Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mental Health Education Protocol For Staff Members In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, Charles Nicholas Salvatera

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mental health illnesses have a significant impact on the lives of individuals and society. Despite the availability of effective treatments, many people with psychosocial issues or cognitive impairments do not receive the right care. This highlights the importance of timely care and effective help-seeking opportunities. Increased mental health literacy and supportive behaviors in the social networks of people with mental health disorders can be achieved by providing hospital staff with education on mental health disorders. It is believed that improvements in these areas increase the likelihood that people will seek effective assistance. When healthcare providers are educated about mental health …

Acquired Brain Injury: A Vision Screening Protocol For Occupational Therapists, Sebastian Cheung

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Occupational therapists have a unique set of skills that allow them to assess individuals with an acquired brain injury who have visual impairments. However, it is frequently neglected in practice owing to a lack of confidence, knowledge, or training. There is a need for a vision screening protocol that will help occupational therapists learn more about visual impairments in adults with an acquired brain injury (ABI) and feel more confident in their ability to identify them. This quality improvement capstone project was a feasibility study and consisted of a sample size of N = 6, utilizing a one group pretest-posttest …

Addressing Vision Impairments Following Neurological Injuries: A Vision Protocol For Occupational Therapists, Dyrin Cordero

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Vision impairments have a high prevalence in adults with a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), potentially affecting up to 90% of this population. However, these impairments are often overlooked during the rehabilitation process due to a lack of education and training provided to occupational therapists (OTs). Limited research also contributes to no standardized best practice guidelines for OTs to follow (Aravich & Troxell., 2021). This issue is important to occupational therapy practitioners because vision impairments negatively affect a person's capacity for recovery, quality of life, safety, and mental health (Berger et al., 2016). Occupational therapists aim to utilize holistic …

Utilizing An Interdisciplinary Approach: Education Of Early Progressive Mobility Protocol In The Icu/Acute Setting, Mary Ashley Galan-Gornal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Early Progressive Mobility (EPM) was used more frequently in an interdisciplinary approach to improve patient outcomes. The aim is to create a protocol that takes an interdisciplinary approach and makes use of early progressive mobility. In the acute setting, occupational therapists are equipped to promote quality of life and independence both, during and after hospitalization, which is critical for early mobilization being beneficial for patients who are able to participate in therapy.This Doctoral Capstone project was aimed at demonstrating the value of occupational therapists in the intensive care unit (ICU)/acute setting by utilizing EPM in …

Nonpharmacological Pain Management Of Adult Patients In The Burn Unit: An Interdisciplinary Toolkit Through The Occupational Therapy Lens, Taylor Harrison-Merrill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Interdisciplinary care is the standard for individuals admitted to a burn unit, yet there is a lack of uniform education among different professionals regarding pain management (Kuhlmann & Tallman, 2022). Occupational therapists offer a unique and holistic lens to pain management by using nonpharmacological interventions to reduce patients’ perception of pain (American Burn Association, 2017; Nielson et al., 2022). The purpose of this quality improvement doctoral capstone was to apply this occupational lens in an educational toolkit designed for the interdisciplinary team that addressed nonpharmacological pain management for adults in the burn unit; effectively closing the knowledge gap across disciplines …

A Pilot Program To Inform High School Students About Allied Healthcare Professions, Nhu Mac

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The literature revealed the lack of diversity in the workforce, limited recruiting and retention methods, and lack of exposure to these professions as the contributions to the shortage and demand for the profession of occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech- language pathology (SLP). As a result, the fourteen-week program to inform high school students about OT, PT, and SLP roles in the community and public health was implemented at Desert Pines High School in Clark County School District (CCSD) to see if it would influence their perceived attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and the likelihood of pursuing these careers. Using …

Yoga As An Occupational Therapy Intervention For Inpatient Rehabilitation, Sydney Sladek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop and determine if an adapted and individualized yoga-based program can support and have an impact on patients’ physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and improve patients’ perceptions of recovery at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Henderson. This was a project focused on quality improvement, focused on the ACOTE focus area of clinical program development in which the student developed and tested outcomes of an occupational therapy (OT) program in a clinical setting. The research design was a quality improvement design with pre and post-measures. Five patients participated in the program one …

An Adolescent Concussion Management Toolkit For Occupational Therapists, Coby Yoshimura

