodgers et al (2019) which assessed studies of police-related mental health triage (PRMHT) interventions, known as ‘street triage’. Five systematic reviews and 16 primary studies were included.

The Signal discusses why the study was needed, what was involved and how it relates to current guidance. Findings included that most PRMHT schemes involved police officers working in partnership with mental health professionals. However, approaches varied between regions. Police officers appear to value PRMHT, and following training they were more likely to use health-based places of safety rather than cells and access the support of mental health professionals. The Signal notes that the evidence was of mixed quality, and there was little evidence on which approaches work best. Although some research suggested a reduction in formal detentions, there were few outcome data reported.

The Signal highlights the potential benefits of closer working partnerships in helping to effectively target police and NHS resources, and improve health outcomes for individuals in crisis. However, it suggests that further research is needed.

Read the full Signal on the NIHR website.

Reference:

Rodgers M, Thomas S, Dalton J, Harden M, Eastwood A (2019) Police-related triage interventions for mental health-related incidents: a rapid evidence synthesis. Health Services and Delivery Research, 7(20), 1–194. doi: 10.3310/hsdr07200

Insights into the transfer between children’s and adults’ services for young people with selected long-term conditions

A National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Signal published on 16 July 2019 will be of particular interest to occupational therapists working with young people with long-term conditions who will transfer from children’s to adults’ services. It focuses on an NIHR-funded study by Colver et al (2019) which explored facilitation of the transition of young people through health services. The study involved three work packages, which included: formation of a young people’s advisory group; a three year study involving young people (with type 1 diabetes, autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy); and interviews with staff.

The Signal includes key information about the study including why it was needed, what was involved and how it relates to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. It outlines the findings, including in relation to: health-related quality of life; young people and parents’ satisfaction with services; and features associated with better outcomes. It also identifies implications of the study and suggests that better collaboration between adult and children’s services may help ease transition.

Read the full Signal on the NIHR website.

Reference:

Colver A, Rapley T, Parr JR, McConachie H, Dovey-Pearce G, le Couteur A … Vale L (2019) Facilitating the transition of young people with long-term conditions through health services from childhood to adulthood: the Transition research programme. Programme Grants for Applied Research, 7(4), 1–246. doi: 10.3310/pgfar07040

Goal-setting can help people with early-stage dementia improve function

A National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Signal published on 7 May 2019 will be of particular interest to occupational therapists working with people who have dementia. The Signal focuses on the GREAT randomised controlled trial (RCT) (Clare et al 2019), which aimed to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation (delivered by an occupational therapist or nurse in the person’s home) for people with mild to moderate dementia.

The Signal provides key information about this study, including why it was needed, what was involved and how it relates to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. It identifies that this is the first RCT to demonstrate that cognitive rehabilitation (CR) has a lasting effect on the ability of people with dementia to manage everyday activities. However, it notes that CR is costly, and commissioners will need to consider whether improvements in goal attainment ability are worth the cost of the intervention.

Read the full Signal on the NIHR website.

Reference:

Clare L, Kudlicka A, Oyebode JR, Jones RW, Bayer A, Leroi I … Woods B (2019) Goal-orientated cognitive rehabilitation for early-stage Alzheimer’s and related dementias: the GREAT RCT. Health Technology Assessment, 23(10), 1–244. doi: 10.3310/hta23100

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NIHR My Signals: Occupational Therapy collection

Other Signals of relevance to occupational therapy

Closer links between police and health services can improve experiences for people in mental health crisis

Insights into the transfer between children’s and adults’ services for young people with selected long-term conditions

Goal-setting can help people with early-stage dementia improve function

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