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Exercise Compared To Ssris In The Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder, Tiffany Fletschock

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common disease seen every day by primary care providers across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018), eight percent of all adults over the age of 20 suffer from depression, and a study by the American Psychological Association found depressive disorders to cost roughly $71 billion annually. Today, psychotherapy is the recommended first-line therapy for treating MDD, but pharmacotherapy is more commonly used. Alternative forms of therapy are also being researched in order to avoid the use of medication while adequately treating the symptoms of MDD. For …

Effects Of Pole Walking On Older Adults Following Six Weeks Of Training, Samantha Forsch, Raevyn Haugland

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Introduction: Age-related changes in adults over 60 include reduced mobility and function as well as an increase in frailty. Conventional walking has been shown to be an effective physical activity to maintain mobility and improve function and overall health and fitness. Specifically, walking speed has been identified as a crucial predicting factor for fall risk and decreased functional mobility. For this reason, clinicians considered the element of walking speed as the sixth vital sign. Pole walking has gained popularity over the years and may provide additional benefits, when compared to conventional walking, such as improved stride and step length, faster …

Physiological Approach To Characterize Drowsiness In Simulated Flight Operations During Window Of Circadian Low, Bijay Guragain

Theses and Dissertations

Drowsiness is a psycho-physiological transition from awake towards falling sleep and its detection is crucial in aviation industries. It is a common cause for pilot’s error due to unpredictable work hours, longer flight periods, circadian disruption, and insufficient sleep. The pilots’ are prone towards higher level of drowsiness during window of circadian low (2:00 am- 6:00 am). Airplanes require complex operations and lack of alertness increases accidents. Aviation accidents are much disastrous and early drowsiness detection helps to reduce such accidents. This thesis studied physiological signals during drowsiness from 18 commercially-rated pilots in flight simulator. The major aim of the …

Potentials Of Physiological Signals To Implement A Wearable Drowsiness Detection And Warning System For Pilots, Shubha Majumder

Theses and Dissertations

Drowsiness is a transitional psychophysiological state from alertness towards sleep, which decreases concentration and increases response time. Drowsiness during duty hours is common for in-flight pilots due to frequent travel across different time zones, extended duty hours as well as circadian rhythm disruption. Hence, drowsy flying is one of the leading reasons for increased risk of accidents, especially in commercial aviation. Mainly three approaches (i.e., vehicle-based, behavioral, and physiological signal based) are used for onboard drowsiness detection. Among them, physiological signal-based approach is advantageous for early detection of drowsiness with reasonable accuracy due to the strong relationship among some of …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Elizabeth Crepeau, Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Nathina Crabtree, Sara Gregoire

Oral History Student Papers

The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. The life history is part of a larger study consisting of 30 occupational therapists. The larger study is Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) at …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Julie D Bass, Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Taylor Beatty, Michaela Zins

Oral History Student Papers

Objective: The purpose of the life history of Julie Bass, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is to gain an insight into her life, her leadership experiences, and her years of work in the occupational therapy (OT) profession to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of how occupational therapy practice has evolved over time.

Method: An in-depth, semi-structured interview was guided by an interview schedule prepared by the project directors. The interview took place via Zoom conference at the University of North Dakota and lasted two hours. The interview was transcribed verbatim and coded with 22 codes. The codes …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of John White Jr. Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Malea Peters, Brandon Steffen

Oral History Student Papers

Objective: The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information.

Method: The participant was assigned to the project directors through purposive sampling. Two, 60-minute, semi-structured interviews, guided by the Kawa model, were conducted with Dr. White through a …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Joan Rogers, Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Michelle Arnhalt, Ivy Steiger

Oral History Student Papers

Objective: This qualitative study was to examine the evolution of occupational therapy practice throughout the life history and career of Joan Rogers. The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond.

Method: The Kawa Model guided Semi-structured interview questions. Throughout the interview process, the researchers gained information regarding Joan Roger’s experiences related to gaining her occupational therapy …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Dr. Thomas Fisher, Ph.D., Otr, Ccm, Faota, Hailey Axtell, Ty Berg

Oral History Student Papers

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information.

