Question 9126 — health professions

Summary

Mr. Hubert Ott draws the attention of the Minister to the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, responsible for health and access to care, to the need to reassess the regulatory framework governing the occupational therapy profession. Occupational therapists and representative associations have been alerting public authorities for several years about a persistent inconsistency in the conditions of exercise of their occupation. Regulated by the public health code, these professionals can only intervene following a medical prescription (article L. 4331-1), although they have, since June 2023, been authorized to prescribe certain medical devices. This initial prescription requirement appears all the more problematic in the current context: on the one hand, doctors are less and less available, particularly in areas under-resourced and on the other hand, occupational therapy plays a central role in maintaining autonomy, preventing disability and adapting living environments. Occupational therapists work at home, in nursing homes, at school, in the workplace or in an institution, by prescribing technical aids, recommending adjustments or even providing functional rehabilitation. According to an ANFE survey carried out in 2024, almost 65% of professionals find themselves forced to practice without a regulatory medical prescription, therefore illegally, due to a lack of medical presence. Indeed, many occupational therapists employed in medical-social establishments and services which do not have doctors within the structure (EHPAD, FAM, SSIAD, etc.) practice outside the regulatory framework. This situation gives rise to serious concerns: it puts professionals in difficulty, increases the burden on doctors in contradiction with the objectives of task delegation and creates unequal access to care, particularly in medical deserts. Working illegally is neither acceptable nor sustainable for a recognized paramedical profession. In this context, he would like to know whether he plans to update the regulatory framework for occupational therapists, particularly in relaxing the obligation of initial medical prescription in certain contexts of intervention, in order to legally secure their practice, optimize care pathways and respond more effectively to the needs of users.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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