Occupational Therapy Commons^™

High-Fidelity Simulation In Occupational Therapy Curriculum: Impact On Level Ii Fieldwork Performance, Rebecca Ozelie, Catherine Both, Emma Fricke, Carolyn Maddock

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Simulation experiences provide experiential learning opportunities during artificially produced real-life medical situations in a safe environment. Evidence supports using simulation in health care education yet limited quantitative evidence exists in occupational therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in scores on the AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation for the Occupational Therapy Student of Level II occupational therapy students who received high-fidelity simulation training and students who did not. A retrospective analysis of 180 students from a private university was used. Independent samples nonparametric t tests examined mean differences between Fieldwork Performance Evaluation scores of those who did and did not …

Knowledge Translation And Occupational Therapy: A Survey Of Canadian University Programs, Heidi Cramm, Blair Short, Catherine A. Donnelly

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

While Canadian occupational therapy recognizes knowledge translation (KT) as essential to clinical interactions, there has been little attention paid to KT activity in education and research. The objective of this study was to identify the nature of KT activities in which Canadian occupational therapy faculty engage. An electronic survey was sent to faculty at 14 Canadian occupational therapy programs to explore the nature of KT activities, including research, education, strategies, evaluation, and barriers and facilitators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results show that faculty engage in a range of KT activities, with conferences and peer-reviewed publications being …

Up Bloom’S Pyramid With Slices Of Fink’S Pie: Mapping An Occupational Therapy Curriculum, Susan C. Burwash, Roberta Snover, Robert Krueger

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Curriculum design is a complex task. One tool used in the design process is curriculum mapping. A mandated transition from a quarter to a semester academic calendar, alongside preparation of accreditation self-study materials, provided an opportunity for faculty teaching in an entry-level occupational therapy program to review the underlying basis of the curriculum. Two taxonomies of learning (Bloom’s cognitive domain and Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning experiences) were used to examine existing courses and to consider how learning outcomes and experiences varied over the sequence of courses in the curriculum. This led to the creation of a series of course …

Bangladesh Norms For A Gender-Specific Functional Fine Dexterity Test (Ffdt), Debra K. Lindstrom-Hazel, Umme Aeyman, Md. Julker Nayan, Syed Shakawat Hossain

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Good psychometrics and cultural relevance are needed for evidence-based practice. Occupational therapy (OT) assessment tools in Bangladesh have been developed outside of Bangladesh and have not been validated or normed for Bangladeshis. This normative and psychometric study was to provide culturally relevant norms for in Bangladesh for bilateral fine motor.

Method: The Functional Fine Dexterity Test (FFDT) consists of two functional/self-care gender-specific task instruments: a shirt with five buttons for males and a pinning board for females. Raters were trained in timing these tasks.

Results: Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) scores were > .85 for all rater teams. Participants …

Goals And Expectations Of Continuation High School Students Transitioning To Postsecondary Education, Chi-Kwan Shea, Gordon Muir Giles

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Students at a continuation high school (CHS) attended an occupational therapy program to acquire life skills in preparation for their transition from secondary education. Most of the students who participated in the OT program planned to pursue a postsecondary education (PSE), but the CHS students encountered many barriers in negotiating the requirements of PSE. Discernment of these barriers encountered by the CHS students may enable the occupational therapy practitioners to better prepare the students for PSE.

Method: This was a qualitative phenomenological study based on analyses of interview data. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with eight CHS senior students …

Fitness-To-Drive Screening Measure©: Patterns And Trends For Canadian Users, Sherrilene Classen, Shabnam Medhizadah, Liliana Alvarez

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure^© (FTDS) is an online screening tool that enables proxy raters (caregivers, family members, and friends) to identify at-risk older adult drivers via 54 driving-related items. This study aimed to identify areas in need of improvement for the FTDS by identifying the patterns and trends of Canadian users and providing recommendations to increase the usage, reach, and potential impact of the FTDS as a health promotion tool.

