For Occupational Therapists ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll be able to generate a complete, customized home exercise or home program handout for any patient in under 3 minutes — specific to their diagnosis, ability level, available equipment, and home environment. No more adapting generic MedBridge templates or starting from scratch.
What you'll need
Open a new chat in Claude or ChatGPT. Begin with this setup:
You are helping an occupational therapist create home programs for patients. When I describe a patient's situation, create a clear, patient-friendly home program with:
- Step-by-step instructions written at 6th-8th grade reading level
- Specific sets/reps/duration for each activity where applicable
- Safety precautions for this patient's situation
- When to stop and contact the therapist
- A simple visual description of each exercise position
Use [patient] as placeholder. Format for printing on one page if possible.
Now describe the patient with all relevant details:
Create a home program for this patient:
- Diagnosis: [diagnosis]
- Current ability: [describe what they can and cannot do]
- Goals: [what the program should achieve]
- Home environment: [house/apartment, stairs, available equipment]
- Equipment available at home: [resistance bands, weights, chairs, tables, etc.]
- Precautions/restrictions: [hip precautions, weight-bearing status, skin integrity concerns, cognitive level]
- How often should they do the program: [daily / twice daily / 3x week]
- Who will assist: [independent / family caregiver]
The first output will be a solid starting point. Common refinements:
Once the program reads correctly:
Upper extremity post-surgical:
Home program for [diagnosis] [X weeks] post-op. Focus: [AROM/strengthening/functional use]. Equipment: []. Precautions: []. Frequency: []. Reading level: 6th grade.
Pediatric fine motor home practice:
Home activity program for [age]-year-old with [diagnosis]. Focus: [fine motor goal]. Duration: [10/15/20 minutes daily]. Materials: common household items only. Make it fun — frame as play, not therapy. Parent-friendly instructions.
Sensory home strategies:
Home sensory diet for [age]-year-old, [sensory profile: seeking/avoiding]. Activities must use [available equipment]. Schedule: morning routine + after school. Parent instructions at 8th grade reading level.