Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Occupational Therapy In Secondary Transition: A Case Report, Latoya Harvey, Susan Zapf, Sandra E. Groger

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Introduction: This case report aims to inform the occupational therapy profession of best practice by providing an example of the profession’s role in secondary transition for students with disabilities.

Method: This qualitative case report examines the value of occupational therapy during transition in the life of one student with a disability. Six weeks of coaching and collaboration were provided to facilitate student engagement to enhance independent living skills, work-related skills, and self-determination. Pre-test and post-test results of the Roll Evaluation of Life Activities (REAL), the Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL), the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), interviews, informal discussions, …

Mapping Occupational Therapy Practice With Postsecondary Students: A Scoping Review, Karen M. Keptner, Karen Mccarthy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Legislation supports a role for occupational therapy in postsecondary settings, but this area is not a common practice area and the practice area is not well understood. This scoping review maps current literature of occupational therapists working with students in postsecondary settings in order to inform future research and practice.

Method: After identifying included articles, a narrative description of the quantitative studies along with a concept map were completed. A qualitative thematic analysis of the articles was also conducted.

Results: Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. Quantitative results describe occupational therapy services as both a direct …

Use Of A Journal Club During Level Ii Fieldwork To Facilitate Confidence And Skills For Evidence-Based Practice, Kelly A. Lavin

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Level II fieldwork students should have an opportunity to engage in the process of evidence-based practice (EBP) firsthand; however, ensuring that EBP is visible to students is often a challenge for fieldwork educators. This study investigated if the use of a journal club during a Level II, psychosocial fieldwork placement would increase the students’ confidence and perceived abilities in using skills required for EBP. A descriptive study via survey design was used for the study. The participants consisted of two cohorts (n = 10) of occupational therapy graduate students. The results indicate that the students perceived an increase in their …

Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educator Practices And Preferences In Clinical Education, Kaitlyn Ryan, Melanie Beck, Lee Ungaretta, Magdalena Rooney, Elaina Dalomba, Leamor Kahanov

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The shortage of clinical education fieldwork sites coupled with a concern over the quality of the required fieldwork experience poses an unintended outcome for the recent changes in the health care system and an increasing number of occupational therapy students. While the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) issues standards for fieldwork education, the quality of the experience is known to vary. The present study employed a mixed methods concurrent nested design with a quantitative online survey alongside qualitative individual semi-structured online interviews to examine the practices and preferences of fieldwork educators in Pennsylvania ACOTE accredited programs. From the …

Changes In Knowledge, Skills, And Confidence In Fieldwork Educators After An Evidence-Based Practice Short Course, Alison Nichols

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: It is critical that fieldwork educators demonstrate effective use of evidence for clinical decision making so that occupational therapy (OT) students learn to apply concepts from the classroom to everyday practice.

Method: OT fieldwork educators completed a 3-hour short course designed to provide instruction on the first three steps of the evidence-based practice (EBP) process: developing a clinical question, searching the literature, and assessing the evidence. The participants completed a pretest on site and posttest 3 weeks after the course to assess their knowledge, skills, and confidence when using EBP. The Adapted Fresno Test was used to …

Why The Veracity Of Data Matters In Health Care Research, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

An Open-Access Review To Determine Best Evidence-Based Practice For Copd, Beth Ann Walker, Heidi Breckner, Morgan Carrier, Wendy Pullen, Erin Reagan, Lisa Telfer, Taryn Zimmerman

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The manifestation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can have an enormous impact on individuals’ areas of occupation, specifically activities of daily living. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners have the ability to efficiently treat these clients using evidence-based interventions to achieve optimal functioning and quality of life. The purpose of this research study was to identify specific interventions supported by evidence for consumers with COPD using an open-access database for OT.

Method: A thematic synthesis of 102 articles available on COPD via the open-access database OTseeker was used in this study. A constant comparison approach revealed seven descriptive themes for …

Personalized Medicine And Evidence-Based Practice: Merging The Art And Science Of Ot, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.