Survey prompts new CPD sessions for Occupational Therapists

“While it’s great to see that so many OTs feel that collaboration has improved between themselves and specialist seating manufacturers, I am keen to now work towards further empowering this relationship”

Occupational Therapists (OTs) looking to expand their knowledge of specialist seating will soon be able to access CPD sessions from Kate Sheehan, one of the UK’s leading OTs, on a range of topics chosen by them.

The CPD accredited sessions are being developed following the results of a recent survey, which found only 44 per cent of occupational therapists would be willing to recommend a specialist seating manufacturer to their clients.

Repose Furniture surveyed over 70 Occupational Therapists at the 2015 OT Show, and found that while a staggering 94% of OTs felt collaboration had improved between healthcare professionals and specialist manufacturers, a further 67% felt that specialist manufacturers should work towards offering CPD sessions that focus on seating assessment best practice and occupational performance.

As a result, Repose, together with Kate Sheehan, who the company appointed following its 2014 OT Show survey, have committed to developing accredited CPD sessions that addresses the assessment, product specification, and clinical reasoning for provision of specialist seating.

Recognising the need for more joint collaboration, Repose is also building a CPD session exclusively for its distributor network to enable them to provide the highest possible levels of care and support to patients, and help OTs better understand the critical needs that patients have, when seeking a suitable specialist chair.

Kate, who works alongside Repose on new product development and healthcare research, commented on the findings of the survey: “While it’s great to see that so many OTs feel that collaboration has improved between themselves and specialist seating manufacturers, I am keen to now work towards further empowering this relationship, not only to ensure that OTs receive the high quality training they deserve but to also give them the confidence to recommend Repose to their clients,” she said.

This is the second time Repose has carried out a survey at OT Show. Last year the company surveyed Occupational Therapists on what they felt was the most important factor when assessing their clients for specialist seating, with 85% stating they favoured functionality over design, price, and comfort.

Lisa Wardley, Managing Director at Repose explained why the results of the survey are so important to the company, as it now looks to align itself even closer to healthcare professionals.

She said: “The results of our survey last year looked at what OTs prioritised when carrying out seating assessments for their clients, and as a result we were able to closely re-evaluate our healthcare products to ensure that functionality is always at the forefront of our chairs

“The results from this year’s survey are just as important as they enable us to explore the ways in which we can better align ourselves with OTs, exploring how we can increase their knowledge on the seating issues that matter most to them.”

The CPD training sessions are set to be rolled out over the next few months across a number of dates and locations to suit OTs.

The website for the company is at www.reposefurniture.co.uk