Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Contexts Contributing To Burnout And Potential Coping Strategies To Support Work-Life Balance And Health Management Among Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Nora Duren, Kearyn Nelsen, Jada Welke

Critically Appraised Topics

The focus of this critically appraised topic paper is the aspects of burnout that occupational therapy (OT) practitioners face in a professional capacity, as well as environmental and personal contexts (AOTA, 2020) that have been shown to reduce the intensity of burnout within the profession. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), context can be described as the “broad context that encompasses environment and personal factors” (p. 36). “Environmental factors are aspects of the physical, social, and attitudinal surroundings in which people live and conduct their lives” (AOTA, 2020, p. 36). Additionally, the AOTA defines personal factors as the …

The Role Of Occupational Therapists Working With Adults With Substance Use Disorder In Rural Areas, Kyra M. Jessen, Jackie M. Middendorf

Critically Appraised Topics

This critically appraised topic paper focused on the availability of occupation-based interventions for adults (18 years and older) faced with substance use disorders in rural areas. The main factors to consider in this scenario were the population of rural areas, substance use services in rural areas, and the role of occupational therapy. The U.S. Census Bureau did not directly define rural but instead considered rural to be any area that is not urban, while urban areas were considered to have more than 50,000 people and urban clusters were stated to have between 2,500 and 50,000 people (U.S. Department of Agriculture, …

Empowering Caregivers: A Training Manual For Supporting Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alicia Buhnerkemper

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often require specialized support to navigate daily activities, yet respite and Community Living Support (CLS) workers frequently lack adequate training to address the sensory and behavioral challenges these children face. This project aimed to address these gaps by developing a comprehensive training manual grounded in evidence-based practices and occupational therapy (OT) principles, including the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model and Sensory Integration (SI) Theory. Surveys and interviews with families, respite workers, and CLS workers identified critical training needs, such as understanding sensory processing, managing challenging behaviors, and effective communication strategies. The manual includes practical modules, embedded …

Humor Matters: An Adapted Multiple Case Study Exploring Music Therapists’ Perspectives Of Humor With Older Adults, Caleb M. Posey

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Humor is a ubiquitous human experience and a skill retained in older adulthood. It is also an integral but elusive therapeutic tool with numerous benefits and risks to well-being. Therapeutic humor – the application of humor to client well-being – is an emerging area of study. However, scant music therapy literature on humor is available. The purpose of this qualitative thesis was to explore the use and function of humor in music therapy with older adults from the perspectives of experienced music therapists. There were three research questions: (1) how do music therapists describe their use of humor with older …

Clothing Design Solutions For Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review Protocol, Nagaveni N. Nayak, Shristi Shakya, Nachiket Gudi, Sonia Khurana, Sivakumar Gopalakrishnan, Veena Rao, Bhamini Krishna Rao

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Children with Developmental Disabilities (DD) often face significant challenges in performing dressing task, fundamental activities of daily living. Inability to accomplish this task independently significantly impacts participation in social and recreational activities, affecting Quality of Life (QoL). Additionally, burden on caregivers increases which in turn leads to stress and burnout. Addressing dressing-related challenges through innovative clothing designs enhances self-independence, alleviate caregiver burden, and improve QoL. However, studies published in this focused area are quite heterogeneous resulting in lack of comprehensive understanding of different clothing solutions that exist for children with DD. Therefore, this scoping review is undertaken to map clothing …

Prediction Of Recurrent Lateral Ankle Sprain And Ankle Pain Using Applied Care Strategies And Patient-Reported Outcomes, Ryan S. Mccann, Elisabeth Ohrnberger, Kyle B. Kosik, Phillip A. Gribble

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context

Patients with lateral ankle sprains (LASs) often have deficient patient-reported outcomes (PROs) at return to activity (RTA), potentially increasing risk for recurrent LAS and ankle pain. Additionally, applied care strategies are known to correct impairments, but their ability to mitigate risk for long-term consequences remains unknown.

Objective

To determine if applied care strategies and PRO scores at RTA and 6 months after RTA predict recurrent LAS and ankle pain 12 months after an acute LAS. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Online survey.

Patients or Other Participants

We enrolled 63 individuals within 1 week of sustaining an acute LAS.

