Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Family-Centered Care For Preschool Children With Disabilities, Kaylee Athmann, Ashley Freund, Rachel Koenig

Critically Appraised Topics

The purpose of this critically appraised topic paper was to define family-centered care, to look at family-centered care through the model of EHP, and to show the unique role occupational therapy plays in family-centered care. More specifically, we aimed to find the effects of family-centered care on health management. While family-centered care has been cited as beneficial by occupational therapists, there is a gap in these services being provided to preschoolers with disabilities.

Effective Occupational Therapy Interventions For Reducing Parental Stress In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ann Landreville, Annah Greenmyer, Makayla Murden

Critically Appraised Topics

John et al.’s (2018) study found that over half of the mothers in the NICU suffer from moderate to severe anxiety. This anxiety negatively impacts parents’ abilities to engage in the occupation of caring for their child, which can have long-term consequences. Currently, there is a lack of research on occupational therapy-specific interventions that focus on reducing parental stress in the NICU setting. The purpose of this critically appraised topic (CAT) is to discover which stress-reducing occupational therapy interventions have a positive impact on the abilities of parents to successfully care for their infants in the NICU.

Efficacy Of Educational Programs For Homeless Adults With Mental Illness, Madison Herbeck, Samantha Proctor, Bailee Scheer

Critically Appraised Topics

Homeless adults continually face occupational deprivation. There is a lack of reimbursement for occupational therapy community-based interventions (Gutman, 2021). This critically appraised topic aims to explore how educational programs will impact and influence positive occupational engagement and quality of life for homeless adults with mental illness.

Effectiveness Of Executive Functioning Interventions Among Homeless Elementary Aged Students, Julia Warmack, Abby Jessen, Taylor Koopmeiners

Critically Appraised Topics

Elementary-aged children who are homeless face challenges in the areas of self-regulation, working memory, attention, and time management (Wanger-Fuhs et al., 2014). Currently, there is a lack of research on homeless elementary-aged children and the influence occupational therapy can have on their academic success. Specifically, there is no comprehensive source that details the effects of the role of occupational therapy interventions on executive functioning skills such as self-regulation, working memory, attention, and time management for the population of homeless elementary-aged school children. The purpose of this CAT paper was to determine the effect of occupational therapy interventions that focus on …

Effectiveness And Availability Of Occupational Therapy Interventions For Improving Quality Of Life For Families Dealing With Virtual Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Substance Use Issues, Madison Christian, Alexis Lehmann, Hannah Steckler

Critically Appraised Topics

Currently, there is an overall lack of evidence examining the effects of occupational therapy interventions to enhance families’ quality of life while dealing with virtual learning in school-aged children and the impacts of substance use on parents. The purpose of this critically appraised topic is to determine the availability for immediate use and the quality of occupational therapy interventions for improving the quality of life for families with school-age children dealing with school issues and virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically with parents who are also experiencing substance use issues

The Link Between Occupational Therapy Interventions, Quality Of Life, And Social And Leisure Participation In Adults With Chronic Conditions, Katie Deboer, Callie Kleindl, Monicah Nyakoe

Critically Appraised Topics

The focus population for this critically appraised topic (CAT) was adults aged 18 years and older with chronic conditions. For this CAT, chronic conditions included depression, heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis, respiratory diseases, chronic kidney disease, neurological disorders, and cancers. Chronic conditions greatly impact a large majority of the older adult population. Of the adult population, about 80% had at least one type of chronic condition while close to 70% had two or more (National Council on Aging, 2021). Diving deeper, the prevalence of chronic conditions in adults 65 years and older varied by race/ethnicity. According to Lim et al. (2018), …

How The Physical Long-Haul Symptoms Of Covid-19 Influence Occupational Performance From A Person-Environment-Occupation Perspective: A Critically Appraised Topic, Emmalee Burtsfield, Amber Matlock, Alyssia Pucel

Critically Appraised Topics

An increasing number of adults continue to experience the long-term physical effects of COVID-19. Currently, there is uncertainty regarding the best practices in occupational therapy to address long-haul COVID-19 symptomology and its effects on people as research on the topic continues to emerge (Robinson et al., 2021). The purpose of this critically appraised paper is to identify prominent areas on which occupational therapists should focus during evaluation and intervention planning while considering the person, environment, and occupation to encompass the ideals of best practice when working with adult clients who are facing disruptions as a result of long-haul COVID-19 symptoms.

Identifying The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Pediatric Palliative Care Team For Pediatric Cancer Patients, Rudessa Bedonie, Hannah Gianan, Riley Thomas, Kennedy Tooke

Critically Appraised Topics

What is the role of occupational therapy in providing effective intervention during palliative care for pediatric cancer patients and their families during the transition to the end of life?

Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy Services On Quality Of Life Among Chronically Homeless Mothers With Children, Stephanie Dullum, Caitlyn Fussy, Cierra Jacobson

Critically Appraised Topics

Chronically homeless mothers face many challenges with their quality of life due to trauma, mental illness, substance abuse, and stress that impacts the person, their environment, and occupations. Currently there is a lack of occupational therapy interventions for improving the quality of life for this population. The purpose of this critically appraised topic is to address the role of occupational therapy within the population of chronically homeless mothers and how it can improve their quality of life.

