Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Pediapp Finder: Creating A Pediatric Application Database, Sara Pro, Adrianne Leblanc, April Wasjutin, Robert Williams

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

It is estimated that of the 85% of Americans that own cell phones, over half of these cell phone owners use apps on their phone (Fox & Duggan, 2012; Purcell, 2011). According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2013), by 2015, 500 million mobile device users will be using mobile health, or “m-Health” apps. Healthcare professionals are increasingly adopting mobile technology as an innovative, cost-efficient, and timesaving tool that may promote patient wellness and disease prevention (Kumar, 2013; mHealth Bible, 2013). Although mobile technology is a natural fit to the field of occupational therapy, research demonstrates that few resources …

Internship Impact In Early Intervention, Morgan E. Anderson

Senior Honors Projects

Early childhood intervention programs were introduced in the 1960s, and professionals have recognized the benefits of intensive therapy and education starting when the child is an infant up to the age of three. Working with a child in a comfortable environment, such as their own home, preschool, child care center or even the community has many benefits. Conducting sessions in a more everyday environment encourages family interaction and support. When a family member, caretaker, or even teacher is present to witness the therapy session, they are more likely to be comfortable carrying these techniques over into the everyday routine. Working …

Use Of The Mini-Bestest In Individuals With Peripheral Neuropathy: Does It Correlate With Falls And Sensory Loss?, Kasey Birchfield, Jennifer Lamoreau, Courtney Beinlich, Alyssa Reiter, Molly Scholl

University of Dayton Doctor of Physical Therapy Annual Research Symposium

Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a neurological disorder that involves damage or disease of the peripheral nervous system associated with numbness, pain, weakness, and impaired balance. Individuals with PN often experience a distal to proximal progression of motor and sensory deficits such as loss of proprioception, muscle weakness, and loss of ankle reflexes. Since lower extremity proprioception plays a primary role in postural control, individuals with PN demonstrate difficulty maintaining balance, especially under conditions in which vision or vestibular input are also compromised. Clinically, the sensory deficits associated with PN are assessed using Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments and vibration testing. Additionally, the Mini-BESTest …

A Novel Rapid Step Test Differentiates Between Older Adults Who Are Fallers And Non-Fallers, Harold L. Merriman, Kurt Jackson, Michael Breneman, Amy Collins, Tiffany Mceldowney, Ashton Swinford

University of Dayton Doctor of Physical Therapy Annual Research Symposium

Each year one in three adults > 65 years old falls which results in significant morbidity, mortality and health care costs. Commonly used balance tests such as the Balance Evaluation Systems Test, Berg Balance Scale and Tinetti produce numerical results that have been correlated with a fall history. However, these tests can be complicated, time consuming, require a large amount of space, may require special tools for assessment and exhibit a ceiling effect. Additionally, dynamic balance recovery strategies such as rapid stepping movements may not be fully assessed by some of these other traditional tests.

Effectiveness Of Cardiac Rehabilitation: Secondary Prevention Increases Functional Capacity In Myocardial Infarction Patients, Kristin Badillo

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study was to discern the effectiveness of Cardiac Rehabilitation/ Secondary Prevention Programs (CR/ SPP’s) by evaluating increased functional capacity in the form of MET (metabolic equivalent) scores post-myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack. The Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) survey is administered as part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for participation in the Secondary Prevention Program. Criterion for the research included patients 65 and older, with a history of one myocardial infarction, and had completed all 36 sessions of CR. The scores from 11 SPP surveys were analyzed and compared in three time increments from …

Normative Percent Differences Between Inter-Day And Inter-Limb Upper Extremity Volume In Healthy Adult Females, Chelsea M. Boch, Marissa L. Steppe, Malia A. Woodard, Molly J. Woodhall

University of Dayton Doctor of Physical Therapy Annual Research Symposium

Lymphedema is a frequent complication of breast cancer treatments and can become a chronic condition. Diagnosing lymphedema early is essential to reverse the condition and prevent future complications. Segmental circumferential measurements are the most efficient, reliable, and clinically relevant method to measure UE volume. Diagnosing pre-clinical lymphedema requires an understanding of normal inter-day and inter-limb volume differences among healthy women.

Descriptive Analysis Of Common Functional Limitations Identified By Patients With Shoulder Pain, Enrique V. Smith-Forbes, Stephanie D. Moore-Reed, Philip M. Westgate, W. Ben Kibler, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Context: Recent establishment of G-codes by the US government requires therapists to report function limitations at initial evaluation. Limited information exists specific to the most common limitations in patients with shoulder pain.

