Activity-based therapy for individuals with spinal cord injury/disease: perspectives of acute care therapists

STUDY DESIGN: An exploratory descriptive study was conducted. OBJECTIVE: To determine if and how occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) in acute care hospital settings use activity-based therapy (ABT) and its associated technologies. SETTING: Acute care hospital settings in Canada. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with physical and occupational therapists, licensed in Canada, who worked in an acute care neurological setting with individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D). To analyze the data, interpretive description was used. NVivo 12 was used for data management. RESULTS: Five physical therapists and two occupational therapists were interviewed (n = 7). Two therapists declined after reading a description of the study. Through analysis, the following themes were identified as affecting the delivery of ABT as part of SCI/D rehabilitation in the acute care setting: (1) Impact of patient acuity on ABT participation, (2) ABT approach unique to the acute care setting, and (3) Influence of acute care work environment and therapy practice. Throughout these themes, therapists referred to dosage as a limiting factor affecting ABT delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Our research reveals that implementing ABT in an acute care setting is challenging considering the high dosage of movement practice required for ABT. To increase dosage and the use of ABT in acute care, strategies could include early patient education on ABT, strategic use of social supports, and use of portable technology already incorporated in acute care.