Following the research into brain abscess and empyema it was
found that there was a need for specific practice guidelines for
occupational therapy assessment and treatment of this patient
group. Occupational therapists may experience anxiety about
treating novel conditions and as brain abscess and empyema are
rare conditions they may experience a lack of confidence in their
selection of assessment and treatment techniques.
It was also found in talking to occupational therapy clinicians
working in the neurosurgical field that there was little knowledge
and therefore limited consensus on the focus of assessment and
treatment for this patient group.
In drawing up these practice guidelines the normal clinical
reasoning process was needed and this practice guideline is
intended to help take clinicians through this process. As a result
there are generic aspects to the process that can be applied
to other similar conditions. Theoretical frameworks need to
drive practice guidelines and OTPF-II is well documented in the
literature and has been used by the University of Witwatersrand
as the framework for undergraduate training. It has been found
to be helpful in clearly explaining the occupational therapist's
domain of practice to the rest of the health care community as
well as explicitly delineating the occupational therapy process
for students during clinical practice. This indicates that it is a