ABSTRACT

Objective: The review aims to investigate the role of occupational therapy in orthopaedics focusing on the orthogeriatric model of care. Methods: Researched related literature through search engine Google and web database; Cinahl, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science from September to November in 2018. The search keywords are ‘Orthogeriatric model of care’, ‘guideline’, ‘hip fracture’, ‘replacement’, ‘knee arthroplasty’ ‘Orthopedic’, ‘Orthogeriatric’, ‘Occupational therapy’, ‘Elderly’ and ‘Discharge planning’. This review constructs the role of occupational therapy based on the orthogeriatric model of care. Results: It is found that the Orthogeriatric Model of Care (OMC) facilitates recovery and returning to the community for the elderly who undertaken orthopedic surgery. OMC consist of a multidisciplinary team including physician, nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, dietician and speech pathologist. Implementing OMC reduced mortality, complication, delirium, admission of intensive care unit and nursing home, and increase recovery, functional outcome and cost-effectiveness. Occupational therapy plays important role in OMC such as pre-operation assessment and education, delirium management. early mobilization, joint education, fall prevention, rehabilitation, discharge planning and management after discharge. Conclusion: In Korea, the orthopedic care system is placed way behind compare to developed countries. there is still a limited OT role in the orthopedic area. This may be the reason that Korean orthopedic patient stays longer at the hospital and higher readmission rates after orthopedic surgery. The Korean medical insurance system is required to develop to support OT to work in the orthopedic area. This will help to support ‘community care’ which government louched in 2018.