[OES-2-2] The conditions of “successful” Reablement services in Taiwan: A qualitative study
Background: Home-based Reablement service has initiated a paradigm shift in home rehabilitation and been adopted by many countries. The Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan began to adopt home-based professional-lead Reablement service since 2017. Occupational therapists have been a major driving force in promoting Reablement. It is no surprise that there are many implementation obstacles and knowledge of successful operation can be very helpful. Yet, few studies systematically explored how to effectively implement Reablement. This study explores the conditions of “successful” Reablement services.
Methodology: Qualitative methodology was used for research design. Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants. We asked the city long-term care management centers to recommend the Reablement teams who provide quality Reablement service. We then adopted a case-centered approach to recruit interviewees. The Team were asked to recruit one patient whose Reablement was considered successful. The Team (including home caregivers and professional staff who were involved in that patient’s care) were then asked to participate. The interviews focused on the experiences of Reablement from their respective perspectives, including the processes and outcomes. The interviews were conducted online due to COVID restrictions and video-recorded. Verbatim transcripts were produced. Principles of Grounded Theory was used for data analysis, assisted by Atlas.ti, a qualitative analysis software.
Results: A total of 10 cases (mild to severe disability levels, age 22~99) / caregivers and 27 service providers were included in the study. The conditions of successful Reablement were mostly attributed to: “the proper attitudes of the case/caregiver towards Reablement,” “the rapport between professionals and caregivers” “teamwork,” and “proper understanding of the patient and their caregiver towards Reablement.” The characteristics of a quality Reablement clinic include: “good communication and cooperation among team members,” “multi-disciplinary approach,” and “professional staff with Reablement competence and experience.”
Discussion and Conclusion: The results showed that diligence to follow up on homework was essential, which was rarely discussed in western literature. Literature also stressed the importance of respecting patient autonomy, which was less significant in this study. The results support that promoting Reablement-related knowledge to the general public can enhance the success rate of Reablement.
Methodology: Qualitative methodology was used for research design. Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants. We asked the city long-term care management centers to recommend the Reablement teams who provide quality Reablement service. We then adopted a case-centered approach to recruit interviewees. The Team were asked to recruit one patient whose Reablement was considered successful. The Team (including home caregivers and professional staff who were involved in that patient’s care) were then asked to participate. The interviews focused on the experiences of Reablement from their respective perspectives, including the processes and outcomes. The interviews were conducted online due to COVID restrictions and video-recorded. Verbatim transcripts were produced. Principles of Grounded Theory was used for data analysis, assisted by Atlas.ti, a qualitative analysis software.
Results: A total of 10 cases (mild to severe disability levels, age 22~99) / caregivers and 27 service providers were included in the study. The conditions of successful Reablement were mostly attributed to: “the proper attitudes of the case/caregiver towards Reablement,” “the rapport between professionals and caregivers” “teamwork,” and “proper understanding of the patient and their caregiver towards Reablement.” The characteristics of a quality Reablement clinic include: “good communication and cooperation among team members,” “multi-disciplinary approach,” and “professional staff with Reablement competence and experience.”
Discussion and Conclusion: The results showed that diligence to follow up on homework was essential, which was rarely discussed in western literature. Literature also stressed the importance of respecting patient autonomy, which was less significant in this study. The results support that promoting Reablement-related knowledge to the general public can enhance the success rate of Reablement.