Occupational Therapy in Health Care

This paper describes an example of collaborative course development, in which occupational therapy faculty members designed a two-course sequence for teaching content related to occupational therapy with children and youth. They used a backward course design approach and performance-based learning objectives to create alignment between Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards, course assignments and instructional content. The authors present examples from their course design, along with evidence-based resources to guide educators working on developing new courses or revising existing courses...

Knowledge of evidence-based-education principles is essential for occupational therapy academics and fieldwork supervisors to ensure the teaching and learning methods and strategies being used are informed, targeted, cost effective, contemporary, and worthwhile. This paper defines evidence-based-education is and how it can be applied in the context of occupational therapy student academic and fieldwork education. The factors that impact occupational therapy evidence-based education in the university sector are introduced which have the potential to ensure that students obtain a quality, meaningful, value-for-money, and high impact education in both academic and fieldwork environments...

Brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI) occurs in almost 1/1000 live births potentially resulting in lifelong upper extremity weakness and joint contracture. Early referral and initiation of passive range of motion (PROM) are recommended but there is no standard of care to guide treatment. A descriptive survey study design was used to target occupational and physical therapists who work in brachial plexus clinics to identify current practices for early therapeutic intervention. With 26 respondents, therapists recommend initiating PROM by 4 wks of life performed at every diaper change...

This paper aims to provide an overview and critique of the newly updated Sensory Processing Measure - second edition (SPM-2) to assist clinicians in understanding its strengths and limitations and in selecting an appropriate sensory processing scale that best meets their clients' needs. Using four established research methodological quality critique tools, the SPM-2's family of age-related versions was evaluated by administering the tools separately and discussed their scoring and findings to reach a consensus on all ratings...

Climate change may be the most pressing existential threat to human health and wellbeing in the twenty first century. In this paper, the authors provide context and critique on barriers to climate action in the United States and other high-income countries, including the profit-driven approach to health, consumerism, and the climate change countermovement. The reciprocal connections between occupational engagement and climate damage are examined from a lens of collective and irresponsible occupations and subsequent accountability...

This service evaluation reviewed inclusion of Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) relaxation activities as part of routine occupational therapy sensory sessions on a specialist dementia unit. Twenty-five sessions were completed over 13 wk with 14 participants. Nine participants chose to engage in multiple sessions. Feasibility was assessed through participant engagement and tolerability. Modal first session length was in the range 30 s to 2 min . This increased to over 2 min on second sessions...

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the understanding of occupational justice and occupational therapy's role among staff members working within organizations serving persons experiencing homelessness. A survey was developed to determine if staff ( N  = 43) understood what occupational therapists can do to help persons experiencing homelessness. Responses were split almost equally between agree/strongly agree and disagree/strongly disagree. Most or 95% ( n  = 38) of respondents stated their organization would be interested in increasing programming to support the ideas of occupational justice...

The basic needs of students may serve as unknown factors in academic engagement and well-being. Challenges in meeting these needs disproportionately impact underrepresented minority and first-generation students. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the perceived presence and impact of basic needs on health, well-being, and academic engagement in occupational therapy students. A 43-item survey was distributed to 231 students and focused on questions addressing basic needs in physiology, safety, and belonging...

Occupational therapy can improve physical activity, anxiety, and goal achievement after high tibial osteotomy. However, the role of psychological factors in physical activity and goal attainment after high tibial osteotomy is unclear. We examined how psychological factors mediate the relationship between physical activity and goal achievement. Participants included 55 individuals post-high tibial osteotomy. Physical activity and performance and satisfaction in everyday tasks had a significant indirect effect on the anxiety and depression...

This study aimed to explore sensory processing abilities in kindergarten children based on parents' perceptions of their children's sensory functioning. Employing a non-probability sampling technique, parents of 957 typical kindergarteners (52% males, 48% females) aged between four and six years in Amman-Jordan were surveyed via Arabic-Short Sensory Profile (A-SSP). Results showed that 37% and 24% of children exhibited definite difference and probable difference, respectively. These proportions indicate the importance of including sensory processing as a variable in studies that target children typical development, and to support the development of sensory processing among Jordanian children...

