Occupational Therapist is a branch of health care that focuses on finding ways to improve the health of patients with physical disabilities or illnesses. Occupational therapists provide services to patients with disorders related to the muscles, bones, psychology, communications, psychology, nutrition, psychology, physiology, physical education and other disorders. OTs and occupational therapists use a holistic approach, scientific approaches, as well as patient-focused strategies to improve the patient’s ability to meet their various roles and responsibilities in their lives. In fact, occupational therapists are considered to be the front line of healthcare, where they offer medical treatments and therapies to help patients recover while emphasizing on prevention and rehabilitation. OTs can be found in hospitals, long term care facilities, outpatient clinics and even in military and convalescent centers.
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Occupational therapists use various types of technologies to provide services to their clients. Some of these technologies include Computerized Occupational Therapy (COT) software, which is a method to coordinate all of the services of an occupational therapist provides, from paperwork to client management. Computerized OT also includes the use of Computer-Assisted Physician Orderly Therapy (CAPT), which makes the job of an OT much easier and more convenient. Computerized OT is generally used along with speech-language therapy, occupational training and other technologies designed to enhance the experience of those who are receiving OT services. Another technology commonly used by occupational therapists is the Video Surveillance and Interactive Virtual Environment (VIMED) technology, which offers a full range of diagnostic testing, assistance, therapy, and supportive services for people with disabilities. Many people with disabilities, especially those with restricted mobility, often require the assistance of an OT in order to perform various tasks in their everyday lives.
In addition to providing their OT clients with a wide array of diagnostic and treatment services, occupational therapists may collaborate with healthcare providers such as physicians, nurses and other specialists in the field of health care. These professionals may include medical, legal, occupational therapists, psychologists, neurologists and other health care workers. They work closely with the individual, providing them with guidance, advice and assistance as they make their way through rehabilitation. Oftentimes, they are the ones who help make a patient a candidate for long-term rehabilitation.
