Abstract
Background: Postpartum individuals in the United States face substantial risk for morbidity and mortality, indicating a need for increased accessibility to postpartum services. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are uniquely equipped to support this period of occupational transition, through education and retraining of occupations specific to caregiving roles, routine and habit staking, and parent–infant co-occupations, alongside functional recovery and maternal mental health. Researchers examined healthcare provider perspectives on the necessity, barriers, and opportunities for OT in acute postpartum care.
Methodology: Participants included 23 health care providers of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) and labor and delivery services and allied health professionals at a level I trauma hospital in the Midwest region of the United States. Participants completed an one-time electronic survey examining providers’ perceived importance and confidence in domains related to OT in postpartum care. A follow-up interview was completed with 10 participants to further explore providers’ perspectives regarding occupational therapy related to acute postpartum care.
Results: Findings identified gaps in perceived importance and confidence among healthcare providers specific to acute postpartum care, particularly in the domains of functional recovery and mental health, and Intervention. Barriers to OT implementation in this setting included knowledge of the scope of OT, the referral process, and reimbursement concerns.
Discussion: Researchers identified perceived gaps and practical priorities providing opportunity for occupational therapy referral pathway development and future intervention research in acute postpartum care. Identified opportunities for OT in acute postpartum care include interdisciplinary collaboration, education and training, and optimizing the referral process.