Objective: To describe the most commonly expressed shoulder limitations with activities and their severity/level of impairment from a patient’s perspective on the initial evaluation.

Design: Descriptive.

Setting: Patients reporting pain with overhead activity and seeking medical attention from one orthopedic surgeon were recruited as part of a cohort study.

Patients: 176 with shoulder superior labral tear from anterior to posterior (SLAP), subacromial impingement, …

A Participatory Design Framework For Customisable Assistive Technology, Pearl O'Rourke

Doctoral

High product costs and device abandonment negatively affect people with disabilities who require Assistive Technology (AT), and poor product design is a root cause. The purpose of this research is to develop and demonstrate a participatory design framework for customisable AT, which addresses the need for low-cost assistive products that satisfy a broad range of consumers’ needs. This framework addresses two main gaps in the literature. First, user involvement in the design process of medical and rehabilitative products helps create products that are more effective but, although methods to involve users exist, there are currently scant techniques to translate the …

Participants' Perceptions Of Factors In Preventing Falls, Rajvinder K. Bains, Jaclyn A. Fok, Nadine M. Marcelo, Tamara Vileshina

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Falls pose a serious threat to older adults, often resulting in physical, emotional, and financial consequences. The use of multifactorial fall prevention programs has provided community-dwelling older adults with strategies to decrease the risk of falling. Outcomes for these programs are measured in terms of such factors as fear of falling, balance and self-efficacy. One outcome of fall prevention programs that is less well understood is what the older adults themselves perceive as most beneficial. For this program evaluation project, five women participated in semi-structured interviews to understand which aspects of a multifactorial fall prevention program they found to be …

A Matter Of Balance: Program Outcomes For Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Tiffany Lau, Victoria Reyes, Adrienne Angeles, Leslie Hollaway

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Aims: The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine if A Matter of Balance with volunteer lay leaders (AMOB/VLL) was effective in increasing fall self-efficacy, fall control, and fall management in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Participants included community-dwelling older adults over the age of 60 who were concerned about falls and attended at least five of the eight AMOB/VLL program sessions. Fear of falling, pretest, posttest, and 3-, 6-, and 12- month follow-up data were collected from program participants between 2012 and 2013.

Results: Participants demonstrated overall improvements in fall self-efficacy, fall control, and fall management. Qualitative analysis also …

Therapeutic Listening® And Bilateral Coordination In Typically Developing Children, Shanee Ben-Haim, Cassandra Debonis, Jane Schwartz, Amy Smith-Schwartz

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a 15-minute Therapeutic Listening Quickshift® series intervention on 8-10 year-old typically developing children. A convenience sample was used for 8 participants in Marin County, California. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Therapeutic Listening® intervention or white noise control intervention. All participants participated in a pretest to establish a baseline of bilateral coordination abilities. Participants then listened to 15-minutes of the Therapeutic Listening® or white noise interventions. Following this intervention period, participants then participated in a posttest identical to the pretest. Movement assessment measures from the bilateral coordination subtest of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test …

The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (Pkta): Assessing Validity Of A Performance-Based Assessment Of Executive Function, Emily Fry, Hayley Gilligan, Liza Henty-Clark, Jennifer Weissensee

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Background and purpose. Executive function (EF) deficits is a growing area of focus in pediatric occupational therapy practice. However, there is a lack of performance-based assessments of EF in preschool-aged children. This study sought to establish preliminary criterion-related validity of the Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA), a test of EF in preschoolers developed by Christine Berg, Ph.D., OTR/L, in which children complete a multi-step craft project.

Subjects. Fifteen typically developing preschool-aged children participated in this study.

Methods. An exploratory design was used to assess criterion-related validity of the PKTA. Participants completed the PKTA along with several established neuropsychological assessments of …

Bridge/Adapt: A Systematic Cognitive Rehabilitation Curriculum, Julie S. Bergen, Natalie Repin, Amy Bennet, Abigail Lafrenz

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Cognitive impairment, including deficits in memory, attention, visual perception, executive functioning, and self-awareness, is a common consequence of acquired brain injury (ABI). Subsequently, these cognitive impairments result in functional impairments in daily life activities for clients with ABI. Rehabilitation efforts are categorized under two broad approaches: remediation and adaptation. Computer-assisted cognitive retraining (CACR) is a remediation approach using a computer platform to deliver cognitive exercises. CACR therapy can lead to improvements in memory and attention for adults with chronic ABI. However, memory and attention improvements from CACR may not carry over to functional improvements in occupational performance. Research suggested that …

