Client education development and implementation

During the past 4 decades, hospital stays have declined for individuals who encounter neurological injuries. With decreased time available for skilled therapeutic services, occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are challenged to educate and instruct clients about discharge readiness while simultaneously increasing functional outcomes. Preparation for discharge or transition from rehabilitation services should be intentional and aim to be a road map to success from rehabilitation to clients’ expected community context. According to Guihan and colleagues (2022), OTPs play a vital role in helping individual clients and populations with spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic (TBI), including their loved ones and caregivers, in their transition planning. Typically, an individual’s discharge goal is to transition from rehabilitation services to their intended home or community environment with new skills and abilities to remain occupationally engaged while also managing new medical considerations (Guihan et al., 2022).