A normative needs assessment for occupational therapy services in primary health care

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a normative need to introduce Occupational Therapy services at Primary Care level. This normative needs assessment was carried out in three consecutive stages. The initial stage comprised of a postal questionnaire to the GP (n=70) employed with the Department of Primary Care. The questionnaires were posted in the 8 health centres on the island of Malta. Thirty questionnaires were received having a response rate of 42.8%. The second stage of the needs assessment was individual interview with health care professionals at corporate level (=3). The third stage of the needs assessment included three focus groups with three different categorical groups of participants. These were adults with diverse disabilities (n = 6), Health care professionals established in the community (n = 6) and Occupational Therapists running services within the National Health Service (n = 4) and in Non-Governmental Organisations (n = 2). A total of 51 respondents participated in this study.