Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Efficacy Of Yoga Nidra On Sleep Quality With Persons With Parkinson’S Disease (Pwpd), Kimberly Morrow, Karen Aranha, Angela Blackwell

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A pilot mixed methods study utilizing quantitative and qualitative phenomenological study methods to understand the overall the benefits of using Yoga Nidra on sleep quality and sleep management, and more precisely the dosage of Yoga Nidra.

Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Perceptions Of Their Confidence And Skills When Providing Community And Social Interventions After A Guided Educational Experience, Jenny Williams

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: As the population is aging, occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are well placed to address the community and social needs of older adults to promote healthy aging. However, OTPs seem to be lacking the resources and guidance to implement community and social interventions routinely.

Purpose: This quantitative non-experimental, pre-, and post-survey design aims to determine the impact of a guided education intervention on how OTPs perceive their skills and confidence when providing community and social interventions.

Theoretical Framework: The Model of Health Promotion (Wilcocks, 2006) and Lifestyle Redesign® (Clark et al., 1997) program were used as the guiding theory and …

Asynchronous Online Telehealth Training: Occupational Therapist’S Perceptions Of Knowledge And Confidence, Breanna L. Campbell

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Telehealth was not a typical practice in occupational therapy prior to the pandemic (Allen-McHugh & Schleg, 2022; Douglass et al., 2023; Wittmeier et al., 2022). Understanding OT clinician knowledge and confidence in the delivery mode has progressed as a result (Allen-McHugh & Schleg, 2022; Douglass et al., 2023; Soba et al., 2022; Wittmeier et al., 2022). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an asynchronous online training module in increasing self-reported knowledge and confidence in occupational therapy clinicians utilizing telehealth with the pediatric population. A pre-experimental pre-posttest quantitative design was used to measure therapist’s perceived knowledge …

Barriers To Sleep In Us Army Service Members: A Scoping Review, Sally Paul

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Insufficient sleep contributes to human health and performance deficits with Active Duty US Army soldiers being at highest risk for poor sleep and subsequent sleep disorders. Research in this area continues to grow and has focused on pathology and intervention, often related to deployment, yet it is vital to understand the barriers to sufficient sleep in healthy soldiers (the majority) in the garrison context, where they will spend most of their time. Purpose: Explore the current state of literature regarding barriers to sufficient sleep in healthy US Army active duty service members in the garrison setting. Theoretical Framework. Biopsychosocial …

Exploring The Perceived Meaning Of Community-Based Lifestyle Wellness Programs, Interprofessional Collaboration, And The Relationship To Occupational Therapy: A Phenomenological Approach, Christina Buchignani

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Community-based health care providers use interprofessional collaborative strategies to support the lifestyle wellness needs of older adult clients at risk for chronic disease. A phenomenological approach was taken to explore a sample of community-based health care professionals’ shared meanings of lifestyle wellness programming, interprofessional collaboration, and the Lifestyle Redesign® program and to determine the perceived relationship to occupational therapy, if any. The qualitative descriptive thematic analysis within the Framework of Occupational Justice context revealed positive perceptions of lifestyle wellness programming and interprofessional collaboration but limited awareness of Lifestyle Redesign® and occupational therapy’s distinct role in community-based preventive wellness. Occupational therapy …

A Pretest-Posttest Survey Study Of Parent Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Occupational Performance Coaching On Caregiver-Child Play Occupations, Hailee B. Lewis House

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: When the COVID-19 pandemic and telehealth was utilized, it was apparent that most client families did not have occupation-based play objects in the home due to having to drive 30 minutes to the closest store, difficulty affording toys, or did not know age-appropriate toys for their child.

Purpose: The study explored home program education strategies, and the relationships between store access, socioeconomic status, and parental education levels on having age-appropriate play-based occupational items in the home.

Theoretical Framework. Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) is a coaching intervention that helps parents to recognize and implement changes for more successful occupational performance …

The Effects Of Secondary Traumatic Stress And Resilience On The Indicators Of Compassion Fatigue Among Occupational Therapists, Gayla Ann Aguilar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCompassion fatigue (CF) has been described as the “cost of caring” for traumatized individuals, which may lead to missed workdays, diminished work satisfaction, increased turnover, and decreased client care. CF has long been studied in other caring professionals, but occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) have been largely overlooked. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to determine the relationship between secondary traumatic stress (STS) and resilience (RES) on burnout (BO) and compassion satisfaction (CS; i.e., indicators of CF) in OTPs. In this study, the moderation effect that RES has on STS and BO as related to CF in 68 completed …

Three-Dimensional Printing In Occupational Therapy: An Instructional Video Series, Toye Adefioye, Steven M. Gerardi, Christopher Ebner

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The three-dimensional printing instructional video series was created for occupational therapy practitioners on how to use 3D printers to print assistive devices.