Methods: The life history of Dr. Thomas Fisher was a qualitative study using the life history approach. Purposive sampling was used by the project directors to obtain the participants for …

Provider Suicide, Amy Quinn

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

The purpose of this research and systematic literature review is to determine the risks factors for, the identification of and repercussions of provider suicide. In this review, databases searched included Pubmed, Cochran Database of Systematic Reviews, PsycInfo, National Institute of Health, Medscape and Google Scholar from September 8, 2018 to January 13, 2019. A variety of key terms were used when searching include suicide, provider suicide, suicide, costs of suicide, physician burnout, physician assistant burnout, nurse burnout, doctor suicide, physician assistant suicide, and nurse practitioner suicide. Works chosen for review were published between 1979 and 2018, as the topic has …

Can Early Intervention With Group Therapy Or Individual Therapy Improve The Family Dynamic In Ptsd Patients?, Killian Norton

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that affects an individual directly, while also affecting their family members around them. While PTSD is not directly correlated to the development of Secondary Stress Disorder (STS), PTSD has been shown to lead to increased rates of divorce and mood disorders in children whose parents are diagnosed with PTSD. Children who have grown up with divorced parents, or parents with PTSD, have been shown to have an increased chances of developing mood disorders and risky lifestyle behaviors. The combination of having a parent with PTSD and being divorced would likely …

Pain Management Resource Guide For Caregivers Of Children With Phantom Limb Pain, Micaela Monn, Amanda Steffen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Approximately 80% of children, under the age of 18, develop phantom limb pain within one year after receiving an amputation (Burgoyne, Billups, Jiron, Kaddoum, Wright, Bikhazi, Parish, & Pereiras, 2012; Krane & Heller, 1995). Research on treating phantom limb pain has been focused on the adult population and often includes the use of pharmacological interventions (Subedi & Grossberg, 2011). Because phantom limb pain can cause psychological and physical dysfunction, it can negatively impact a child's ability to engage in everyday life. Currently, no holistic treatment guides are available for caregivers to refer to when helping their child manage his or …

Life Skills Program For Youth Who Have Experienced Homelessness, Michael Black, Ariel Campbell

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Background: According to the United States Department of Education (2017), for the 2016-2017 school year, there was an estimated 1,924 students enrolled in public schools in Wyoming experiencing homelessness, with an estimated 295 of these students unaccompanied by a family member or guardian. Homeless youth comprise one of the most vulnerable and medically underserved populations in the United States (Ammerman et al., 2004) and are also substantially more likely to have mental health concerns as a result of their past traumatic experiences (Davies & Allen, 2017). Homeless youth typically develop identities and habits that enable them to negotiate and survive …

Navigating Cultural Differences Between Fieldwork Educators And Students, Tiana Brown, Norris Chin

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Background Cultural competency is an awareness and incorporation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific policies, practices, standards and attitudes by incorporating the client's personal views, values and belief (Suk, Oh, & Im, 2018). Although it is important for future health care professionals and faculty to understand our growing diverse population, there is little to no emphasis on improving the interactions of diverse students and their fieldwork educators. Currently, there is no literature that provides guidance on facilitating culturally competent interactions and challenges for fieldwork educators or students. The purpose of this project was to develop a …

Occupational Therapy In Primary Care: Progressive Neurological Disorder, Amanda Callahan, Danielle Chartier

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project is to provide occupational therapists with a quick reference guide describing the unique role of occupational therapy to provide treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis within a primary care setting.

A substantial literature review was completed to gather knowledge on multiple sclerosis, occupational therapy, primary care, and the intertwining of these three concepts. The findings from the literature review assisted to guide the development of the product.

A collaborative client and therapist guide was developed to guide treatment for individuals with multiple sclerosis within a primary care setting. Occupational therapists bring a holistic perspective …

Engaging Caregivers In Family-Centered Pediatric Occupation Therapy, Sidney Carlson, Sarah Schwartz

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose Family-centered care is considered the gold standard when working with children and their families (Darrah, Wiart, Magill-Evans, Ray, & Andersen, 2010). Despite there being a strong push toward family-centered care, there remains a disconnect in outpatient pediatric settings when working with children ages 3-18. The purpose of this scholarly project is to raise awareness of the need for caregiver engagement in pediatric, outpatient occupational therapy and identify best practice principles for caregiver engagement.

