Details how to provide client-centered education in occupational therapy when working with groups and populations.

1. CLIENT—CENTERED
EDUCATION WITH
GROUPS AND
POPULATIONS
OTD715: Practitioner as Educator

2. The Problem?
Client-
Centered
Practice
Educating a
Group or
Population

3. Who is the Client?
Populatio
n
Group
Person

4. Groups and Populations
Groups
■ “a collection of individuals having
shared characteristics or a
common or shared purpose”
(AOTA, 2020, p. 1)
■ Example from the OTPF: “Group
of older workers in a factory
advocating for modification of
equipment to address discomfort
when operating the same set of
machines” (AOTA, 2020, p. 43)
Populations
■ “aggregates of people with
common attributes such as
contexts, characteristics, or
concerns, including health risks”
(AOTA, 2020, p. 1)
■ Example from the OTPF: “Older
workers in a national corporation
advocating for company- wide
wellness support programs”

5. OT Process with a Group or Population
Chart Review
Evaluation
Intervention Planning
Person
Preplanning/Explorati
on
Needs Assessment
Program Planning
Group or
Population
(Scaffa &
Brownson,
2014)

6. Client-Centered Needs Assessment
with a Group or Population
Population demographics
• Age
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Education
• Religion
• Income
Social demographics
• Housing
• Employment
• Health
• Crime
• Health statistics
(Scaffa & Brownson, 2014)

7. Remaining Client-Centered
■ Using inclusion and exclusion criteria for recruitment
■ Conducting individual learner assessment
■ Anticipating various needs/interests
– Using Universal Design for Learning principles
– Offering choice
■ Promoting interaction and social learning
■ Using evaluation data
– Offering individualized follow-up
– Revising and iterating

8. References
■ American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020).
Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process
(4th ed). Retrieved from
https://www.aota.org/~/media/corporate/files/secure/practice/
officialdocs/guidelines/otpf4_final_for_web.pdf
■ Scaffa, M. E. & Brownson, C. A. (2014). Program planning and
needs assessment. In M. E. Scaffa & Reitz, S. M. (Eds),
Occupational therapy in community-based practice settings
(2nd ed., pp. 61-79). F. A. Davis.