Enlightening Stakeholders on the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts and Preparation for Minimizing Future Pandemics’ Negative Effects on Occupational Therapists

Lawrencia AWUAH, Kofi AWUVIRY-NEWTON*, Dorinda ARMAH, Kwamina ABEKAH-CARTER, Jacob Oppong NKANSAH

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of professional disciplines including occupational therapy; however, little is known about how much of an impact the COVID-19 pandemic affected occupational therapy practice in Ghana. This study examined the impacts, coping strategies, and COVID-19 pandemic lessons for occupational therapy practices in the future. A descriptive qualitative design was employed with a purposive and convenience sampling methods to recruit occupational therapists from four practice settings in Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four major themes were identified from the analysis enlightening stakeholders on the impact and preparation for minimizing the impact of future pandemics on the workloads of an occupational therapist. The major themes are (1) impacts of the COVID-19 on occupational therapy practice and practitioners; (2) aspects or domains of work significantly affected by the pandemic; (3) the existing strategies employed to handle the challenges; and (4) strategies to minimize these challenges in the future. The current study has enlightened stakeholders on the need to make alternate preparations including telehealth, continuous support for telehealth infrastructures, training of practitioners, and research to adapt intervention strategies effectively.
Original languageEnglish
Article number5575079
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalHealth and Social Care in the Community
Volume2024
Early online date10 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Apr 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Lawrencia Awuah et al.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Enlightening Stakeholders on the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts and Preparation for Minimizing Future Pandemics’ Negative Effects on Occupational Therapists'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this