Occupational Therapy Certified Hand Therapists' Perceptions Of Remaining Rooted In Occupation In The Hand Clinic: A Phenomenological Study, Andrea E. Berke-Mclaughlin

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Occupational Therapy Certified Hand Therapists (OT CHTs) working in the outpatient hand clinic tend to use the dominant biomechanical approach in the rehabilitation of their upper extremity (UE) clients. Due to the existence of a multitude of barriers and challenges for implementing an occupation-based approach, OT CHTs may not treat their UE clients holistically, placing less focus on treating the occupational performance deficits caused by the UE impairment. Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone is to explore the essence of OT CHTs’ current lived experiences in the use of occupation-based approach in the outpatient hand therapy clinic. Theoretical Framework. …

How Do Informal Caregivers Of A Person With Dementia Experience Stress And Which Supports Help Mitigate The Effect Of These Stressors?, Kwandra Andrews Brinson

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (ADRD) are one of the most rapidly growing epidemics that the world is facing. Caring for a person with ADRD is challenging and often causes informal caregivers stress, loneliness, and social isolation.

Purpose: The aim of this qualitative instrumental case study was to obtain a better understanding of how informal caregivers of persons with ADRD experience stress and which supports helped mitigate the effect of these stressors in their role as a caregiver.

Theoretical Framework: The Model of Human Occupation focuses on therapy helping persons to engage in occupational behaviors that maintain, restore, reorganize, …

The Impact Of Brief Mindfulness Training On Occupational Therapy (Ot) Students' Perceived Level Of Stress, Emily K. Masters

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Mental health issues and burnout are becoming more common among students in healthcare programs (Dyrbye et al., 2014). As demands placed on healthcare professions continue to increase, there has been an increased interest in researching the practice of mindfulness to promote self-care (Irving et al., 2009). Mindfulness has been defined as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145). Mindfulness has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety among pre-healthcare college students (Burgstahler & Stenson, 2020). Little research has investigated …

Biofeedback And Anxiety Reduction: An Occupational Therapy Intervention For Persons With Long Covid, Colette Freda

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: People who acquire Covid 19 may have symptoms lasting over three months, called Long Covid. It is estimated that one in five people in the United States has Long Covid. Unpleasant symptoms of Long Covid are many including anxiety. People with Long Covid have a difficult time engaging in everyday activities and have a poor quality of life. Occupational therapy practitioners using heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback may help decrease anxiety in the Long Covid population. There is limited research on occupational therapy and HRV biofeedback.

Purpose: The problem the study addressed was to investigate the use of HRV …

The Perception Of Stroke On Iadl, Paula O. Buari

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Residents in a skilled nursing home receiving rehabilitative services following a stroke may value instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) tasks more than ADL tasks. This research investigates the impact of IADL tasks on quality of life (QoL). Purpose: The research questions were: How do individuals post-stroke and receiving occupational therapy services in a skilled nursing facility perceive their participation, or lack of participation, in IADL, and how does this impact their perceived QoL? Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework that guided this project was the Model of Human Occupation. Methods. A phenomenological research-based qualitative approach designed to understand …

Don’T Forget The Importance Of Leisure Occupations For The Community Dwelling Elder, Susan Witt

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Leisure exploration is important to the community dwelling elder (CDE) as research indicates that social and leisure activities correlate with well-being in this population (Adams et al., 2011). This research project aimed to gain insight on the CDE’s perspective on leisure as they age in place and the role occupational therapists play in leisure promotion for this population. This mixed method study included quantitative data from the Activity Card Sort (ACS) assessment which provided data on how leisure and activities of daily living have changed with aging. Qualitative data was gained through semi-structured interview and explored the perspectives of the …

Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Perceived Self-Efficacy And Readiness For Discharge After Receiving Occupational Therapy Services At A Skilled Nursing Facility (Snf)., Shih-Ni N. Lai

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Abstract

Background: Older adults who plan to go home from a SNF after having injuries have increased concerns about their transition and feel they have limited knowledge and information on community resources. There is research on the critical roles of occupational therapy in preparing community-dwelling older adults to transition home from SNF. However, limited research on community-dwelling older adults' perception of their self-efficacy and discharge preparedness after receiving occupational therapy services at SNF.

Purpose: This project examines the perceptions of community-dwelling older adults’ preparedness and self-efficacy after receiving occupational therapy services in a SNF to increase their quality of life …

Enhancing Support Staff Self-Efficacy In Supporting Neurodiverse Students’ Classroom Engagement, Jennifer Molina

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Executive Summary

Background: Neurodiverse students often face many challenges within their classroom environment due to a mismatch of the environmental demands and the student’s unique processing. This mismatch is often not understood by school support staff which can lead to adverse student outcomes in academic achievement and graduation rates. Support staff are often undertrained and unsupported in meeting the complex needs of neurodiverse students and OTs are often underutilized in this deficit.

Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project was to measure the knowledge and self-efficacy gained by an evidence-based training module for school support staff that promoted increased classroom …

Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Perceptions Of Workplace Stressors In One Nursing Home Post Pandemic, Owen T. Tabelisma

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Executive Summary

Background:

Multiple stress-related issues brought on by the pandemic affected healthcare staff, including occupational therapists. Nursing home settings were particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to understand how occupational therapy practitioners in nursing home settings managed stress during the pandemic and how they perceived stress after it passed.

Purpose:

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate occupational therapy practitioners ’perceptions of workplace stressors in one nursing home during the pandemic and to understand how these stressors may have changed post-pandemic.

Theoretical Framework:

The Occupational Adaptation (OA) model was the theoretical framework that served …

Client Perceptions On The Value Of Pre-Surgical Education Regarding The Recovery Process After Carpometacarpal Arthroplasty, Alice J. Mullholand

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Executive Summary

Background: The delivery of client education is an intervention that has a substantial influence on healthcare outcomes. However, the significance of preoperative education for outpatient hand treatments remains inadequately supported by research. Occupational therapists possess the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively address the issue of health literacy and make valuable contributions toward the promotion of health equity. The existing research fails to provide adequate evidence to support the claim that preoperative education is important for outpatient hand procedures. It is important to promote the adoption of best practices and enhance clients' health literacy regarding hand surgery to …

Experiences Of Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury And Return To Work: A Scoping Review, Soofia Naqvi

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Participation in productive work after a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can often be a challenging experience. This experience is unique to each individual and is often impacted by personal and environmental factors as well as government policies. Previous studies have aimed to identify the factors associated with promoting successful return to work after SCI, but often the perceptions of those who experience SCI are excluded from these studies. This study aims to gain insights regarding the experiences of persons with SCI and participation in productive employment. Purpose: To analyze existing literature about the perceptions of persons with (SCI) …

Moving Forward Together: Reflections Of A National Survey Of Ot/Ota Students’ Perceptions Of Culturally Aware Educational Content Delivery, Adair M. Sanchez, Iris W. Burns, Tina M. Deangelis, Maclain Capron, Abigail Mills, Taylor Kligerman

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In June of 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd and the additional atrocities against historically marginalized people and communities across the United States, the Commission on Education (COE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) sought to act within its scope. A retrospective survey (N= 1,692) was developed, deployed, and analyzed in accordance with the COE’s standard operating procedures relating specifically to monitoring trends that impact the education of occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students. This survey aimed to capture perspectives from OT/OTA students regarding the delivery of culturally aware educational content in curricula …

A Simulation Of Auditory Hallucinations Improved Empathy Among Occupational Therapy Students, Molly Whitlow, Anna E. Carl, Andrea Thinnes

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Clinical empathy has been identified as an essential skill for healthcare workers to provide quality healthcare. One teaching strategy for improving clinical empathy towards people with psychiatric disabilities is the Hearing Voices Simulation. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to evaluate change in clinical empathy among occupational therapy students after participating in the Hearing Voices Simulation. Participants (N=71) completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy- Health Professions Student Version (JSE-HPS) prior to and following the simulation. A paired samples t-test compared whether the change in scale scores was equal to zero. Subsequently, focus groups were used to collect …

Evaluating Communication And Collaboration Among Healthcare Students, Lisa J. Knecht-Sabres, Daniel Provencher, Kristy Luciano, Sarah Zera, Susanne Higgins, Dana Lingle, Patricia A. Higgins, Charlotte Bolch

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if the Interprofessional Collaborator Assessment Rubric (ICAR): Communication and Collaboration Dimensions would demonstrate good inter-rater reliability and be a useful and efficient tool to evaluate professional communication and collaboration between occupational therapy (OT) and physician assistant (PA) students. An additional aim of this study was to assess students’ thoughts, perceptions, and perceived value regarding these types of interprofessional opportunities. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used. An interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) examined the inter-rater reliability of the instrument for both faculty raters (n = 7) and standardized patient (SP) raters …

Exploring The Experience Of Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students On The Use Of Anatomage® Table To Learn Anatomy – A Survey, Karthik Mani, Amber B. Armstead, Lima Ghulmi, Flor Nunez, Amy Boyd

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Technology has transformed health science education delivery over the past decade. Students in all health science disciplines must learn and master anatomy to be successful in their education and career. Several virtual resources are available to learn anatomy. The University of Texas Medical Branch introduced Anatomage Table to its entry-level occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students in 2021 to supplement anatomy learning. As students’ usage of educational technology depends on perceived usefulness, user-friendliness, and positive user experience, this study explored the experiences and perceptions of the students regarding the use of Anatomage Tables to learn anatomy. Students in the class of …