The tenets of servant leadership are in alignment with those driving occupational therapy practice, though little research exists to quantify this fit. This study presents a preliminary examination of servant leadership utilization by occupational therapy academic leaders. A quantitative survey-based design collected demographic information and scores on the Servant Leadership Behavior Scale . There were 370 responses which met inclusionary criteria. The findings provided initial support for the intentional use of a servant leadership model by leaders in the profession, and points to future research on the subject to further strengthen the findings presented...

Theories, models, and frameworks provide the foundation for occupational therapy education, research, and clinical practice. While most have a systems approach focus, other factors, such as societal influences and structural inequities, also contribute to health. Using a cross-sectional design, this study identified the gaps in occupational therapy models of practice and presents a novel approach, the PAIRE (Recognize P rivilege, A cknowledge I njustice, and R eframe Perspective to Reach E quity) Model. PAIRE is focused on achieving occupational equity through the reciprocal and intersectional impact of the provider/team, the person/people seeking occupational therapy, and the occupation-in-context, with continuous influences of access, context, and justice...

Community development and population-oriented approaches are emphasized to advance the occupational therapy profession's scope of practice to meet the increasing demands created by socio-cultural-political and economic changes. This study explored the practice processes of occupational therapists in community settings outside existing health care structures in Germany. Data was gathered through five individual qualitative interviews and one focus group and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified: navigating parallel processes within the larger context or system; building community connections through occupation; growing professional identity...

Nomophobia (NO MObile PHone Phobia) is a psychological condition in which people are anxious of being cut off from their mobile phones and been associated with adverse consequences to physical and psychosocial health. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of nomophobia on musculoskeletal problems in the upper extremity among adults. The Nomophobia scale (NMP-Q) was used to measure addiction to smartphone use among 5,087 Middle Eastern adults. A snowball sampling approach was used to recruit the participants between March and June 2021...

This pilot study sought to determine the feasibility of quantifying sensory processing, postural control, motor skill development and participation in daily life in children with idiopathic toe walking (ITW) compared to children without ITW. A nonrandomized, prospective case-control design was employed. Twenty participants were recruited. Computerized weight bearing and postural control data was successfully collected. Differences were found in forefoot/rearfoot weight bearing, balance, sensory-motor abilities and parent reported participation challenges...

The purpose of this study was to determine if parents receiving emotional support is positively correlated with children's participation in physical and social activities and if such a correlation exists between parental emotional support in children labeled as autistic. Data were drawn from 30,501 children aged 6 to 17 years in the 2020 National Survey of Children's Health database and analyzed using a retrospective cross-sectional approach based on multivariate linear regression models. Results showed parental emotional support was statistically significantly correlated with children's physical and social activity in the total sample but was not significant for the emotional support of parents with autistic children...

A descriptive study was conducted through the use of an online survey to gain understanding of the current occupational therapy practices of medication management. Although most respondents felt this topic is important, 24% of those surveyed reported not including medication management in their practice. Results suggest cognition was an important consideration when addressing medication management as well as the need to increase occupational therapy practitioners' knowledge and use of medication management.

This article explores the new surgical population of gender affirming surgery, specifically vaginal surgeries for transgender and gender diverse people. There are established perioperative rehabilitation guidelines for nearly all other surgeries. A growing population of people is seeking gender affirming healthcare which includes vaginal surgery. This article reviews the guidelines set forth by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care (Version 8), explores the occupational needs of this population, as well as provides suggestions for future versions of official documents of the American Occupational Therapy Association to provide more inclusive language for the unique needs of this population following surgery...

This paper discusses the development of the Mississippi School of Occupational Therapy, the first occupational therapy education program supported by a state government, and the first to start in the deep south. This article explores what is known about the school and the department to which the school was to supply therapists. The school existed from 1921-1926 under Eleanor Goodwin Morse a student of Eleanor Clarke Slagle, and followed the curriculum design of the Henry B. Favill School of Occupation and continued under Louise Howorth until 1929...

The study aimed to explore six public service users' perspectives on the impact their upper limb injury or condition has on their everyday lives while receiving occupational therapy intervention at a public hospital in the context of the Northern Cape of South Africa. An interpretivist phenomenological approach was employed. Data was collected using reflexive photography and semi-structured interviews. Three main themes were generated during inductive reasoning, namely the impact on role fulfillment, change in occupational task performance and the factors impacting performance in preferred occupations...