Occupational therapy benchmarks within orthopedic (hip) critical pathways.

OBJECTIVE This study examined patient performance benchmarks for occupational therapy within orthopedic (hip) critical pathways. METHOD Eight orthopedic (hip) critical pathways gathered from occupational therapy practitioners working in hospital and rehabilitation settings were examined to determine commonalities and differences of occupational therapy benchmarks, disciplines involved, and identified allowable variances. A comparison and contrast matrix was developed to provide a visual means of reviewing the data. RESULTS Nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy were disciplines consistently involved in the pathways. Activities of daily living related to self-care were the most consistently used occupational therapy benchmark within the sample pathways, and functional transfers were the second most-used benchmark. The remaining occupational therapy benchmarks varied, and little commonality was found in their use. Frequency of use also varied among the eight pathways. Five of eight pathways specifically coded variances, with the remaining three providing space for explanation of the variance. CONCLUSION Although these eight orthopedic (hip) critical pathways included occupational therapy benchmarks, further development and definition of the role of occupational therapy within subsequent orthopedic (hip) critical pathways is needed.