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this project was to demonstrate the role occupational therapists may serve during concussion recovery, by integrating current research and findings into an instructional resource from an occupational therapy (OT) lens. An OT-based toolkit was created to prioritize the identification, assessment, and treatment of two realms of concussion management: functional cognition and vision. The development of a pre and post survey using a modified version of the Generalized Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale was used to determine occupational therapists’ perceived self-efficacy before and after reviewing the created OT-based toolkit. A related samples Wilcoxon signed rank-test was used to analyze pre …

Driving And Community Mobility: An Online Educational Program For Generalist Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Gerard Blanco

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Driving is an important daily activity that often goes unnoticed, yet it enables individuals to engage in crucial tasks such as grocery shopping, going to work, and participating in social activities. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners must recognize and address the significance of driving in their daily routines to promote clients' independence and fulfillment. However, despite being well-equipped to assist clients with driving-related issues, many practitioners avoid or neglect this area of occupation. A reluctance to addressing driving and community mobility (DCM) can arise from a lack of confidence, available resources, support, or fear of losing a client's trust. These barriers …

Occupational Therapy Fieldwork In An Emerging Justice-Based Setting: Hope For Prisoners, Noah Claypool

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This capstone occurred through a partnership with HOPE for Prisoners in Las Vegas, Nevada. As an emerging area of practice, the occupational therapy profession needs more resources and programs focused on the justice system. The lack of evidence-based resources to support future level I fieldwork students at HOPE for Prisoners poses a barrier for students to maximize their fieldwork experience and effectively engage with the organization’s population of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men, women, and young adults in southern Nevada.This capstone experience involved a 14-week immersion at HOPE for Prisoners, including participation in training and workshops and engagement with clients, …

Ergonomic Education For Entry-Level Administrative Staff, Mitzi De La Cruz-Garcia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the United States, 2.6 million work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) were reported in 2020, which are costly to employers, individuals, and our healthcare system. The most commonly affected workers are entry-level staff, who often do not receive training or education on office ergonomics during their onboarding process. Evidence exists on the benefits of ergonomics for workers, but there is a gap in disseminating information to these individuals. In addition, what is available on the internet can be of low quality, not based on evidence, and written at a higher-than-average reading level.There is a need for easily accessible ergonomic education and …

Alzheimer's Dementia And Occupational Therapy, Sofia Demusaj, Averee Ortiz, Laura Swanson

Client Educational Handouts

This handout is an introduction to Alzheimer's dementia and the role that occupational therapy can have in the treatment of the disease. It contains facts, figures, signs, and symptoms of Alzheimer's dementia. It also contains examples of occupational therapy interventions and assessments for clients with Alzheimer's disease.

Occupational Therapy Services Has The Potential To Improve The Infertility Experience, Brittany J. Buck

MOT Student Capstones

Infertility has the potential to have a lasting impact on quality of life and well-being, which negatively impacts occupational roles and performance due to the demands required during this stressful life event. Based on the literature review, there is limited research on the impacts of occupational engagement, occupational roles, and performance in relation to the infertility experience. There ls also limited research on the role occupational therapy may provide and the services that may be implemented to improve quality of life. The purpose of the current study is to first determine the limitations in relation to occupations, occupational role and …

Disability Advocacy In Fashion Design, Erin Higinbotham, Susan Macdermott Otd, Otr/L

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Originally marketed towards older adults followed by children, adaptive fashion greatly impacts the everyday independence of all disabled people. Utilizing the Person-Environment-Occupation model and understanding the relationship between the disabled community, clothing, and occupational participation and again with the fashion company, the designer, and their fulfillment of a need or gap in accessibility lead to the purpose of this capstone of identifying occupational therapy’s role in designing ready-to-wear adaptive clothing through understanding and bridging the gaps in fashion education for designers. To address this, advocacy in education and educational materials were created to fill this gap and promote accessibility and …

Promoting Health Education And Wellness Among Clients Of Nurses For Newborns, Whitney Mitchell

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Nurses for Newborns, a nonprofit organization sending specially trained, registered nurses to the homes of babies, moms, caregivers, and teens who face medical, social, or environmental risks. Nurses for Newborns of Tennessee exists as a safety net for families most at-risk in order to prevent infant mortality, child abuse, and neglect by providing home nursing visits promoting healthcare, education, and positive parenting skills. This project was driven by the organization’s need to increase three areas: parent/caregiver participation in physical activity while also bonding with their child, parent/caregiver knowledge of activities …

