FDA Health Care at Home Initiative identifies occupational therapy as a key need
April 26, 2024

Occupational therapy will figure prominently in the launch of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Health Care at Home Initiative to Help Advance Health Equity. The Initiative aims to better position the FDA to address health care needs by moving care into the home setting. Based within the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), the Initiative cites advancing health equity as one of three key strategies. AOTA will be represented on the Steering Committee for the FDA Initiative, underscoring the role of occupational therapy as a key practice area of expertise, as occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are creative problem solvers who deliver health solutions to people from birth through aging.

To accomplish the goals of the FDA’s Initiative, the agency has formed partnerships with a range of problem solvers who will be able to help design features of a home that could accommodate this transformation of healthcare. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) was asked to join the FDA network of experts, citing the member organization’s knowledge and expertise in the field of occupational therapy will be crucial to the conversation.

AOTA has identified two experts to assist in this work: Sabrena McCarley, MBA-SL, OTR/L, CLIPP, RAC-CT, QCP, FAOTA, RAC-CTA, Director of Clinical Reimbursement, Transitional Care Management and Beth Pyatak, PhD, OTR/L, CDCES, FAOTA, Associate Professor, USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.

The initiative is set to begin in May. McCarley said, “As occupational therapy practitioners, we possess a distinctive lens through which we engage with our residents, conducting thorough assessments grounded in the occupational therapy profile. This approach enables us to delve deeper into understanding our residents’ needs. I am thrilled to contribute to this exceptional journey, which promises to propel healthcare forward and underscore the significance of occupational therapy.”

Pyatak added, “For people with chronic conditions, the vast majority of healthcare takes place in the home, but healthcare devices and technologies were not designed to seamlessly integrate into the home environment. OTPs’ expertise and holistic understanding of how people live their daily lives can help make the home an optimal place to manage health.”

Read FDA Health Care at Home Initiative Identifies Occupational Therapy as a Key Need.

⋯