Would a question about the purpose/motive of OT be on-topic here?

Question

Two weeks ago, my father had a heart attack leading to multiple by-pass surgery. All things considered, aside from having nothing happen at all, what has happened is among the better things that could have happened, and his recovery is proceeding great.

Still, he will be spending the next month or so in a rehab center, getting round-the-clock nursing care, as well as undergoing physical and occupational therapy, before being able to return to his home.

What he has described to me regarding the OT is what I would call Kindergarten Arts and Crafts- making designs out of felt pieces, for example. He himself has said he feels like the OT treats him like he is 4, not 84.

What he needs is to ensure he is able to shower, shave, shine, and that other sh-word, to cook an egg on the stove, wash the dishes, and so on. I am insanely curious as to how the one ultimately relates to the other.

Would this be the right place to ask? If so, any tips on how to phrase the question, and the proper tags?

Answer 1

I think this could be on-topic — not a question about motives (as in the title), but rather one about data. I would suggest phrasing it in a way that is reasonably specific as to the intervention and/or outcome of interest. I can imagine several related study designs that might be informative:

• Have studies shown that occupational therapy improves functional outcomes after CABG*?

• Have manual exercises such as arts and crafts been associated with improvement in ability to perform activities of daily living (showering, dressing, etc.)?

• Has occupational therapy after CABG been shown to reduce the risk of subsequent cardiac events?

• Do patients after CABG have demonstrable deficits in ability to perform occupational tasks compared to their pre-operative state?

There are probably many other ways this could be framed. As long as you clearly define the question that you're interested in, I think any of these could be on topic.

_{* = coronary artery bypass grafting}