Ms Lori Roberts1
1Charles Darwin University, Tiwi, Australia
Biography:
Lori has worked as an Occupational Therapist for more than 10 years, with most of her career in the Northern Territory disability sector. Having observed the growing waitlists and unmet population needs in the Northern Territory, Lori became curious about innovative service models to better meet population needs. This curiosity has led her to commence a PhD, investing in how the role of allied health assistants can be utilised in the disability sector in the context of Northern Australia.
Abstract:
Purpose:
Allied health professionals are in shortage relative to population needs. Allied health assistants can potentially increase the service delivery output for the allied health workforce. There are some known barriers and facilitators that impact allied health assistant utilisation. However, the context in which this research has been conducted can have challenges in transferring findings to other sectors.
Scope:
This scoping review has identified and mapped the volume of literature that focuses on allied health assistants across sectors, remote locations in Australia, delegating allied health disciplines, and consumer condition/diagnosis.
Issue:
The relevance of findings from existing literature and application of recommendations can be challenging within the nuances of various clinical contexts and impacts assistant utilisation. Identifying and mapping the volume of literature conducted within various allied health assistant clinical contexts can 1) be a call for action to fill research gaps, 2) collate the literature about what is known for clinical use, and 3) inform vocational training curriculum about clinical contexts assistants are likely to work and the skills required.
Outcome:
Preliminary findings identify higher volumes of research completed in acute hospital sectors, in metropolitan areas, with biomedical conditions. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and exercise physiology frequently feature in literature as delegating professions. Sectors such as disability practice, education, and aged-care sectors have comparatively lower volumes of research available. More research across various sectors is needed to determine how the role can be utilised within different practice settings, client diagnostic groups, and various professions.