Outcomes From An Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Practice-Scholar Apprenticeship Program, Heather J. Williamson, Cynthia Ivy, Robert E. Wickham, Oaklee Rogers, Patricia Crist

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The introduction of the occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) program to the field of occupational therapy (OT) education was intended to advance the field by developing future leaders, increasing advanced practice, and promoting scholarship in practice. Limited information to date is available regarding outcomes of the OTD program related to the future research potential of graduates. One such approach to promoting the scholarship of practice among OTD graduates is the use of the practice-scholar model. The practice-scholar model is designed to build research skills among OTD students to encourage their ongoing commitment to evidence-based practice through implementing their own research in …

The Great Escape: A Novel Approach To Collaborative Learning (Pilot), K. Megan Carpenter, Anthony D. Cunningham, Laura Smith, Kelly Krigbaum

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Healthcare continues toward team-based approaches in which multiple disciplines collaborate to ensure holistic patient care. National standards for intraprofessional collaboration guide curriculum design for entry-level occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs to ensure students acquire specific skills and knowledge needed for current OT practices. Effective intraprofessional collaboration includes effective communication, respect, trust, and understanding of role delineation, which students prefer to learn in experiential, face-to-face formats. The purpose of this study was to examine OT and OTA students’ perspectives of participating in an educational escape room (EER) as a novel experience for intraprofessional education. Investigators created an …

Validating The Assessing Student Competence And Knowledge Of Social Determinants Of Health (Asck-Sdh) Instrument, Whitney Lucas Molitor, Moses N. Ikiugu, Leah M. Stade, Jana L. Wardian

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The impact of the social determinants of health (SDH) on health outcomes is receiving increased attention. Health profession students need to learn about SDH; however, there are no validated tools to measure student competence in assessing SDH. There is a need for a brief, valid instrument to measure student competency and knowledge of SDH. This study is a secondary analysis of data collected pre (N=394) and post (N=387) for an interprofessional learning event. We utilized principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation to determine the internal structure of the tool. The original measure consisted of 11 items; the analysis resulted …

Experiential Education In Advocacy For Occupational Therapy Students: Didactic Approaches And Learning Outcomes, Aaron Bonsall, Rebecca L. Wolf, Abe Saffer

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Advocacy is a foundational value in occupational therapy, but uniformity in teaching and learning advocacy is lacking. This paper proposes and reports on the implementation of an advocacy course based on experiential education. The objective of the study was to evaluate student learning after an advocacy course with an experiential education component using an open-ended survey design. Participants were occupational therapy doctoral students, and the setting was a course taught in a health sciences university. Students voluntarily completed a four-item anonymous survey after participating in an experiential advocacy course. Written responses were coded into themes using an inductive approach. The …

Exploring Professional Behavior Development In Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students, Courtney J. Taylor, Kate G. Barlow, Christine Helfrich

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Professional behaviors are critical for fieldwork success and entry-level competency. A convergent mixed-methods institutional case study was utilized as a means to enhance professional behavior outcomes. The Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium (PRFC) Level I Fieldwork Student Evaluation (2^nd ed.) was implemented as a pretest posttest measure, in the didactic context, to track one cohort of entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy (OT) students’ professional behavior development during their last academic semester. Students (n=46) and academic professors (n=5) completed pre and posttest ratings across one semester. Paired t-tests demonstrated significant differences between student and faculty ratings and within group difference among …

Pilot Of A Simulated Clinical Placement In Occupational Therapy Education In An Australian University Delivered Online: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Students' Perceptions, Linda Barclay, Eli Chu

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In response to COVID-19, the widespread cancellation of professional practice placements, and the increased uptake of telehealth, Monash University Department of Occupational Therapy developed a simulated clinical placement adapted for online delivery. This paper describes the placement, and reports on the benefits and challenges of participating from the student perspective. This exploratory, descriptive study used a cross-sectional design with a web-based survey administered to students who completed the placement. Participants were first year Master of Occupational Therapy Practice students (n = 33), and second year Bachelor of Occupational Therapy students (n = 32). Numerical data were analyzed descriptively. Content of …

Impact Of Virtual Simulation-Based Level I Fieldwork On Level Ii Fieldwork Performance, Rebecca Ozelie, Maggie Moeller, Taylor Newmark

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Fieldwork is an essential part of a student’s education and development to become competent in entry-level occupational therapy skills (ACOTE, 2018). The implications of COVID-19 coupled with staffing shortages and an increase in academic programs resulted in academic fieldwork coordinators competing for a limited number of spots. The Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) integrated the use of simulation as an instructional method to meet Standard C.1.9 for Fieldwork I. This study used a retrospective cohort design to determine the impact of virtual simulation-based Level I fieldwork on performance in Level II fieldwork. Thirty-seven Doctor of Occupational Therapy students’ …