Intervention Strategies To Combat The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Adolescents Mental Health: A Critically Appraised Topic, Rylie Garner, Lauryne Griego, Kailey Squier, Jamie Steinhoff

Critically Appraised Topics

Does sensory modulation and physical activity as an occupational therapy intervention improve mental health outcomes in adolescents resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Occupational Therapy’S Ability To Address Perceived Stress Levels In Caregivers Of Individuals With Dementia, Kjerstin Drugan, Molly Van Drehle, Jadalyn Wagner

Critically Appraised Topics

Caregivers of individuals with dementia face unique challenges that affect their ability to participate in their occupations and maintain low-stress levels (Armstrong et al., 2019; Chiao et al., 2015; Cooper et al., 2010; Delgarno et al., 2021; Franzosa et al., 2019; Gleason & Miller, 2021; Lloyd et al., 2019; Madruga et al., 2020; Piersol et al., 2017; Sterling et al., 2021; Yong et al., 2020). Evidence has supported the benefits of occupational therapy intervention for caregiver well-being (Burgess et al., 2021; Lloyd et al., 2019; Raj et al., 2021; Sztramko et al., 2021; Yong et al., 2020). In this critically …

Interventions Addressing Social And Leisure Participation For Adults With Musculoskeletal Chronic Pain, Kady Locke, Emily Ray, Josie Sylte

Critically Appraised Topics

FOCUS QUESTION:

P - Adults 18-90 years of age

I - Exploration of most effective OT programs and interventions

C - Musculoskeletal chronic pain

O - Improved participation in social and leisure activities

What are the most effective occupational therapy interventions to improve social and leisure participation in adults aged 18 to 90 who experience chronic musculoskeletal pain?

The Benefits Of Habituation Altering Occupational Therapy Interventions To Improve Engagement In Adls And Iadls For Adults With Chronic Pain, Alexis Brolsma, Aleece Durbin, Casidi Pullar

Critically Appraised Topics

Adults experiencing chronic pain have difficulties performing ADLs and IADLs, consequently lowering their quality of life. Current research supports multiple interventions used by occupational therapists when working with adults with chronic pain, however, there is no primary intervention identified (Andrews et al., 2018; Guy et al., 2019; Guy et al., 2020; Nielsen et al., 2021; Schmid et al., 2019; Simon & Collins, 2017). The purpose of this CAT paper is to determine how beneficial occupational therapy interventions are at changing habits and routines (habituation) of adults (18+ years of age) with chronic pain in improving engagement in ADLs and IADLs.

Occupational Therapy In Palliative Care: Incorporating Meaningful Occupations And Education Programs For Occupational Therapists, Emily Geissler, Mariah Herring, Katya Kivi

Critically Appraised Topics

Based on the literature reviewed for this critically appraised topic (CAT), end-of-life care has become a more popular setting, and healthcare workers are beginning to see the need for occupational therapists. Due to the undefined role of an OT in this setting, it is difficult for the client to be provided with the best care that increases their quality of life near death, as well as inadequate training for how to address intervention. The issue found within palliative care is that clients are not provided the opportunity to engage in the meaningful activities that bring them joy. The purpose of …

Interventions For Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis To Increase Quality Of Life And Motivation In Activities Of Daily Living And Instrumental Activities Of Daily Living: A Critically Appraised Topic, Erin Ferebee, Makenzie Kroupa, Makayla Tucker

Critically Appraised Topics

PICO:

P: Adults with a chronic condition of Rheumatoid Arthritis

I: Programs and interventions most effective to improve participation in ADL & IADL

C: Motivation levels & QOL

O: Increased participation in ADL & IADLS

Focused Question - What occupational therapy (OT) intervention approaches are best for Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients struggling with motivation, quality of life, as evidenced by the ability to participate in ADLs and IADLs?

Effectiveness Of Early Intervention Programs Addressing Mental Health Issues Caused By Long-Haul Covid-19 In Older Adults, Grace Kleinvachter, Lauren Fischer, Kelsey Rajewsky

Critically Appraised Topics

Lannigan & Tyminski (2021) shared that occupational therapy practitioners are ready to address the many complications that COVID-19 has caused, including emotional issues, by encouraging engagement in healthy occupations in their day-to-day lives. Occupational therapists have specific skills to combat these issues, help others reclaim their occupational identity, and improve quality of life (Lannigan & Tyminski, 2021; Wilcox & Frank, 2021). Symptoms of long-haul COVID-19 have greatly impacted the valued occupations of those over 50 years old, leading to an occupational justice need for further investigation. Occupational therapists should then use that knowledge to understand the degree of impact the …

Critically Appraised Topic: The Use Of Occupation-Based Sensory Intervention And Environmental Modification With School-Aged Children Who Have Experienced Trauma, Josie Huot, Abigail Kasper, Erin Siebenaler, Jessica Wetzel

Critically Appraised Topics

Children who have been exposed to trauma may develop sensory impairments, such as inadequate sensory processing and regulation when engaging in occupations within the school setting. Currently, there is a lack of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of sensory-based occupational therapy intervention with children who have experienced trauma. The purpose of this critically appraised topic paper is to describe the current evidence for utilizing sensory-based interventions, in combination with environmental modifications, to influence occupational engagement among school-aged children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences.

Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy Self-Management Interventions Among Chronically Homeless Veterans With Mental Health And Substance Abuse Disorders, Jace Allard, Hannah Leisenheimer, Adeyinka Omotunde

Critically Appraised Topics

Homeless veterans are challenged with chronic mental health and substance abuse disorders that affect their abilities to carry out their daily functions. There is a paucity of focused literature to address the extent to which occupational therapy interventions help chronically homeless veterans that struggle with substance abuse and mental health issues. The purpose of this critically appraised topic paper was to investigate and demonstrate the extent to which substance abuse and mental health occupational therapy programs may help to increase the performance range of self-management skills of chronically homeless veterans.