Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Gaining Experience In Academic Setting Of Entry-Level Doctoral Program, Conner Hansen

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Worked with faculty advisors to develop activities and assignments within the OTD 8271: Interventions 1: Psychosocial and Community course for students to guide their interactions with children volunteers from A Kid’s Place (AKP). The pre-existing relationship with AKP allowed for the incorporation of hands-on activities to increase the excellence of education, confidence in clinical skills, and quality of practitioners entering the field.

Clinical Skills And A Quick Reference Guide For Critical Care, Kayla Mccarty

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Multifactorial Fall Prevention Program Development And Implementation Within An Assisted Living Facility, Makenzie King

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Support Groups For Stroke Patients, Wendy H. Rosario

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Occupational Therapy's Role In Home Health, Irving Noche

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

My capstone experience was completed at CORE Health Company in Riverside, California under a privately owned home health care (HHC) staffing company. CORE Health provide in-home Occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) services for the adult and the older adult (ages 65 and over) population. Clients under private insurance, Medicare, hospice, or workers compensation can qualify to receive services. CORE Health proudly serves the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. My site mentor for this capstone experience was Afshin Juybari, founder CEO of CORE Health and faculty mentor is Christina Kane, Ed. D., MS, OTR/L. I explored the Accreditation Council …

Reducing Caregiver Burden In Spinal Cord Injuries And Disorders (Sci/D), Heather Berto

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The following capstone project focused on the exploration of clinical and community-based resources that help reduce caregiver burden in the adult spinal cord injuries and disease (SCI/D) population. In order to best serve the chosen population, this capstone project aimed to help adults with SCI/D and their caregivers have access to resources that assist with handling adjustment, learning independent living skills, and navigating their relationship with one another, while ultimately taking into consideration their specific mental health needs.

Iadls In Acute Care, Taylor Brownlie

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Reducing The Fear Of Falling Through A Novel Fall Prevention Education Group, Eloise K. Palm

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

For older adults with fall risk or a history of falling, would novel fall prevention education reduce the fear of falling and enhance confidence in self to improve engagement in desired occupations? This capstone project was centered around answering that question. The setting this took place in is an inpatient rehabilitation hospital with the older adult patient population. Specifically, this includes stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac, orthopedic, and generally deconditioned patients. The proposed focus area being program development.

A focus on program development was demonstrated through assessing a patient’s fear of falling (FOF) at evaluation via the …

Implementation Of Basic Life Skills And The Effectiveness Of A Cooking Group, Meghan Cote

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The culminating project for this doctoral capstone experience (DCE) assessed the need to implement a cooking group within the inpatient rehab setting at Lakeland Regional Hospital for adults reintegrating into the community. The focus area identified for this DCE is program development. The component of program development consists of a cooking group with a pre and post-survey for active participants to complete. The purpose of the survey will determine each participant's viewpoints on their current capabilities before and after participating in one cooking group, along with their views of the outcome of the cooking group as a means of beneficial …

Resources For Parents Of Children With Feeding Issues, Miranda Gutierrez

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Occupational therapy provides a client-centered approach to enhance engagement in valued life occupations. Activities of daily living, specifically eating and swallowing, fulfills basic physiological needs and creates a social relationship between a parent and/or caregiver and their child. Stress associated with caring for children with feeding difficulties can physically and emotionally strain the family. There is a greater need for opportunities to learn more about managing feeding and eating issues in children, especially with varying presentations across multiple conditions seen in the pediatric setting. The outcome of this capstone final culminating project included online evidence-based resources and general advice from …

An Occupational Therapy Guidebook For Individuals With Substance Use Disorder, Cassidy B. Ardoin-Barnett, Steven M. Gerardi

Summer 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) experience barriers and challenges that impact their daily occupational performance, engagement, well-being, and quality of life. In addition to disrupting and distorting an individual’s unique occupational outcomes, SUDs can limit, replace, and dictate an individual’s daily meaningful activities, habits, routines, and skills that support healthy occupational engagement. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners have a unique and valuable role in SUDs treatment as they are equipped to identify these barriers and implement strategies for supportive skill development or restoration. Based on the literature review conducted, OT practitioners do not have an OT practice guideline, protocol, or …

Developing Educational Resources For Hand Therapy Clinicians, Gabrielle M. Dannunzio

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

My capstone project involved the development of a toolkit to implement evidence-based practice (EBP) for practitioners working in the outpatient hand therapy setting, while gaining experience working in this setting. This project was completed with the focus areas of education and clinical practice skills. The population served was occupational therapy practitioners who are working in the hand therapy setting and are seeking resources to maintain their EBP. The goals that were achieved included developing resources for clinicians specific to certain diagnoses and treatments to make EBP more accessible, and improving clinical practice skills for future certification in hand therapy.

