Occupational Therapy Commons^™

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?

Nonpharmacological Practices For Reducing Agitation In Persons With Dementia, Meghan L. Farkas

Commonwealth Scholars Program

1 in 11 people aged 45 years and older experience subjective cognitive decline, with nearly a third identifying a decline in the ability to participate in social activities, work, or volunteering. There are twelve modifiable risk factors that can either increase or decrease an individual's possibility of developing Dementia. This can include excessive alcohol consumption, head injury, air pollution, lower education level, hypertension, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, and infrequent social contact. These modifiable risk factors may prevent or delay up to 40% of dementias. Furthermore, many risk factors cluster around inequalities, which occur particularly in Black, …

Expanding Knowledge On Occupations, One Harmful Occupation At A Time, Taylor Dingus

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

Humans are both natural doers and occupational beings, but in order to consider them as such, one must understand all occupational choices, the meanings and human behavior behind the choices, and the environment in which the choices take place (Helbig & McKay, 2003). Considering self-harm, substance abuse, and addiction as occupations advances this understanding of humans as occupational in nature who are molded by their occupational choices and factors surrounding them (Wasmuth, Brandon-Friedman, & Olesek, 2016). This study aimed to gain an understanding of the occupational nature of humans that engage in occupations defined as harmful by society in order …

Impacting Students: Students With Disabilities Participating In A Theater Occupation-Based Program, Markii D. Landry

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Acting Creates Therapeutic Success (ACTS Jr.) is a program that uses theater and drama activities to address a variety of skills. Theater advantageously offers a variety of activities that suit the individual (costume and prop making, set design, screenplay writing, etc.), many that fall under the scope of occupational therapy, and is executed well as a form of group therapy given its innate camaraderie of actors and production members working together to form a final cohesive product (Phillips, 1996). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how theater can be used as a meaningful activity for students with disabilities …

School-Based Practitioners' Perceptions Of Working With Students With Challenging Behaviors, Candace Thrash

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: School-based occupational therapy practitioners must develop a skill set that allows effective service delivery to individuals, groups, and populations in the school setting in order to support students with varying disabilities achieving their occupation-based goals. There is limited research and literature regarding occupational therapy practitioners’ perceptions regarding working with students with challenging behaviors and what they feel has prepared them to work with these students. It is important to determine if additional training, professional development, fieldwork experiences or mentorships are necessary to prepare school-based therapists to manage students effectively and confidently on their caseload who have challenging behaviors.

Purpose: …

The Effectiveness Of Sensory Interventions On Social Participation, Morgan Holcom

OT Student Capstones

Sensory integration is among the most frequently used treatment approaches in pediatric occupational therapy (Schoen et al., 2019). Approximately 5%-16% of children in the United States experience sensory integration dysfunctions and that percentage increases in children with disabilities (Flanagan et al., 2019; Matsushima & Kato, 2013; Randell et al., 2019; Reynolds et al., 2011; Schaaf et al, 2018; Smith Roley et al., 2015). Children with sensory integration dysfunction have been found to experience disruptions in their everyday occupations, including social participation (Lane et al., 2019). To address such deficits, both sensory integration and sensory-based interventions have increasingly been used to …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Healthcare Professionals' Occupational Lives, Javed A. Mohammed, Ronald Kevin Dela Cruz

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a period of instability for billions of people around the world. Healthcare systems have been severely strained by the influx of infected patients, placing much of that hardship on healthcare professionals (HCPs). Occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other essential personnel—individuals who will be inclusive of the term “HCPs”—continue to struggle with frequent occupational disruption. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occupational lives of HCPs at the national and international levels. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically increased work-related stress leading to anxiety, depression, burnout, and …

The Effects Of A Teletherapy Follow-Up Education Program On The Quality Of Life And Self-Care Management Of Lymphedema Among Breast Cancer Patients: A Doctoral Capstone Experience, Victoria Tanyag

OT Student Capstones

Background and Purpose. The primary purpose of this doctoral capstone research project was to evaluate the effect of a teletherapy follow-up education program on the participants’ quality of life in lymphedema management. A secondary objective was to determine whether an increase occurred in compliance and independence in the following recommended lymphedema management protocols within the home setting. Methods. A 14-week prospective study design was conducted at Banner Gateway Medical Center (BGMC). Eight female subjects (mean age of 61.88 years) were recruited and randomized into two treatment groups. The control group resumed care as usual. The intervention group participated in a …

The Relationship Between Head And Neck Lymphedema And Dysphagia For Individuals With Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Retrospective Study, Madison A. Cherry