Methods: We used monthly Google Analytics reports to calculate descriptive statistics for web page and session specific variables. Variables were separated into Year 1 and Year 2 …

Perceived Benefits Of Kinesio Tape® Compared To Non-Kinesiology Tape And No Tape In Healthy Collegiate Athletes, Gregory Chown, Jennifer Innamorato, Marlee Mcnerney, Jennifer Petrilla, Hillary Prozzillo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Sports participation is considered a meaningful occupation for people of all ages. Multiple disciplines use Kinesio Tape® during treatment (Kinesio Taping® Association International, 2013e) for sports-related injuries. While the use of Kinesio Tape® is becoming increasingly popular in sports, there is a lack of evidence supporting its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to address the following question: Is there a perceived sports performance benefit of using Kinesio Tape® compared to non-kinesiology tape or no tape in healthy collegiate athletes?

Method: This quantitative pilot study used a convenience sampling method. The participants included eighteen healthy men’s …

Perspectives Of Individuals Who Experienced Bullying During Childhood, Olivia Byjos, Jackie Dusing, Callyn Zartman, Susan M. Cahill

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The objective of the qualitative study was to describe the perspectives of adults who experienced bullying at school during childhood or adolescence.

Method: Data was collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 8) and analyzed using the constant comparative method.

Results: Three major themes emerged: (a) the school should have done something, (b) it still affects me, and (c) there needs to be prevention.

Conclusion: Based on their unique expertise, occupational therapy practitioners may be able to collaborate with interprofessional teams to address the needs of individuals who bully and those who are being bullied at school.

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

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Creating Environments Through The Art Of Occupational Therapy, Lydia Royeen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Dr. Lori Reynolds has an interest in therapeutic gardens and the creation of living spaces that promote well-being for older adults. Dr. Reynolds educates various stakeholders on the benefits of occupational therapy, including landscape architects and senior living administrators. Her advocacy to expand occupational therapy beyond its mainstream roles is infectious. She speaks passionately about her work in helping to create therapeutic gardens and how her role as an occupational therapist offers great perspective in this process. She appreciates the environmental impact on an individual’s health and well-being and practices from a person-environment-occupation theory.

She Said, She Said: A Conversation About Growing Education Research In Occupational Therapy, Barbara Hooper, Sylvia Rodger

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Achieving Teaching, Scholarship, And Service Through Community Engagement, Carole K. Ivey, Jodi L. Teitelman, Kelli W. Gary, Dianne F. Simons, Jayne T. Shepherd, Albert E. Copolillo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy faculty currently face enormous challenges in meeting teaching load expectations, while also under pressure to participate in scholarly projects and to make administrative and service contributions. Community engagement projects may provide opportunities for faculty to effectively and efficiently meet the goals in each of these areas while imparting benefits to students and community partners as well. Faculty at the Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) embraced this idea as consistent with the university’s mission and strategic plan, and recognized its benefits in assisting faculty to meet workload demands. Four community partnerships reflecting the range …

Eportfolio: The Scholarly Capstone For The Practice Doctoral Degree In Occupational Therapy, Jim Hinojosa, Tsu-Hsin Howe

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

A critical decision doctoral faculty must make is deciding what is the most appropriate capstone or terminal requirement for the practice doctorate degree that is consistent with the program’s curriculum. EPortfolios are a viable option for documenting doctoral students’ advanced knowledge and competence. After creating a professional development plan, the students record individual experiences and reflections framed by a self-selected metaphor, provide objective documentation of achievements, and verify advanced competence in a specific area in their ePortfolios. As the students construct their ePortfolios, they must engage in self-directed learning that is grounded in evidence-based and reflective practice, with a focus …

Peer Observation And Evaluation Tool (Poet): A Formative Peer Review Supporting Scholarly Teaching, Jeffrey L. Crabtree, Patricia J. Scott, Fengyi Kuo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The Peer Observation and Evaluation Tool (POET) is a valid and reliable measure developed for formative peer evaluation of pharmacy faculty. The authors replicated a study conducted on the POET in pharmacy in order to report the instrument’s validity and reliability in occupational therapy and to explore its potential as a formative teaching evaluation for occupational therapy educators. To verify item importance, seven participants from the faculty in an occupational therapy department rated each item. To establish inter-rater reliability, the participants evaluated one videotaped 55 min lecture. The POET was reliable with ICC at 0.93. There were high levels of …

Student Perceptions Of Scholarly Writing, Shirley Peganoff O'Brien, Dory Marken, Kelsey Bennett Petrey