Effect Of Using A Daily Bladder Diary To Decrease Frequency Of Nocturnal Enuresis In Children, Julianne Vesely

MOT Student Capstones

Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are skilled in identifying meaningful and purposeful activities to use and facilitate a client's independence in working towards their goals. A goal in which OT practitioners can work with pediatric clients towards is increasing bladder continence, especially at night. Children who have difficulty with bladder incontinence at night, also called nocturnal enuresis (NE), may demonstrate poor social skills and social participation, and decreased sensory registration. Occupational therapy practitioners can work with clients to increase independence towards bladder continence through focused intervention on sensory integration, social skills training, and the use of a daily bladder input/output diary …

Mental Health Education For Acute Cardiac Patients, Allison Blackburn

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Firefighters’ Psychological Trauma And Interrupted Domains, Alyssa Garcia, Pamela Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Kristian Llaca

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Firefighters are at a high risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression (Teoh et al., 2019), suicidality, substance abuse (Bing-Canar et al., 2019), and burnout (Teoh et al., 2019). Firefighters are regularly exposed to traumatic events on calls which results in their decreased mental health; and associated decreased participation in meaningful occupations, routines, and roles (Edgelow & Cramm, 2020; Edgelow et al., 2021; Wittwer et al., 2021). This project contains both research and a program. The purpose of this research was to understand how firefighter demographics interact with interrupted occupations, routines, and roles and at what frequency when faced with …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Relapse Prevention Within Substance Abuse Recovery, Kristy L. Riffe

MOT Student Capstones

The devastating rate of relapse continues to impact the roles, occupational participation, and occupational performance of individuals in recovery. The purpose of this capstone project was to positively impact local substance abuse recovery programs by increasing their knowledge and understanding of occupational therapy's (OT) role in relapse prevention within substance abuse recovery using an evidence-based educational in-service presentation. The educational in-service described OT, the common reasons for relapse, evidence-based statistics related to relapse, the effects that substance use has on occupational performance and participation, evidence-based OT interventions, and the benefits of OT in relapse prevention to improve the knowledge and …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Promote Body Positivity In Middle School Aged Youth, Janis Galindez, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Middle school aged children are in a vulnerable developmental period that pose challenges toward maintaining a positive body image. Consequently, body image can be a mental health concern that can lead to a decrease in occupational performance in education, leisure, and social participation.

School settings currently do not have the appropriate resources or mental health initiatives to address occupational performance problems related to body image with middle school aged youth. However, occupational therapists (OTs) have the potential to provide mental health services to address body image in school and community settings that promote skills needed for meaningful participation in education, …

Adaptive Sports Equipment: A Resource For Clinicians, Coaches, & Athletes, Allison Chown

Student Capstone Papers

Background: About 61 million adults who live in the United States (US) have a disability, which equates to about one in four adults in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Unfortunately, only one out of every ten people who need assistive technology (AT) have access to the proper equipment, with lack of awareness of the devices being one of the causes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). It has been noted in literature that a lack of awareness exists amongst clinicians, coaches, & athletes regarding available adaptive equipment (AE) to support participation in adaptive sports ([AS] Bergem, …

Occupational Therapists’ Role In Educating Caregivers On Pediatric Sensory Interventions Guided By Neurodiversity Principles, Deanna Bourgeois

Student Capstone Papers

Background: Neurodivergent children often experience differences in sensory processing and self-regulation. Traditional sensory-based interventions are frequently used by occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) and caregivers to address dysregulation. However, sensory-based interventions, while often strengths-based, are not always neurodiversity-affirming.

Problem: There are minimal educational resources available to both OTP and caregivers that promote neurodiversity-affirming sensory interventions to support neurodivergent children.