Main …

Retention And Transfer Of Fractal Gait Training, Logan J. Frame, Nikita A. Kuznetsov, Louisa D. Raisbeck, Christopher K. Rhea

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background/Purpose: Fractal gait patterns have been shown to be modifiable, but the extent to which they are retained and transferred to new contexts is relatively unknown. This study aimed to close those gaps by enrolling participants (N = 23) in a seven-day fractal gait training program. Methods: Building on related work, the fractal gait training occurred on a treadmill over a 10-min period. Before and after the treadmill training, each participant walked for 10 min overground without the fractal stimulus used during training. The daily post-test was used to examine immediate retention and transfer of the fractal gait patterns from …

Lecture-Based Instruction On Salary Negotiation For Professional Athletic Training Students: An Educational Technique, Julie M. Cavallario, Thomas R. Campbell, Cailee E. Welch Bacon

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context

Low salary is a frequently cited reason for attrition from the athletic training profession. Researchers have determined that athletic trainers (ATs) entering the first hiring process, usually newly credentialed graduates of professional athletic training programs (ATPs), are the least likely to negotiate, resulting in lowered earning potential across their careers. It is necessary to instruct athletic training students on the importance of salary negotiation before the completion of their professional preparation.

Objective

Describe a lecture-based approach to include salary negotiation content into ATPs.

Background

Employing constructivist learning theory, didactic lecture content with applicable strategies for salary negotiation is sufficient …

Perceptions And Use Of The Athletic Training Milestones In Education: A Report From The Aate Research Network, Cailee Welch Bacon, Barton Anderson, Julie Cavallario, Bonnie Van Lunen, Lindsey Eberman

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

The Athletic Training Milestones (AT Milestones) were developed as an evaluation tool to capture the breadth and depth of athletic training knowledge, skills, and behavior. However, it is unclear whether athletic training programs are implementing this tool or how they are implementing it to gauge the athletic training clinical progression of students or residents. We aimed to explore the perceptions and use of the AT Milestones among educators in athletic training programs. We used a cross-sectional, web-based survey with open-ended questions to collect data from athletic training programs on if and how they implement the AT Milestones at a programmatic …

Multifactorial Exercise Intervention Decreases Falls Risk In High-Risk And Low-Risk Older Adults, Amanda Estep, Steven Morrison, Shane V. Caswell, Jatin P. Ambegaonkar, João R. Vaz, Nelson Cortes

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Each year, 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 years of age will experience a fall. It is important to identify and address modifiable risk factors that are associated with falls in adults at high and low risk for falls.

Hypothesis: Falls risk improves in both high-risk and low-risk participants with the implementation of Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL).

Study Design: Cohort study.

Level of Evidence: Level 3.

Methods: Seventy-eight older adults (age, 70.9 ± 5.1 years) were included in this study and categorized into high risk and low risk for falling based on the …

Promoting Inpatient Mobility To Improve Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Project In A Rural Critical Access Hospital, Chantal Laplante

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Although beneficial to patient outcomes, inpatient ambulation is not a prioritized care intervention, and a task often deferred to physical therapy. Patient immobility is a complex problem that requires a multifaceted approach.

Local Problem: In a rural, critical access hospital, on an 18-bed medical surgical unit, nursing staff lacked ownership of patient mobility. There was no standardized process to document ambulation and mobility tasks were not scheduled, falling to the end of the nursing work list. Many patients did not have activity orders upon admission and nurses lacked resources for ambulation assessment and daily goal setting. There was no …

Running Shoes For Posterior Tibial Tendon Problems, Matthew Klein

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

Our perspective on stability and guidance are one of the many things that make Doctors of Running unique. I, Matt Klein, generally need at least mild stability in my footwear. Like many of our readers, I have continued to navigate and understand what a stability shoe is, what options there are out there, what actually provides stability/guidance and who stability actually works best for. Recent research has suggested that stability shoes tend to benefit those with a history of pronation-related injuries or who are unable to control the natural pronation motion during gait (Malisoux et al., 2016; Williems et al., …

The Unequal Distribution Of Social Risk For Black Men Across The Life-Span. A Novel Framework., Waleed Y. Sami

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual overview offers a comprehensive overview of systemic pathways that negatively impact the mental health of Black Men throughout their lives. Our argument highlights the importance for counselors and mental health professionals to utilize a thorough social risk assessment that considers these pathways in order to effectively address the mental health needs of Black Men while fostering positive working relationships. This overview strongly advocates for the use of context and structural determinants when evaluating mental health symptoms. Without an appropriate understanding of social risk and determinants, counselors may inadvertently perpetuate disparities by decontextualizing symptomology, and reproducing racist discourse.