OT Student Capstones

The American Cancer Society (2022) estimates about 54,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancer in 2022. Oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer (HNC), typically refers to cancer in the base of tongue, oropharynx, tonsils, or mouth. The American Cancer Society (as cited by Cohen et al., 2016) recommends that physicians assess HNC survivors for lymphedema and refer them to a lymphedema therapist if necessary. Lymphedema presents as soft-tissue swelling and localized accumulation of high-protein fluid that can cause an inflammatory response resulting in disfigurement, tissue fibrosis, functional limitation, pain, and infections (Gutiérrez et al., 2020). There are two …

Use Of Occupational Therapy To Optimize Feeding In The Transition Home From The Nicu, Morgan Oster

OT Student Capstones

Current literature demonstrates a need for occupational therapy services following fragile infants’ discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), specifically regarding feeding. Infants receive necessary medical attention and therapy services while in the NICU but are often discharged without a plan of care for continued services. NICU follow up programs (NFUs) strive to close the gap in services by providing immediate follow up post NICU discharge for the infants and their caregivers. However, occupational therapists (OTs) remain inconsistently consulted in these programs, creating potential for missed opportunities to provide the best possible health outcomes for these fragile infants. This …

Establishing Test-Retest Reliability And Internal Consistency Of The Occupational Resilience Measure, Kara Gore

OT Student Capstones

Without a clear understanding of the dynamic relationship between resilience and occupation, occupational therapy has lacked the tools necessary to optimize resilience in research and clinical practice.

Occupational resilience is defined as “the capacity for persistence in the performance of an occupation, whereby capacity is reflected in both duration and intensity of engagement in a specified occupation” (Muriithi et al., 2022).

Occupational Resilience Measure 1.0 (ORM) and the Occupational Resilience Individual Perception Scale (ORIPS) to be used as the primary assessment tools for measuring resilience in individual occupations.

Aim: Establish the test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the ORM; establish …

Ability360 Program Evaluation And Modification, Tim Filion

OT Student Capstones

Health care in the United States has shifted over the past several decades, from an emphasis on addressing morbidity and mortality to health promotion and overall quality of life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018a). As a result, clinicians in various fields have begun to incorporate considerations for wellness initiatives in addition to preventive strategies. The phrase health-related quality of life (HRQOL) refers to “an individual’s or group's perceived physical and mental health over time” (CDC, 2018a, p. 7). As specified in that definition, HRQOL can be viewed at an individual or community level. For individuals, this includes …

The Development Of An Exercise-Based Fall Prevention Program Tailored To Incorporate Caregivers Caring For Older Adults At Risk For Falls, Emma Heldt

OT Student Capstones

Older adults are living longer than ever. The global proportion of individuals 65 years or older was 526 million in 2010 and is estimated to reach 1.5 billion in 2050 (Duarte et al., 2020). The growing aging population comes with various challenges, such as chronic health conditions, which are the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Chronic health conditions can lead to other difficulties, such as declines in physical function or mobility. Duarte et al. (2020) found that around 10 million American older adults have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs, presenting a risk for falls.

Falling in older …

Developing A Resource For Optimizing Occupational Engagement In Adults With Dementia, Maria Del Carmen Rosas Ojeda

OT Student Capstones

Dementia is an umbrella term for cognitive impairments in memory, language, executive function, which may affect behavior and personality. Globally, about 50 million people have dementia, and that number is expected to reach 150 million by the year 2050 (Fortinsky et al., 2020). Dementia is a progressive disease that affects an individual’s ability to perform their daily occupations. The progression of dementia stages can be classified as early/mild, middle/moderate, and late/severe. Alzheimer’s disease makes up 60-80% of all dementia cases, although there are various other types of dementia, including Frontotemporal dementia, Lewy Body dementia, Vascular dementia, and Parkinson’s disease dementia …

Implementation Of Functional Cognition Screening Tool And Program Development In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting, Michelle Spotskey

OT Student Capstones

This project aims to develop and educate occupational therapists on functional cognition screening tools and interventions in an inpatient setting. This program development is intended to improve occupational therapist evaluation processes at Banner Baywood Facility to include cognitive components and improve the interdisciplinary approach to treating cognitive deficits amongst other professionals, especially speech pathologists. The implementation of this program development provided the therapist with tools and resources vital for determining the disposition and level of independence for medication management/bill paying upon discharge. Therapists gained skill levels to implement appropriate functional cognition interventions, goals, and family training to guide the plan …

Implementation Of A Protocol For Conservative Treatment Of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis, Kylie R. Eklund

