Occupational Therapy Month - Hand and Upper Limb Clinic

During Occupational Therapy month, we celebrate our Occupational Therapists (OT) and OT Assistants at Joseph Brant Hospital who encourage and support patients as they learn the skills they need for succeeding in daily living, working and returning to their home environments. We met with Laura and Richard, two OTs working in our Hand and Upper Limb Clinic to learn about their role.

“The hand therapy team acts as a liaison for patients to communicate progress and problem solve in collaboration with the surgical team throughout the patient’s recovery process.”

The Hand and Upper Limb Clinic at Joseph Brant Hospital provides outpatient therapy for people who have operations or traumatic injuries to the bones, nerves, ligaments, or tendons of their shoulder, arm, forearm, wrist and hand.

Laura and Richard are both Occupational Therapists who work in this clinic. In their role, they deliver comprehensive treatment plans that consist of custom splinting, therapeutic methods, thorough education, wound care, manual therapy and home exercise programs.

“As occupational therapists, we have the goal of returning people to their meaningful occupations and roles.”

Part of their work involves working alongside doctors and nurses within the plastic and orthopaedic surgery services, along with referring physicians and physiotherapists to design individualized treatment plans that considers the complexities of hand injuries and operative details.

“Within the clinic itself, we work alongside and consistently rely on the knowledge and skill of our physiotherapy colleagues for joint evaluation and manual therapy. It’s a wonderful partnership and we are so fortunate to work in such a collaborative interprofessional setting.”

Using an evidence-based assessment process, the team will create treatment plans that include the use of treatment methods including therapeutic ultrasound, paraffin wax, whirlpool bath, and soft tissue massage.

“The hallmark of hand therapy is custom splinting, which requires low temperature thermoplastics that are heated and molded with specialized equipment.”

Patient-centred care and safety is at the forefront of everything that is done at the Clinic. With the support of the hospital, each therapist pursues ongoing education and skill development related to the field of hand therapy. This ensures that all therapists are up to date in current best practices.

“We practice excellence through our dedication to patient-centred care. A significant part of each day is spent providing thorough education to patients and patient safety is prioritized by following current evidence-based and best practice guidelines.”

Learn more about our Hand and Upper Limb Clinic here: https://www.josephbranthospital.ca/en/programs-and-services/hand-clinic.asp