Wellness And Longevity Program For Adults And Older Adults, Oliver D. Fay

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

There are many areas of practice to choose from in the field of Occupational therapy (OT). OT has an incredibly diverse career path, with new opportunities being created every day. I completed my doctoral capstone experience at Iridium Enterprises with Dr. Aaron Green, who has a wealth of experience in business and entrepreneurship. My ACOTE focus areas were administration and program development. I wanted to learn how a business was properly developed and managed from the ground up.

Through this experience, I learned how to methodically approach market research and how to narrow in on a business idea. Our goal …

Clinical Practice Skills In Executive Function Within Acute Care, Jasmine Lake

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Postpartum And Pediatric Education Program For Mothers, Lacie T. Ellithorpe

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

My capstone experience included the focus area(s) of Clinical Practice Skills and Education. The aim of this capstone project was to create an ergonomic education program to address new motherhood and their occupations of health management and maintenance, sleep and rest, breastfeeding and other baby care, community mobility, and leisure. My Capstone Mentor was Dr. Kari Rasmussen, OTD, OTR/L. Becoming a new mother is considered a major life event, due to significant role changes that impact a mother’s everyday occupations. The population I served was new and expectant mothers in order to provide ergonomic education as they relate to the …

Enhancing Physician Perspectives Of Skilled Occupational Therapy Services For Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Valerie S. Trinidad

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project, with a focus in research, sought to identify a relationship between self-reported functional performance and participation restriction as described by satisfaction with one’s execution or participation in a described occupation. A correlational study design was employed under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Decker, EdD, OTD, OTR/L who oversaw all IRB processes, documentation, study development and deployment, as well as co-authored and provided mentorship for creation of a publishable manuscript of this project. The established Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and the newer Keele Assessment of Participation (KAP) were the two outcome measures of focus for surveying …

Exploring The Knowledge And Perception Of The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Concussion Management In An Interdisciplinary Sports Medicine Center, Courtney J. Leiter

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to identify the need for occupational therapists (OTs) in the management of sport-related concussion symptoms and work to educate and advocate for the field to be included as a part of an interdisciplinary concussion care team. The primary focus was to determine support for the use of interdisciplinary educational (IPE) demonstrations to educate health care professionals and graduate students on the scope and services OTs can offer within concussion care. A pre-post survey was utilized to evaluate the agreement levels on the use of an IPE demonstration to increase knowledge and perception of the …

Doctoral Capstone Culminating Project: Addressing Language Barriers To Parent Education In Pediatric Outpatient Settings, Agnes M. Valentin

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

The Anatomy Of Human Occupation, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Dr. Emily Balog, PhD., OTR/L, ECHM, an occupational therapy professor and artist based in New Jersey, provided the cover art for the Summer 2022 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “The Knitting Brain” is an 11” x 15” painting made from watercolors. The inspiration for this painting came from years of experience working with individuals with head injury, stroke, and mental illness. The piece is from her Anatomy of Human Occupation series. This collection of paintings is a unique and authentic representation of Dr. Balog’s love of the human body and the healing power of occupation. Dr. …

Occupational Therapists’ Perspectives During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily N. Maas, Allison Sullivan, Said Nafai, James Plummer

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic. Hospitals, nursing homes, and communities worldwide were flooded with patients diagnosed with COVID-19, resulting in the increased need for medical care and treatment by health care professionals, such as occupational therapists. This study analyzes output from a quantitative online survey design, which was created on SurveyMonkey and included 43 questions. Data from the survey were collected, categorized, and measured through the SurveyMonkey computer system and included information gathered from 204 occupational therapists from October 2020 to February 2020. Based …

Occupational Disruptions Among Health Professional Graduate Students During Covid-19 Pandemic, Supawadee C. Lee, Blerta Blushi, Joy Ann Dimaculangan, Anahid Keshishian, Michelle Segovia

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The COVID-19 pandemic created a global lockdown and restricted people from leaving their homes. The current study aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on occupational engagement among health professional graduate students. A web-based survey consisting of quantitative and qualitative responses was sent out to graduate students enrolled in health professional programs at a private university in the Northeast and received 86 responses. The results revealed that social participation and education were the most impacted occupations. The least affected occupations among the graduate students in health professional programs was ADLs. The participants reported the pandemic did not negatively affect …

Peer Mentoring In An Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Program: Student Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauren E. Stone Kelly

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on education. During this time, educators were tasked to develop creative and new ways to engage and teach students. Mentoring has been shown to positively impact academic and psychosocial outcomes and can enhance clinical skills in both in-person and e-learning environments. However, there is need for further research on peer mentoring programs in occupational therapy curriculum.