OT Student Capstones

Background and Purpose. Pain and stiffness in the hands often occurs in older age because of osteoarthritis. The thumb carpometacarpal joint is the most affected site, producing more pain and disability than any other joint in the hand. Conservative treatment to stabilize the joint, including manual therapy, joint mobilization, splinting, education, activity modification, stretches, and exercises, has proven effective to slow disease progression. Inclusion of functional activity is not studied yet is warranted. Methods. Five participants were included. All participants were between 53 and 82 years old. Participants completed several weeks of hand therapy depending on their presentation. Measures included …

Occupational Therapy Scope Of Practice: Pediatric Mental Health Across The Continuum, Kacey Varnell

OT Student Capstones

This capstone project was completed in a pediatric hospital setting and is written to generalize observations, resources created, and a plan for implementing change to a larger population. Pediatric mental health conditions and the related psychosocial components are underserved client factors in the hospital setting. It typically falls second to physical limitations of the client when it comes to therapy, especially in the intensive care setting. Long term outcomes that are seen post-hospitalization include negative psychosocial consequences that decline overall quality of life. Anxiety, depression, and PTSD are the main conditions that can follow the traumatic experiences related to being …

A Comprehensive Manual Of The Shoulder Exercise Machine And An Introduction To The Potential Benefits Of The Novel Device, Angus Lochhead

OT Student Capstones

The most common standard therapy exercise equipment for upper extremity (UE) strengthening consists of elastic/resistance bands, dumbbells, and dowels. During the rehabilitation process, more effective equipment may assist patients in achieving the strength needed for optimal UE functioning. The novel shoulder exercise machine allows linear movement exercises in any direction and attaches to nonporous surfaces (horizontal to vertical surfaces) via two powerful vacuum cups. It uses resistance bands to provide tension during resistance training to target muscles of the shoulder complex. The machine enhances safety by providing controlled linear movements and increased UE support and stabilization compared to using weights …

Identifying An Association Between Sensory Processing And Food Sensitivities, Taylor Tonks

OT Student Capstones

Introduction: Feeding difficulties are quite common in children and can lead to a multitude of poor health outcomes. Children with sensory processing difficulties can present with feeding difficulties. The relationship between sensory processing and feeding difficulties in children has been previously researched. However, most of the existing research focuses on children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: The purpose of the present study was to identify the association between sensory processing and food sensitivities in children of varying diagnoses using retrospective data. In the study, the researcher included 47 children who presented to an outpatient pediatric clinic for a feeding …

Occupational Health And Safety For Commercial Pilots During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Autumn M. Dawley

OT Student Capstones

BACKGROUND

The aviation industry has been growing with the number of aircraft pilots jumping from 590,038 in 2015 to 664,563 in 2019. With an increasing demand for distribution of cargo, a review of the effects of work-related stressors during the coronavirus pandemic and, further, a solution to increase the health and well-being of individuals in the industry is essential. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) addresses fatigue and routinely revises regulations which alleviate job stress; however, the coronavirus pandemic has added new stressors to the aviation industry.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the pandemic …

Fostering Healthy Therapeutic Relationships: Foster Parent Education Program, Sydnie Barboza

OT Student Capstones

Background: Children who have been placed in the foster care system due to trauma often have difficulty coping with past experiences. These traumatic experiences can often affect their development, physically and mentally, and emotional regulation, relationships, and attachment. As of April 2021, more than 13,400 children were placed in the foster care system in Arizona. While removing children from their birth home to a safer environment is critical, it brings along many challenges such as emotional trauma and inconsistent caregiving. Methods: The foster parent educational program described in this paper, “Fostering Healthy Therapeutic Relationships,” is a foster and adoptive parent …

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.

Understanding Perceptions Of Social Eating During Lunch For Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa: An Instrumental Case Study, Madelyn Duzyk

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Current literature on adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) show that social participation is a key factor of community reintegration and long-term recovery (Mekori et al., 2017; Preyde et al., 2017); however, there is little known about the impact of social eating for adolescents with AN.

Purpose: The purpose of this instrumental case study is to more fully understand the meaning of social eating during lunch for adolescents with AN and begin to illustrate social eating’s impact on treatment, community re-integration, and long-term remission.

