Country members/Norway/Newsletter
News from Norway, June 2011
General assembly
The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists arranged the 23. general assembly in November 2010. Mette Kolsrud was reelected as President and Nils Erik Ness was elected as Vicepresident. The program, by-laws and budget forms a solid basis for intensified focus on professional and political work for the next four years.
The Norwegian Congress of Occupational Therapy 2013
The Norwegian Association is planning for the next Congress of Occupational Therapy 2013 in Oslo. The organizing committee is currently working on the program and the profile, with the overall focus on community based occupational therapy.
Guidelines on Assistive Technology
The Norwegian Association has published Evidence based Guidelines on Prescribing Assistive Technology. The aims of the guidelines are to ensure equal prescriptions and evidence based practice in the field of assistive technology. Target groups are occupational therapists, occupational therapy students, users of assistive technology and professionals in the systems of administering the assistive technology.
Occupational Therapy Competencies
The process of describing Occupational Therapy Competencies in Norway has started. The competencies will be described in the context of local challenges and politics, and in the two levels of general competencies and special competencies. Several changes in the local context influence the demand for Occupational Therapy Competencies, with a health reform and demand for innovation in care as the core topics.
The Health Reform
The Health Reform focus on public health and prevention, and on moving some of the tasks done by the hospitals closer to the homes of the patients. The reform has resulted in changes in the laws and regulations on health care. In general, The Norwegian Association applauds the reform, with its focus on public health, prevention and community care.