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Learning the process of scholarly writing, including the significance of peer review, is an essential element in the preparation of students for professional practice. This descriptive research study, using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning methodology, explores one approach to teaching scholarly writing in an occupational science/occupational therapy curriculum. The writing assignment was designed to offer multiple points for feedback and revision and instructional features to reinforce learning. A survey of students [n = 169] participating in this scholarly writing project was conducted yearly to gather their perceptions of learning. The results revealed four key elements: instructional strategies are needed …

Development Of A Clinical Performance Assessment Tool For An Occupational Therapy Teaching Clinic, Whitney Henderson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Health professional education is experiencing increased accountability from higher education and professional accrediting bodies to produce professionals who are prepared to meet the demands of the complex, fast-paced, ever changing health-care environment. Using competency-based assessment methods to evaluate a student’s performance can assist to decrease the gap between education and practice and ease the critical transition from the classroom to the clinic. A variety of assessment methods that use a Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) framework to assess student performance and competency can be found throughout the health professions literature. Because of the lack of literature about the assessment of student …

Development And Psychometric Properties Of The Emotional Intelligence Admission Essay Scale, Sharon A. Gutman, Janet P. Falk-Kessler

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose was to describe the development and psychometric properties of the Emotional Intelligence Admission Essay scale. The authors developed an admission essay question and rating scale designed to provide information about applicants’ emotional intelligence (EI). Content validity, convergent validity, interrater reliability, and internal consistency were established. The scale was also examined to determine if it could discriminate between students with and without professional behavior problems in the academic and fieldwork settings. Content validity was found to be high by a panel of three experts in EI (content validity index = 1.0). Convergent validity with the Assessing Emotions Scale was …

Digital Storytelling As Poetic Reflection In Occupational Therapy Education: An Empirical Study, Lisebet S. Skarpaas, Grete Jamissen, Cecilie Krüger, Vigdis Holmberg, Pip Hardy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Stories are powerful aids to reflection. Thus, the use of stories may be a pathway to enhanced reflective practice and clinical reasoning skills. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether and how digital storytelling can contribute to occupational therapy (OT) students’ learning through reflections on experiences from placement education. A cohort of OT students (n = 57) participated in a 2-day workshop to create digital stories. Data were generated through a questionnaire with a response rate of 100% of students who completed the workshop (n = 34). Quantitative analysis methods were used to reveal a level of agreement …

Professional Portfolios Used By Canadian Occupational Therapists: How Can They Be Improved?, Brigitte Vachon, Annie Rochette, Aliki Thomas, Welove Foucar Desormeaux, Ai-Thuy Huynh

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Professional portfolios are widely used in continuing professional development (CPD), despite limited evidence of their effectiveness for improving practice and professional competence. Occupational therapy regulatory organizations in Canada have implemented professional portfolios as tools that support engagement in CPD. To advance research and practice on the use of portfolios, we conducted a critical analysis of their format, content, and embedded learning process. This paper aims to describe and compare the portfolios’ characteristics when they are used as a tool to facilitate engagement in CPD. A document review approach was used to analyze documents describing continuing competence programs and portfolios and …

Student Rating Of Skill Performance Opportunities In Faculty-Directed Research, Carrie A. Ciro, Mary Isaacson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose was to examine the feasibility of creating a faculty-driven research-based fieldwork (FW) I experience and to examine whether students engaged in a research-based FW I would report equivalent skill performance opportunities as students engaged in traditional FW I experiences. Twenty-four first-year occupational therapy students were given the option of choosing either a research-based FW I experience with a faculty member (n = 5) or a traditional FW I site (n = 19). The students self-reported their opportunities to perform ACOTE standards of practice related to professionalism, professional reasoning, use of sciences, and experiential learning using a Likert scale. …

Developing An Indigenous, Entry-Level Master’S Degree Program In A Country With An Emerging Ot Profession, Lesley A. Garcia, Julie D. Kugel, Heather Javaherian-Dysinger, Esther Huecker

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

In the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago the full range of physical, mental, psychological, and socially derived problems of occupational engagement exist. Occupational therapy is often a part of the health care team to address these challenges; however, the profession is at an emergent stage in the country. This paper describes a process used for the development of an indigenous entry-level master’s degree program in occupational therapy. The process was also supported and enhanced by the collaborative relationships among key stakeholders, including global partners. A qualitative design process was used to analyze the health care needs, barriers, and strategies that …

Broadening The Scope And Impact Of Occupational Therapy Education Research By Merging Two Research Agendas: A New Research Agenda Matrix, Barbara Hooper