Methods An extensive literature review was conducted in order to understand caregiver engagement in pediatric occupational therapy. The information obtained from the literature review was analyzed …

Occupational Therapy With An Adventurous Twist, Ashley Cambronne, Mikaela Karpen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project is to increase knowledge and awareness of adventure therapy (AT) for occupational therapists (OTs) practicing in mental health settings or who are interested in practicing in mental health settings within the United States. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of AT by OTs practicing within the United States. This lack of knowledge and awareness is due to a lack of research, especially research focused on AT implementation by OTs. The process for gathering data and creating the scholarly project was first, identifying a problem, then searching CINAHL, PubMed, PsychInfo, and Academic …

Toda La Familia: An Occupational Therapy Resource Guide For Working With Latino Children Diagnosed With Asd And Their Families, Rachel Fritzler, Stacey Sigmond

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project was to create a resource guide for occupational therapists working with Latino children diagnosed with ASD and their families. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that has become increasingly prevalent within the United States (Baio, Wiggins, and Christensen, 2018), with ASD rates triplining in Hispanic children between the years of 2002 through 2006 (Pedersen et al., 2002). Blanche, Diaz, Barretto, and Cermak (2015) indicated that multiple family members, not just primary caretakers, are aiding in caring for a child diagnosed with ASD. However, many extended households which may include grandparents, aunts, uncles, …

The Experiences Of Occupational Therapists Working In Oncology Care And The Implications Of The Referral Process, Samantha Albrigtson, Jade Clement

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this independent study was to explore the current role of occupational therapists working in oncology care and to understand the implications of the referral process for this specific population.

Methodology: A phenomenological research design, derived from Giorgi and Giorgi (2008), was used to implement this study. The researchers interviewed 6 occupational therapists, from a variety of settings, in the Midwest region using a semi-structured interview style. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and broken down into key constituents (Giorgi & Giorgi, 2008).

Results: The subsequent results from the 6 interviews were developed from 11 key constituents that …

From Here To There: An Occupational Screening Tool For Transitioning Soldiers, Bailey Fruit, Hannah Williams

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Time has shown that it can be difficult for military personnel to resume their typical life roles within civilian life. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were the longest wars in United States history and involved some of the most intense ground engagements since Vietnam (Cogan, 2014). This left many soldiers to deal with the traumatic experiences they went through. This study aimed at developing a screening tool to address the difficulties experienced by veterans during their transition into civilian life.

The researchers began with a thorough review of literature to identify the occupational challenges the project would address. Following …

Secondary Tia Outpatient Prevention (Stop) Program: Addressing Individuals Of Lower Socioeconomic Status, Mackenzie Funke, Kasey Nieland

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project was to provide secondary prevention in an outpatient setting to individuals who have experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and are of lower socioeconomic status (SES). Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of long-term disability (National Stroke Association, 2018). An estimated 795,000 plus Americans experience a stroke each year (Benjamin et al., 2017). Of this estimation, about 185,000 Americans experience a recurrent stroke (Benjamin et al., 2017). Roughly, one half of patients fail to seek medical attention within 24 hours of a TIA (Sharry …

Addressing Role Transitions In Young And Middle-Aged Adults Post-Stroke In The Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting: An In-Service For Occupational Therapists, Ashley Ystaas, Kelsey Raymond

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Young and middle-aged adults experience disruptions to their daily life roles and responsibilities due to the variety of impairments they may face following a stroke. This population is in the time of their lives where they have a variety of roles and responsibilities that are important to them such as work, parenting, home management, education, driving, community re-integration, and social participation (Harris & Bettger, 2018; Lawrence, 2010, Maaijwee et al., 2015). An extensive literature review was conducted to determine if and when occupational therapists address roles during the rehabilitation process with young and middle-aged adults post-stroke. The thorough review of …

Occupational Therapy Practitioners' Knowledge And Perception Of The Value Of Environmental Adaptations For Nursing Home Residents With Neurocognitive Disorders, Hannah Fiser

