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

Information systems for occupational therapy (OT) services need to adapt effectively for improving performance by taking advantage of digital technology.

This research aimed to develop an information system for supporting occupational therapy services in the community.

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 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).

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.