Method: This retrospective qualitative study investigates the effects of peer mentoring on student perceptions of learning and professional development. Experiences were tracked for three semesters during the pandemic at an accredited entry-level occupational therapy …

Occupational Disruptions Among Health Professional Faculty During Covid-19 Pandemic, Supawadee C. Lee, Mahrukh Awan, Uruj Chaudhary, Priyanka John

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The coronavirus disease was an unexpected pandemic. It led faculty in the health professional graduate programs to adjust and adapt to the new reality, which impacted them mentally, physically, and emotionally, and disrupted their occupational performance. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on occupational engagement through semi-structured interviews conducted to understand the lived experiences of graduate faculty in health professional programs at one university in the northeast region. The interviews were analyzed by creating codes and themes through the process of peer debriefing. Eight faculty participated in the study, including faculty from the …

Occupational Disruption: The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Behavioral Inflexibility And Anxiety Of Autistic Children, Aaron R. Dallman, Catherine Perry, Jessica Goldblum, Nicole M. Butera, Brian Boyd, Clare Harrop

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented changes to the lives of many. The aim of this paper was to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted behavioral inflexibility (BI) and anxiety among autistic children and how autistic children and their families have adapted to COVID-19-related routine changes.

Methods: This sequential mixed-method study included two phases. During the first phase, parents of autistic children (N = 48) completed an online survey consisting of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale (BIS) and the Parent-Rated Anxiety Scale – Autism Spectrum Disorder (PRAS-ASD). During the second phase, a subset of parents (parents of adolescents, N …

Occupational Therapists And Covid-19 Pandemic: An Observational Survey In Europe, Christian Pozzi, Alessandro Lanzoni, Pier Carlo Battain, Evelyn Alvarez, Eduardo Tobar, Ruth Hersche, Stefano Cavalli, Anna Monsò, Eva Llarch, Giuseppe Bellelli, Alessandro Morandi, Maud Graff

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a health care emergency in Europe since the first wave in 2020. Several challenges have arisen for occupational therapists, as well as all the health care professionals. The aim of this study was to determine what occupational therapists have changed to adapt their therapeutic processes for this catastrophic situation.

Method: An online survey was developed and sent in conjunction with the Council of Occupational Therapy for European Countries (COTEC) to European national associations of occupational therapists.

Results: The study was based on a sample of 65 occupational therapists who worked …

From Isolation To Connection: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Older Adults’ Social Participation Using The Cov19-Qol Scale, Kathleen Melei, Jill Linder

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Social isolation during COVID-19 has the capacity to impact older adults’ physical health, mental health, and quality of life. Using an occupational therapy perspective of social participation as an occupation, the current study explores (a) the extent to which social participation (habits/routines) has changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, (b) differences in perceptions of social participation in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and (c) differences in scores on the COVID-19 Quality of Life (COV19-QoL) scale by demographics, access to health care, and lifestyle routine.

Method: Community-dwelling adults (N = 230) 65 years of age or …

A Dialogue Regarding The Current Status Of Mental Health And Occupational Therapy Practice In The United States, Bryan M. Gee, Sonia Zimmerman, Janice Hinds, Halley Read

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Increasing Occupational Engagement By Addressing Psychosocial And Occupational Factors Of Chronic Pain: A Case Report, John V. Rider, Monica C. Tay

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Chronic pain can significantly disrupt occupational engagement through physical, psychological, and social domains. Because pain is a subjective experience influenced by numerous factors, it has the capacity to become increasingly complex. Evidence supports addressing chronic pain through a biopsychosocial approach and promoting health and well-being through occupational engagement.

Method: This case report describes the implementation of psychosocial and occupation-focused assessments and interventions for a 68-year-old client with chronic pain and increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing. The use of an occupation-focused time-use assessment (Occupational Experience Profile), psychosocial assessments, and pain assessments guided intervention development. Occupational …

Stress Matters: A Case Report In Occupational Therapy For Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment, Amy Driga, Naomi Dolgoy, Julie Hunley

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This case report details occupational therapy (OT) for a woman with breast cancer experiencing cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), referred to OT for memory strategies.

Method: Preliminary subjective and cognitive screenings were completed with further/finer assessment diarized.

Results: While the cognitive aspect of CRCI is often addressed via OT, in this case, stress was the most prevalent barrier to function reported. Stress was identified as: impacting occupational engagement, CRCI presentation, interfering with return-to-work goals, and accentuated given the COVID-19 pandemic. A common cancer-specific stress screening tool appeared inadequate in identifying the impact and interplay of stress on function, necessitating a …

Addressing Occupational Performance Deficits In A Religious Setting: A Pediatric Case Report, Bryan M. Gee, Daniel Leatham

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of this pediatric case report is to document how occupational therapy assisted a family with a child who has a diagnosis of ASD and the religious clergy increase the child’s participation in activities in the religious context.

Method: The pediatric case report uses an exploratory approach to explore the process of evaluating challenging psychosocial behaviors and implementing contextual and personal strategies to increase participation in meaningful occupations.

Results: As a result of the occupational therapy recommendations and follow-up consultations, the client demonstrated a reduction in behaviors that were a barrier to her participation in …