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Long Term Benefits Of Lsvt-Big Program For Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease, Emily Sandberg, Katelyn Weiandt

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

A 60 year old, male has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease for 5 years. Referral received from MD stating deficits in the following areas: balance, perception, gait, postural instability, coordination, swallowing, tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, hypokinesia, and loss of higher cognitive functions. Currently there is not a cure, but there are treatment options for Parkinson’s Disease. LSVT-BIG is one type of treatment that Occupational or Physical Therapist can implement. This program uses high amplitude movements to overcome bradykinesiaand hypokinesia. The client attended 16 sessions in total (1 hour sessions, 4 days a week, for 4 weeks). The client has been discharged …

Age, Frequency, And Precautions In Relation To Stimulation In The Nicu, Kathleen Nickens, Ceara Fauble

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

In a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), occupational therapists work with infants and their families to provide the appropriate stimulation and environmental adaptations necessary for growth and development. Occupational therapists are utilized in the NICU setting to contribute to a multidisciplinary approach, as well as focus holistically on an infant’s neurobehavioral development, sensorimotor regulation, and developmentally-appropriate occupations. One key component of an occupational therapist’s role in the NICU is determining appropriate stimulation in regards to their gestational age and providing protocols to prevent overstimulation.

Inter-Rater Reliability: Wrist Goniometer Placement, Jamie Hain, Kelli Turner

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

A 26-year-old female client sustained a right distal radius fracture due to a fall on an outstretched hand (FOOSH) while riding her bike with her dog two weeks ago. She had an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and now has limited range of motion (ROM) in both her right wrist and hand. ROM measurements were completed in order to accurately determine her progress in therapy. Correct goniometer placement is of great importance when making clinical decisions and when looking at overall therapy outcomes.

Pediatric Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Protocols For Hemiplegia, Christina Fisher, Brittany Newton

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

In a variety of settings, the OT works with children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP). Hemiplegic CP often affects sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and motor movements. These skills impact participation in home, school, community life, and activities of daily living (ADLs) such as grooming, dressing, and feeding. The OT has the responsibility to decide the most effective way to allocate treatment. Constraint induced movement therapy has been shown to improve developmental disuse in the effected upper extremity. As there are many variations of this intervention, the OT wants to know what is the most effective type, frequency, duration, and intensity …

Pediatric Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Vs. Bimanual Training For Hemiplegia, Heather Duyck

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Sarah is a five year old girl diagnosed with congenital hemiplegia from cerebral palsy. Her right side is affected, and she has no intellectual disabilities. While her parents want her to start first grade in the fall, they are worried about her ability to do well in the classroom because she is right handed. As her occupational therapist, you are interested in whether pediatricconstraint induced movement therapy (pCIMT) or bimanual training (BIT) would be a more effective treatment plan for Sarah.

Effective Utilization Of Progressive Mobility Programs In Medical Intensive Care Units (Micu’S), Abby Davis, Megan Palczewski

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

In medical intensive care units (MICU’s), the OT frequently works with clients who are in the early stages of mobility. Clients with orders of bed rest are at heightened risk to co-morbid conditions that significantly impact client health. The OT plays an important role in the mobility process, and wants to know the most effective utilization of progressive mobility programs. The OT is ideally interested in their role in the progressive mobility process.

Examining Sensory Processing Tools For A School System, Rachel Chaney, Lisa Wilkey

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

A child with sensory processing issues leads a life that differs significantly from typically developing children. There are numerous types of sensations that children encounter every day in different environments, especially in school. If a child does not process the incoming stimuli correctly then their motor response is affected. As a result of this, the child is unable to perform to their fullest potential in school. The Sensory Profile (SP) and the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) are two tools that help assess sensory processing.

Best Practices In Weaning Children Off Tube Feeds To Oral Intake, Kylie Abernathy, Andrea Newton

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

In an outpatient pediatric clinic, the multidisciplinary team frequently works with the child to promote oral intake. Assessments and questionnaires were utilized to identify challenges faced by the client ability to properly intake food. The OT was approached by the child’s family to help meet their feeding goals to make mealtime more enjoyable. As the OT is generally not involved in the act of proper weaning technique, they are interested in what steps they can take to provide the family with support and to develop subsequent feeding skills.family with support and to develop subsequent feeding skills. family with support and …