Occupational therapy has been identified as a required service in the neuro critical care unit (NCCU), however who receives occupational therapy services and what services they receive are not well understood. We sought to determine if arousal deficits impacted patients' likelihood to receive an occupational therapy evaluation or specific types of occupational therapy interventions in the NCCU. When compared to patients without arousal deficits, patients who were experiencing agitation or light sedation, but not deep sedation, were more likely to receive occupational therapy interventions in the therapeutic activities category. Arousal deficits were not associated with receipt of occupational therapy services or occupational therapy interventions in the self-care or therapeutic exercise categories. Determining predictors of occupational therapy services will help ensure the timely delivery of services by improving the allocation of resources and identifying potential gaps in care.
Keywords: Acute; Glasgow Coma Scale; Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale; intensive care unit; neuro critical care unit.