Empowering And Educating Parents To Implement A Home Intervention: Effects On Preschool Children's Engagement In Hands-On Constructive Play, Michelle Boulanger Thompson, Yaoying Xu, Chin-Chih Chen, Kathleen Rudasill

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Constructive play is a creative process-oriented activity that promotes children’s engaged learning through building and designing with materials. This study investigated a parent-implemented intervention to promote active engagement in constructive play for preschool-aged children at risk for developmental delay. This study utilized a single-subject multiple-baseline across-participants design with four participants. Visual analysis of the data identified a functional relation between the temporal, physical, and social–emotional environmental support provided by the parents and the children’s active engagement in constructive play. Parents reported the intervention as meaningful to their lives, indicating strong social validity. These findings highlight the importance of centering and …

A Comparison Of Concurrent Training And Moderate Intensity Continuous Training In Patients With Coronary Artery Disease, Amanda Alfaro-Chaverri, John Quindry, Charles Dumke, Brian Loyd

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) is the most studied method in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Traditionally, resistance training has been utilized as a secondary role in CR. Recent interest in the topic suggests that MICT and resistance training should be applied collectively, an approach termed concurrent training (CT). The collective understanding of the potential of CT in CR patients is currently lacking.

Purpose: The aim of this professional paper is to analyze scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of CT versus MICT. The analysis will focus on five primary measurements: exercise capacity, cardiovascular …

Response To Intervention: The Effect Of Sensory Processing Tier 1 And Tier 2 Occupational Therapy Intervention, Workshops & Consultation On Kindergarten Students, Kieran Bolger, Cindy Zhang, Julia Dariychuk, Janine Yu, Zuriel Chester

Master's Projects

Sensory modulation is critical for self-regulation in learning environments where children may experience unexpected or atypical sensory stimuli leading to disruptive behaviors often misunderstood or misinterpreted by teachers (Mac Donald & Baist, 2021; Smith & Douglass, 2022). Teachers often lack understanding of sensory processing and evidence-based strategies to address the behavioral challenges related to sensory processing (Cahill et al., 2014; Gee & Nwora, 2011; Mac Donald & Baist, 2021). Occupational therapists practitioners (OTPs) are beneficial team members that are skilled in addressing sensory processing (Cahill, 2010) and can partner with teachers to increase their understanding and utilization of sensory processing …

Isokinetic Testing: Why It Is More Important Today Than Ever, Kevin E. Wilk, Christopher A. Arrigo, George J. Davies

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Isokinetics is a proven method to train and objectively assess the capability of muscle groups, particularly at the knee. The current re-injury rates and less than optimal return to sport percentages seen following anterior cruciate ligament surgery highlights the need for greater focus on what tests and methods are used to make these critical decisions. Isokinetics remains the best single method to objectively determine dynamic muscle strength, power, rate of force development and endurance. These factors make it well-suited to play a crucial role in influencing the appropriate patient progression through a rehabilitation program and assisting in determining return to …

Physical, Emotional, And Occupational Dimensions Of Wellness And Their Applicability: A Feasibility Study, Josephine Savitski

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This feasibility study investigates a health and wellness intervention program based on the 7 Dimensions of Wellness framework, emphasizing evidence-based methods, accessibility, and participant independence. The research combines insights from a comprehensive literature review, which explores resources essential for designing, implementing, and executing health literacy based interventions targeting three dimensions of wellness. The study outlines methods for participant selection, program delivery, and data collection, synthesizing existing research and scholarly works to provide insights into effective strategies, educational tools, and interdisciplinary approaches. Despite the absence of statistical analysis, pre- and post-survey results demonstrate positive trends. Reflections on observed outcomes highlight adaptability, …

Lifestyle Redesign: The Franciscan Sisters Of Little Falls, Mn, Seth Crocker

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners have a wide scope of practice due to the versatility of the profession. Some OT practitioners practice in traditional healthcare settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and schools, while other therapists find locations that are considered less conventional. The utilization of OT in nontraditional practices is an opportunity for practitioners to expand their scope of practice and benefit more people within the community. No matter the setting, OT practitioners provide services to promote patient health, independence, and quality of life. A specific factor that can negatively affect these areas is age progression. One way to combat this …

Low Back Pain And The Lumbar Multifidus Muscle, Richard E. Sroka

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Low back pain (LBP) is common, debilitating, and costly to treat. In the United States alone, LBP treatment costs are estimated at 100-200 billion annually. Physical therapists often provide conventional core strengthening exercise (CCSE) to address the symptoms of LBP. On the other hand, however, a low rate of success is reported for individuals treated for their LBP. Despite numerous studies conducted on LBP treatments, patient outcomes are mixed and 60-86% of people have recurrent LBP episodes. This rating may be attributed to the complexity of the exercise that makes correct performance challenging and can potentially reduce patient compliance. An …