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this independent study was to evaluate occupational therapy practitioners’ perceptions of the efficacy of certain environment-based intervention types when utilized with nursing home residents who present with neurocognitive disorders. A non-experimental research design in an online survey format was utilized. An invitation to take the online survey was submitted to 56 occupational therapy (OT) practitioners working in skilled nursing facilities. The online survey was comprised of questions addressing awareness/use and perception of efficacy of environment-based intervention methods. Seventeen responses were received. The majority of respondents reported awareness and use of the 20 environment-based intervention methods. Overall, respondents …

Using Leisure As A Therapeutic Activity To Enhance Health, Well-Being, And Quality Of Life Among Long Term Care Residents, Olivia Mayasich, Alexis Tyce

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose The purpose of this scholarly project is to address health, well-being, and quality of life with the use of leisure activities as modalities with residents in long term care (LTC) facilities.

Methodology The results of a thorough literature review supported the need for a program to address leisure participation in residents in LTC facilities. An abundance of literature supporting participation in leisure to enhance health, well-being, and quality of life emerged from the literature review, revealing an obvious gap between literature and practice. The information gathered in the literature review helped guide the development of a program manual to …

Well-Being And Health Promotion Template, Nichole Arn, Cody Mach

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop an occupational therapy intervention template that could be utilized at LaGrave on First. LaGrave on First is a new Housing First facility that opened in Grand Forks, ND during the summer of 2018. Literature reviews regarding occupational therapy and its' role with the homeless population were limited and challenging to find, especially with a Housing First emphasis. Within this scholarly project, the reviewed literature was used to develop an intervention guide that could be implemented in conjunction with other occupational therapy interventions for this population. The interventions were created for …

An Occupational Therapy Referral Screening Tool For Children In Adoptive And Foster Care Placements, Alli Fox, Emily Kollodge

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project was to identify the needs of children in the adoption and foster care systems (AFCS) by creating a screening tool to refer them to occupational therapy services. In the United States (US), the number of adopted children has grown to 1.8 million (Vandivere, Malm, & Radel, 2009), and to 400,000 children in the foster care system at any given time (Bramlett & Radel, 2017). These children are considered an at-risk population due to their life experiences. Occupational therapists (OTs) are uniquely qualified to work with this population. Due to stress and adversity, children who …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Post Cva Education, Sadie Larson, Brooke Westrich

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The average literacy rate for healthcare client education materials is currently 11th-16th grade (Dignan & Hunter, 2015). Due to cognitive impairments, difficulty understanding healthcare education materials increases after experiencing a stroke (Danzl et al., 2016). Poor health education results in lower adherence to treatment and limited participation in everyday activities at home (DeMarco, Nystrom, & Salvatore, 2011). Clients and caregivers specifically reported a lack of understanding of post-stroke impairments (O'Connell, Baker, & Prosser, 2003).

A literature review was conducted on topics related to health literacy, post-stroke residual deficits, client education, and occupational therapy’s role in client education. There was an …

Life History Of Elizabeth Crepeau, Phd, Otr/L, Faota, Nathina Crabtree, Sara Gregoire

Oral History Posters

The purpose of the study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. This life history is part of the larger study consisting of 30 occupational therapists. The larger project is Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) at …

The Use Of Dhea In The Treatment Of Depression, Bryan Tipton

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated ester (DHEA-S) are important pre-hormones that also have direct neurohormonal effects on the central nervous system. Over the last twenty years, data have revealed that serum DHEA peaks in a person’s mid-20s and steadily declines throughout their lifetime. In addition, women tend to have lower values than men. This is of note because lower serum values tend to be correlated with increased risk of depression, worse depressive symptoms, and increased risk of relapse into depression. A review of literature concerning DHEA’s age related values, its association with depression, and its use in the treatment of …

Efficacy And Effectiveness Of Treatment Studies, Manish Rami

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

Professionals in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders primarily assess and treat speech, language, and hearing disorders. Speech–language pathologists and audiologists are the two professions. These professionals constantly search for ways to improve services for people who have speech, language, or hearing disorders. To do so, these professionals conduct research to figure out the best treatment options for their clients. Two types of research methods, efficacy of treatment studies (efficacy studies) and effectiveness of treatment studies (effectiveness studies), help establish the certainty and practicality of new treatment approaches. Evidence from such studies advances the discipline of communication sciences and …