Methods: The purpose of this project was to create self-paced educational modules to teach neurodiversity-affirming sensory interventions that promote children's self-regulation. To achieve this goal, the student investigator developed virtual educational modules and piloted them with OTP, occupational therapy …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Play For Pediatric Cancer Patients, Michelle Erika Dytan, Karen Park

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Play as an occupation has been long identified as a primary aspect of a child’s life (Moore & Lynch, 2017). Play provides children with ways to explore the world while learning skills to improve critical thinking, creativity, and positive self-esteem, and simply to have fun (Guirguis, 2018; Yanof, 2019). Children with cancer face barriers that limit their ability to engage in play, with negative consequences to their social, cognitive, and emotional development (Nijhof et al., 2018). There is an evident gap in a lack of play opportunities in community-based settings, which may limit a child’s personal development, social skills, and …

Adaptive Sports Equipment: A Resource For Clinicians, Coaches, & Athletes, Allison Chown, Steven M. Gerardi, Christopher Ebner

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

About 61 million adults who live in the United States (US) have a disability, which equates to about one in four adults in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Unfortunately, only one out of every ten people who need assistive technology (AT) have access to the proper equipment, with lack of awareness of the devices being one of the causes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). It has been noted in literature that a lack of awareness exists amongst clinicians, coaches, & athletes regarding available adaptive equipment (AE) to support participation in adaptive sports ([AS] Bergem, 2020). …

Database Of Video Games And Their Therapeutic Properties, Tyler Brinkman

Student Capstone Papers

There are reported to be 2.96 billion video game players in the world as of 2021 and this number is expected to grow to 3.32 billion by the year 2024. Of that total, 215.5 million video game players live in the United States with a reported average age of 33 years old. Thousands of commercial video games are released every year. There is evidence to support video game technology use as therapeutic media however it predominately utilizes outdated technology or technology designed for a specific purpose also called “serious games.” The problem is that OT practitioners are unaware of the …

Analysis Of Firefighters’ Psychological Trauma And Interrupted Domains, Alyssa Garcia, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Kristian Llaca

Student Capstone Papers

Firefighters are at a high risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression (Teoh et al., 2019), suicidality, substance abuse (Bing-Canar et al., 2019), and burnout (Teoh et al., 2019). Firefighters are regularly exposed to traumatic events on calls which results in their decreased mental health; and associated decreased participation in meaningful occupations, routines, and roles (Edgelow & Cramm, 2020; Edgelow et al., 2021; Wittwer et al., 2021). This project contains both research and a program. The purpose of this research was to understand how firefighter demographics interact with interrupted occupations, routines, and roles and at what frequency when faced with …

Database Of Video Games And Their Therapeutic Properties, Tyler Brinkman, Steven M. Gerardi, Kaitlyn Jones

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A capstone project poster presentation showcasing the development of an online database that catalogs commercially available video games and their therapeutic properties to serve as a tool to facilitate video game use as therapeutic media in occupational therapy practice.

The Effectiveness Of Training Interventions On Parent Participation In The Iep Process, Sandra E. James

MOT Student Capstones

The Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA) was designed to ensure that qualifying families receive a free appropriate public education and related services for their eligible children with disabilities. For school age children, special education includes the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that outlines the supports the school will provide to 4 each eligible student to promote participation in their education. Parents and caregivers are mandated to be equal members with school staff on their child's IEP team to develop a program that will optimize their child's capacity to succeed in school. Research into parent IEP involvement demonstrates low …

Effects Of Caregiver Education On Emotional Regulation In Foster And Adopted Children, Cassie Lorraine Ice

MOT Student Capstones

There is a large demographic of American children that are in foster care or have been adopted. These children experience occurrences of adversity than children living with their biological families, including issues such as high conflict, housing instability, family isolation, abuse and neglect, and inadequate attachments with caregivers. The trauma from these factors affects the child's emotional regulation skills, leading to deficits in their social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Caregivers of children with emotional regulation dysfunction often feel ill-equipped to handle their child's behaviors and emotional disturbances. Caregivers often report a poor mental state, affecting time management skills, daily …

Education Improves Knowledge And Awareness Of Childhood Trauma For Occupational Therapy Practitioners And Other Individuals Within The Community, Kortnee Loving

MOT Student Capstones

Childhood trauma has been linked to biological structural changes in the brain that impact its function and stress response that can cause psychological and physiological harm. There is an increased need to promote early awareness and its prevalence to help change the trajectory. This research examines the impact of childhood trauma and its impact on the quality of life for the victims and educate on the effectiveness of trauma-informed approaches in early developmental care through adulthood by occupational therapists. To conduct this research, a literature review was produced to gain information on childhood trauma and evidenced-based interventions to treat it. …