Development of an Information System to Support Occupational Therapy Services from Hospital to Community

Abstract

Background: Information systems for occupational therapy (OT) services need to adapt effectively for improving performance by taking advantage of digital technology. Objective: This research aimed to develop an information system for supporting occupational therapy services in the community. Methods: This study used a mixed methods research design divided into two phases. Phase I: system requirements were gathered from nine occupational therapists who represented each of the nine provinces in northern Thailand. Focus groups and in-depth interviews were used in detail to explore the system requirements for occupational therapy services in the community. This information system applied a responsive web design. Phase II: usability testing, involved thirty occupational therapists in a northern network, who were selected to evaluate an information system by using a questionnaire. Results: Results showed that participants requested two components: 1) Occupational Therapist data, and 2) a referral system. The information system could be used by occupational therapists in a northern Thai OT network to insert their own information actively for providing a referral system. The overall usability assessment was at a high level (mean ± SD = 4.27 ± 0.07). Conclusion: This study concluded that an OT digital network system may offer a strategy to support OT services from hospital to community in a complex system of healthcare.