Software for occupational therapists: how to choose

An occupational therapist in private practice spends a lot of time on the road and writing. Home visits, assessments, recommendations, disability files. Alongside, there is scheduling, invoices and each patient's record. Few tools do all of it well. It helps to know what you need before choosing.

The four needs of an occupational therapy practice

• Scheduling. Visits at home, at school or in care facilities, with travel to fit in between.
• Invoices. In France, private sessions are not covered by national health insurance. Patients need an invoice for their insurer, disability services or other funding. See our article on reimbursement and funding.
• Records and follow-up. What was done in each session and how the person is managing in daily life.
• Writing. The assessment, home adaptation recommendations, reports for disability services. See our articles on the assessment report, home adaptation recommendations and disability applications.

How to choose

1. Where the data is hosted

Your records hold health data, and often details about the home and the family. Check where it is stored and which certification the host holds. In France, a provider hosting health data for you must be HDS certified (article L1111-8 of the Public Health Code). See our article on HDS hosting.

2. Working on the move

You rarely write at a desk. Check that the tool works on phone and tablet, and that you can dictate your observations right after a visit.

3. Time saved on writing

Assessments and recommendations are long. Check whether the software actually helps you write, or only stores what you typed.

4. Following progress over time

For a renewal or a disability file, you need to see what has changed since the first visit. A good tool shows you without rereading every note.

5. The contract

You remain responsible for your patients' data. Under the GDPR, you need a data processing agreement with the provider (article 28). Also check that your data is not used to train models.

Questions to ask before you commit

• Where is the data hosted, and is the host certified for health data?
• Is my data used to train models?
• Can I dictate my observations from my phone after a visit?
• Can I get my records back if I stop?
• Can I try it without commitment?

How Delta works

Delta is an AI assistant designed with occupational therapists. During the session or home visit, Delta transcribes what is said. You can also dictate your observations and measurements right after. Delta then writes the report, taking your specialty into account, and adds it to the patient's record. You find the whole history when it is time to write an assessment or a disability report. Delta also writes your assessment reports.

Data stays in Europe, on infrastructure certified for health data (HDS), and AI processing runs on servers located in France. The patient's name and any information that could identify them are pseudonymised before reaching the AI, no audio file is kept, and the data is never used to train models. Delta works on computer, tablet and phone. More details on the Delta for occupational therapists page.