Occupational therapists are not getting the training they need to deal with sight loss, says a new study commissioned by sight loss charity, Thomas Pocklington Trust (1). The study exposes a lack of education in sight loss – a mismatch where therapists want more specific training but universities barely include it in their curricula.
“Occupational therapists are emerging from their education without the skills or confidence to deal with sight loss,” says Dr. Angela McCullagh, Research and Development Director, Thomas Pocklington Trust.“ This gap in their training leaves therapists woefully ill-equipped to respond to the needs of an ageing population.”
The study, Improving outcomes for people with sight loss: identifying the continuing professional development needs of occupational therapists(2), was carried out by researchers at the Department of Occupational Therapy, Coventry University. It found that training in sight loss has been and remains a low priority but that therapists want more training to respond to the needs of older patients.
Among a sample of qualified occupational therapists surveyed, all of them said education in sight loss would be useful in their work. However
- 81% believed they needed further training in this area.
2% felt that their education had left them confident to assess and advise people with sight loss, while 59% had been not at all confident or barely confident. - One third said their education had failed to provide enough knowledge on sight loss for their first post
Some had looked for extra training after qualification and had been disappointed with the courses on offer. These were generally one-day or half-day seminars and workshops and were inadequate. One quarter of those surveyed said they had not been able to find the sight loss training they needed.
Even experienced therapists still lacked confidence in treating people with sight loss.
- 34% said they were barely confident and 2% not at all confident.
Almost all of those surveyed saw people who had secondary diagnoses of sight loss and three quarters of these therapists believed that environmental adaptation was part of their role. Nevertheless, 88% preferred to refer people with sight loss to Visual Impairment Teams. A quarter did not include sight loss as part of their routine assessment and 94% were unaware of national standards of social care for people with sight loss.
With fewer specialist workers available, such as Visual Impairment Rehabilitation Officers, and an increasingly ageing population, more older people with sight loss will be in contact with occupational therapists. It is clear, says the study, that most therapists now need further education if they are to cope confidently with sight loss in older patients.
Since the profession began, occupational therapists have always been involved in the rehabilitation of people with sight loss.Yet there is no mandatory requirement for this to be studied within the minimum standards for occupational therapists' education. In a survey of Higher Education Institutes (3), the study found that sight loss was only addressed implicitly and the focus was on medical conditions rather than practical solutions. Occupational therapists felt this emphasis should shift - away from physiological causes towards possible interventions, including the use of assistive technologies.
Of the Higher Education Institutes surveyed:
- None felt that their graduates were well prepared
to work with people who have sight loss. - Almost half agreed that sight loss deserved more emphasis, especially due to the increasingly ageing population. They would like more resources to complement OT education.
Says Dr. McCullagh, “This study shows that occupational therapists both need and want more education on sight loss. With specialist sight loss teams becoming increasingly scarce, it makes sense for occupational therapists to play a bigger role in supporting people with sight problems.Only better training can make that possible.”
The research has been welcomed by the College of Occupational Therapists. “This important research shows that occupational therapists need more than a general awareness of sight loss and its implications if they are to deliver effective support to people with sight loss,” says Dr. Elizabeth White, Head of Research and Development “Specialist training at post-graduate level would be appropriate to ensure that occupational therapists have all the necessary skills.”
Editors Notes:
1.Thomas Pocklington Trust is a charity which aims to improve the quality of life of people with sight loss.It is a leading provider of housing, care and support services for people with sight loss in the UK, and is a major research and development body.
2.Stage One of the study carried out an online survey of two specialist sections of the College of Occupational Therapists (Older People and Housing – the two most likely to regularly deal with people with sight loss).241 responses were analysed – about a quarter of the members.
3.Stage Two of the study contacted all 30 Higher Education Institutes in the United Kingdom (excluding a pilot site) offering a BSc. (Honours) Degree in Occupational Therapy.19 participants were interviewed making the overall response rate 63%. These 19 offered almost 60% of places for Occupational Therapists in the UK during 2008.
4.From 21st October the report: Improving outcomes for people with sight loss: identifying the continuing professional development needs of occupational therapists can be seen at www.pocklington-trust.org.uk
