Occupational Therapy Referral Coordination

---
name: occupational-therapy-referral-coordination
description: |
  Refer people whose illness or disability affects daily activities onward and coordinate with other professionals and services.
  TRIGGERS - Use when a occupational therapist needs a referral & coordination for people whose illness or disability affects daily activities in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes.
category: Occupational Therapy
license: MIT
version: 1.0
---
# Referral & Coordination — Occupational Therapy

Refer people whose illness or disability affects daily activities onward and coordinate with other professionals and services. The deliverable is a referral pack and a coordination log with responses tracked.
This skill is written for a occupational therapist working with people whose illness or disability affects daily activities in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes.

## When to use
- You are a occupational therapist preparing, delivering or reviewing this part of your work in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes.
- You need a defensible, repeatable approach that produces a referral pack and a coordination log with responses tracked.
- A colleague, auditor or client asks how this was done and what evidence supports it.

## Key Concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Activities of daily living | everyday tasks such as washing, dressing and eating |
| Adaptation | changing a task or environment to make it achievable |
| Splinting | using a support to position or rest a body part |

## Workflow
1. **Step 1** - Confirm the referral is appropriate: what people whose illness or disability affects daily activities need that sits outside the occupational therapist scope in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes
2. **Step 2** - Prepare the referral from functional assessments — relevant history, current status, the specific question being asked
3. **Step 3** - With consent, send the referral and log who received it and when; chase non-responses on a set schedule
4. **Step 4** - Share incoming findings back into the main record so the plan and assessment-to-discharge timeliness stay joined up
5. **Step 5** - Close the loop with people whose illness or disability affects daily activities: explain what happens next, who owns it, and what to do if things worsen — mindful of unsafe discharge home

## Profession-Specific Components
| Component | Details for Occupational Therapy |
|-----------|-------------------------------|
| Core documentation | functional assessments; activity analyses; equipment assessments; discharge plans |
| Core tools & equipment | adapted equipment; assessment kitchens; splinting materials; wheelchairs |
| People involved | people whose illness or disability affects daily activities; the occupational therapist; colleagues and other services in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes |
| Primary record | functional assessments — keep it current, dated and attributable |

## Output Format
**Context:** [Situation in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes] | **Objective:** [What this must achieve] | **Audience:** [people whose illness or disability affects daily activities and other stakeholders]

The finished output is a referral pack and a coordination log with responses tracked, structured as:
1. Summary of position and evidence
2. Detail, following the workflow above
3. Decisions, actions, owners and dates
4. Review point and escalation route

### Action Plan
1. **Immediate:** Confirm scope, consent and the evidence available in functional assessments.
2. **Short-term:** Complete the workflow steps and record outcomes against assessment-to-discharge timeliness.
3. **Medium-term:** Review results, close actions, and update local procedures in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes.

## Success Metrics
| Metric | Target | Method |
|--------|--------|--------|
| assessment-to-discharge timeliness | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from functional assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |
| independence scores | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from functional assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |
| equipment provision rates | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from functional assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |
| goal attainment rates | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from functional assessments and reviewed on a set cycle |

## Guardrails & Quality Checks
- Never let this happen: unsafe discharge home.
- Never let this happen: equipment not fitted correctly.
- Never let this happen: falls after discharge.
- Work only within the competence and authority of a occupational therapist; escalate or refer anything beyond it.
- Record facts and observations, not speculation, and keep records confidential to hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes's rules.
- Verify names, dates, figures and measurements twice before anything is issued or signed off.
- Use only real, verified information from the case in hand — never invent results, credentials or evidence.

## Example (illustrative)
A occupational therapist in hospital wards, rehabilitation units and homes applies this workflow for people whose illness or disability affects daily activities: they open
functional assessments, work through the five steps using adapted equipment, and close by recording
the outcome against assessment-to-discharge timeliness and agreeing the next review date. (Illustrative example only —
replace with the real details of the case in hand.)