Methods: A qualitative case-study methodology was developed to gain perceptions of social eating from adolescents with …

The Effects Of Education With Healthcare Providers On Low Vision Assistive Devices And Their Ability To Improve Self-Care Skills, Lora L. Jester-Rains

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Results of a study by Casten et al., (2005) confirmed low rates of use of devices and services for low vision by the older adult. Older adults with low vision are receptive to using low vision resources but are often unaware of them (Lighthouse International, 2021). Casten et al. (2005) further suggested that the lack of services or use of devices may be due to a lack of awareness of health care professionals. Low vision assistive devices (LVAD), whether high or low tech, or mainstream, can help maximize a client’s vision so that they can perform everyday tasks …

The Use Of Compression To Treat Phlebolymphedema Symptomology: A Systematic Review, Naomi Moran

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: There is a lack of clinical practice guidelines regarding treating phlebolymphedema symptomology. To facilitate client centered evidence-based practice, occupational therapists (OTs) who are Certified Lymphedema Therapists (CLTs) need disease specific evidence for treating phlebolymphedema. Finding available evidence regarding the use of complete decongestion therapy (CDT) for this population will support evidence-based practice. For this capstone compression usage is the one component of CDT that will be researched.

Purpose: A systematic review of evidence related to use of static compression for treatment of lower leg phlebolymphedema that is within the scope of a CLT who is not wound care certified. …

"Making Change By Shared Doing": An Examination Of Occupation In Processes Of Social Transformation In Five Case Studies., Sandra Schiller, Hanneke Van Bruggen, Sarah Kantartzis, Debbie Rudman, Ryan Lavalley, Nick Pollard

Occupational Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: As social and health inequalities deepen around the world, scholarship in occupational therapy and occupational science has increasingly emphasised the role of occupation as a powerful tool in transformative processes.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how opportunities for everyday doing together may contribute to processes of social transformation by identifying ways occupation is being taken up in socially-transformative practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A generic descriptive qualitative case study design was utilised in order to describe current practice examples and identify ways occupation was being taken up in five initiatives working towards social transformation located in Canada, Germany, South Africa and the …

Situating Occupational Injustices Experienced By Children With Disabilities In Rural India Within Sociocultural, Economic, And Systemic Conditions, Tanya Elizabeth Benjamin-Thomas, Debbie Rudman, Colleen Mcgrath, Debra Cameron, Vinod Joseph Abraham, Jeshuran Gunaseelan, Samuel Prasanna Vinothkumar

Occupational Therapy Publications

This paper contributes to diversifying and situating understandings of occupational injustices through presenting findings from the knowledge generation phase of a participatory action research (PAR) project that utilized participatory filmmaking with children with disabilities in rural South India as co-researchers. Centering on situations of occupational injustices generated through a participatory analysis conducted with the child co-researchers, a critical theoretical analysis, informed by critical occupational science and critical disability perspectives, was carried out. This theoretical analysis of data generated through the filmmaking process, as well as data generated with parents of children with disabilities, community members, and service providers, was used …

Promoting Critically Informed Learning And Knowing About Occupation Through Conference Engagements, Rebecca Aldrich, Roshan Galvaan, Alison Gerlach, Debbie Rudman, Lilian Magalhaes, Nick Pollard, Lisette Farias

Occupational Therapy Publications

As occupation-focused discussions and applications of critical theoretical perspectives increase, attention must also be paid to how different spaces of knowledge dissemination, exchange, and production support critically informed learning and knowing about occupation. This paper presents the reflections of a group of international scholars and lecturers whose shared interest in critical theoretical perspectives prompted the incremental co-development of a series of conference engagements. We describe how our group came together, what kinds of learning experiences we developed to promote and support engagement with critical theoretical perspectives, and what understandings we gained through ongoing critical reflexivity about those learning experiences. Our …

Coaching, Capacity, And Change: Youth Sport Providers' Perceptions On Creating A Health-Promoting Environment, Jennifer Papenfuse

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Rising youth public health disparities can be attributed to the social determinants of health that influence health and wellness. Youth sport providers can be influential in creating healthier environments that facilitate positive youth development, positively impacting life-long healthy behaviors.

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to explore youth sport provider’s perceptions, after completing an educational module, of their capacity to implement positive youth development and to create a health-promoting environment. Theoretical Framework. The Model of Human Occupation and the Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change guided this project’s assumption that the multicontextual environment’s influence on the process of …

Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Employer-Sponsored Evidence-Based Practice Activities, Kelli Spayd

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Evidence-based practice is an expectation for the practice of occupational therapy, however, practitioners are not engaging regularly in it. Employers have started to offer activities, such as journal clubs and case studies, or access to research articles and continuing education activities, to help increase evidence-based practice use.

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive open-ended survey study was to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of employer-sponsored evidence-based practice activities by occupational therapy practitioners. It was the goal of the research to answer the question: what are occupational therapists’ perceptions regarding employer-sponsored evidence-based activities?

Theoretical Framework. The Model of Human Occupation provides …