Patient experiences of occupational formulation: It's about getting to know me

Occupational therapists try to learn about people's daily lives to understand what matters to each person and set therapy goals together. One way they do this is through a process called an occupational formulation. This is a written summary made with the person to show what they need and want in their life. This study looked at how patients felt about using occupational formulation in a secure forensic hospital. This is a new way of working, so we wanted to learn more about how it was used and what patients thought about it. The study was planned with help from people with lived experience, occupational therapists, social workers, and the hospital's Consumer Advisory Group. An occupational therapist and a lived experience worker interviewed 10 patients about their occupational formulations. The interviews were recorded and written down. Researchers then looked at what the patients said to find common ideas. Three themes were identified: getting to know the person, talking about losses and limitations, and how the formulation helped or could be helpful. Most patients said the process was helpful. It made it easier to work with their occupational therapist and talk about what was important to them. They also wanted more chances to check in on their goals. Based on what we learned, we made suggestions to help therapists improve how they create and review occupational formulations with patients. More research could look at how this works in other places.