Overlapping Duties in OT and PT Evaluation of Overlapping Duties in Occupational and Physical Therapy

Occupational therapists (OT) often work in a team environment with other health care professionals including physical therapists (PT), nurses, speech therapists, and mental health professionals. Because of the similarity between occupational and physical therapy, the duties of both professions frequently overlap. The role of the occupational therapist as defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is the therapeutic use of purposeful activities or interventions to promote positive health outcomes, prevent injury and disability, and increase development. Interventions incorporated by OT providers may include the adaptation of skills, and manipulation of the environment to increase mobility, performance, independence, and the quality of life. Treatment performed by occupational therapists focuses on the improvement of activities of daily living including oral hygiene, toileting, grooming, and others (Punwar & Peloquin, 2000). Occupational therapists employ purposeful activities including crafts, games, and other activities to achieve desired therapeutic outcomes. In addition, they work with a wide range of clients including individuals with mental illness, autism, and other disabilities (Institute for Career Research, 2007). A PT uses exercise, massage,...

Although the treatment goals of both professions are similar, occupational and physical therapists employ different therapeutic approaches to achieve their objectives.
Although OT and PT providers have different job descriptions, they perform similar duties in many health care settings. Traditionally, there is a division of labor between both professions. Occupational therapists focus their treatments on the area above the navel, and physical therapists assist clients in improving motor function below the navel. Because many interventions performed by occupational and physical therapists relate to activities of daily living, their duties frequently overlap. For example, an OT will frequently assist a client with problems related to toileting or transferring from a bath chair to the bathtub more effectively. Assistance with these tasks is also performed by the physical therapist (Institute for Career Research, 2007). Problems arise in the teamwork approach of many managed care facilities because PT and OT practioners claim similar areas of treatment as their professional domain. In addition, overlapping duties are problematic for OT providers because of third party billing, Medicare, and Medicaid, and duplication of services. According to the American Occupational Therapy…