Standardized Patients In Occupational Therapy Education, Andrea E. Battle, Jessica M. Borceguin, Joanna P. Dizon, Lai Zan Saechao

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The use of standardized patients (SPs) in occupational therapy (OT) education has greatly increased in recent years; however, there is limited research on the perceptions of student’s clinical readiness utilizing SPs and whether or not the utilization of SPs prepare students for fieldwork. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of SPs in OT education and the perceived clinical readiness of students. The use of SPs has been thoroughly researched in other healthcare related fields. It is important that the same critical attention be given to their use in our own field, which emphasizes the importance of …

Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists And Nurses In An Acute Care Setting: An Exploratory Study, Bethany Loy, Holly Micheff, Kelly Nguyen, Vincent O'Brien

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Background. Collaboration between occupational therapists and nurses is key to a positive prognosis for their patients. Currently, there is a gap in the research on professional relationships between occupational therapists and registered nurses in acute care settings.

Purpose. To examine interprofessional collaboration between registered nurses and occupational therapy in an acute care setting.

Methods. A phenomenological, qualitative design with use of semi-structured interviews was used. Interviewees were four occupational therapists and four registered nurses who currently work in acute care settings in Northern California and were recruited through a snowball, convenience and purposive sampling. Themes and subthemes that emerged from …

Fret: Validity Of A Fall Risk Evaluation Tool For Individuals With Acquired Brain Injuries, Desiree Shaver, Colon Mikaela, Irene Leung, Melanie Shea

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the predictive validity of the Fall Risk Evaluation Tool (FRET) for individuals with acquired brain injuries (ABIs).

Methods: Ten participants were included for the study. Inclusion criteria for participants included: age 18 and older, English speaking, 6-months post ABI, ambulatory with or without an assistive device, and uses a wheelchair less than 25% of the day. Exclusion criteria for participants included: global confusion and degenerative neurological conditions. Following the administration of the FRET, participants recorded falls that occurred over the following 3-month study period.

Results: Data was analyzed using the Pearson’s …

Helping Parents Navigate Occupational Therapy In The Iep Process, Noelle Bakken, Kelly Calton, Molly Hyland, Shannon Landau

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

At the request of Matrix Parent Network and the Marin Autism Collaborative, the project developers have gathered information in order to help parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) better understand Occupational Therapy (OT) in the school setting. The development of the resource guide consisted of three needs assessments to identify areas of occupational therapy in which parents required further clarification. After meeting with the director of parent services from Matrix Parent Network, and receiving the online survey results from twenty-eight parents in Marin County, who have children with ASD, the project developers identified areas of OT to focus …

The Skinny On Eating Attitudes, Body Image, And The Thin-Ideal In College Women, Lyndsay N. Greene

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

There is evidence of a link between body image and disordered eating among females, and some research that suggests exposure to the media exacerbates both body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. Despite these claims, little research has been done on the effects that exposure to photo-shopped images specifically has on body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. The present study sought to further understand the relationship between cognitive distortions of body image and eating attitudes and to examine the effects that exposure to the thin-ideal found in the media has on body dissatisfaction among college aged women. Eighty female college students answered questions …

Personality Of Personal Trainers: A Study Of Perception And Preference, Andy L. Chasse

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study used a personality questionnaire to address the lack of literature concerning how the general population perceives personal trainers and what qualities they desire in them. The Big Five Inventory (BFI) with two demographic items (gender and previous experience) was administered to 130 undergraduate students at The University of Texas-Pan American to determine perceived and desired characteristics. High extraversion was most commonly associated with personal trainers. High extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, as well as low neuroticism, were most desired in personal trainers. Significant differences were seen between perceived and desired means across all dimensions. Additionally, gender produced main effects …

Secondary Complications Among Person's With Spinal Cord Injury And Best Practices For Life Care Planners, Noel A. Ysasi Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The current study was intended to deliver life care planners with a guide as to whether or not secondary complications (SCs) should be included within the LCP, while obtaining the professional opinion of physiatrists as to the incidence rate of SCs. Each research question was designed to determine whether differences exist between life care planners (LCPs) and physiatrists in their knowledge regarding SCs while comparing their responses with empirical research. In addition, it was determined to investigate whether costs should be included in a LCP based on the reports given from certified and non-certified LCPs; even though it meets the …