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PloS One 2020One argument for introducing research in bachelor`s degree in health care is to ensure the quality of future health care delivery. The requirements for research-based...
INTRODUCTION
One argument for introducing research in bachelor`s degree in health care is to ensure the quality of future health care delivery. The requirements for research-based education have increased, and research on how research-based education is experienced is limited, especially in bachelor health care education programmes. The aim of this study was to explore how occupational therapy students and faculty members experienced and perceived research-based education.
METHODS
This qualitative, interpretative description consisted of three focus group interviews with occupational therapy students in their final year (n = 8, 6 and 4), and three focus group interviews with faculty members affiliated with occupational therapy programmes in Norway (n = 5, 2 and 5). Interviewing both students and faculty members enabled us to explore the differences in their experiences and perceptions.
RESULTS
Five integrative themes emerged from the analysis: "introducing research early", "setting higher expectations", "ensuring competence in research methods", "having role models" and "providing future best practice". Research was described as an important aspect of the occupational therapy bachelor program as it helps ensure that students achieve the necessary competence for offering future best practice. Students expressed a need to be introduced to research early in the program, and they preferred to have higher expectations regarding use of research. Competence in research methods and the importance of role models were also highlighted.
CONCLUSIONS
Undergraduate health care students are expected to be competent in using research. Findings from our study demonstrated that the participants perceived the use of research during training as important to ensure future best practice. Increasing the focus on research in the programme's curricula and efforts to improve students' formal training in research-specific skills could be a starting point towards increased use of research in the occupational therapy profession.
Topics: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Curriculum; Education, Medical; Faculty; Female; Focus Groups; Humans; Male; Norway; Occupational Therapy; Qualitative Research; Students; Students, Medical
PubMed: 33347466
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243544 -
Scandinavian Journal of Occupational... May 2023The use of simulated learning activities in occupational therapy education has emerged in the past decade. Studies describing experiences of using standardised patients...
BACKGROUND
The use of simulated learning activities in occupational therapy education has emerged in the past decade. Studies describing experiences of using standardised patients in practical examination in occupational therapy is lacking.
OBJECTIVE
To describe teachers' and students' experiences of a newly implemented practical examination in occupational therapy education using standardised patients.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A qualitative study using data from student questionnaires, a focus-group with five teachers, and teachers' reflective diary notes. Data were analysed with problem-driven content analysis.
RESULTS
Three categories were identified: The practical examination as a learning situation included a structured learning environment and scenarios with standardised patients with the right level of complexity. The teacher's role was influenced by the educational approach applied to create equal conditions for all students, students' thoughts about being assessed and the teachers' emphasis of being well prepared. The examination was an opportunity for developing practical skills. The students valued being prepared for clinical practice and the teachers valued the examination as a bridge between theory and practice.
CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE
A carefully planned practical examination can contribute to developing professional occupational therapy competences and is a tool for educators to replicate the authentic clinical settings students encounter in fieldwork.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Therapy; Learning; Students; Professional Competence; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 34511030
DOI: 10.1080/11038128.2021.1974549 -
Canadian Journal of Occupational... Jun 2024With technological advancements, anatomy teaching approaches in occupational therapy education have expanded. However, uncertainty remains regarding the approaches that... (Review)
Review
With technological advancements, anatomy teaching approaches in occupational therapy education have expanded. However, uncertainty remains regarding the approaches that best optimize academic and practice outcomes in student occupational therapists (OTs). This scoping review mapped the pedagogical approaches used to teach musculoskeletal anatomy to student OTs. A scoping review was conducted, with a consultation exercise involving Canadian occupational therapy educators. Six databases were searched, with terms related to student OTs, anatomy, and education. Included articles were available in English, full text; featured empirical research of any study design and/or gray literature; featured a pedagogical approach used to teach anatomy; and targeted student OTs with the pedagogies. Twenty-eight reports between 1978 and 2021 were included. Although technology-based pedagogies became more common with time, historically used pedagogies (e.g., lectures and labs) remained prominent and most common. Narrative synthesis regarding the effectiveness of anatomy pedagogical approaches identified five main factors: (a) anatomy competency; (b) teaching method diversity; (c) learner psychological considerations; (d) interprofessional education; and (e) optimal academic outcomes. This review demonstrates the importance of anatomy knowledge to occupational therapy education and practice. A diversity of pedagogical approaches, with and without technology, may foster better outcomes by addressing diverse learning needs.
Topics: Occupational Therapy; Humans; Anatomy; Teaching
PubMed: 37680142
DOI: 10.1177/00084174231197614 -
Primary Health Care Research &... Mar 2019This is the second article in a series of two about occupational therapy and primary care. The first article (see PH&RD….) described the position of the profession in... (Review)
Review
This is the second article in a series of two about occupational therapy and primary care. The first article (see PH&RD….) described the position of the profession in primary care across Europe and the scope of the profession. In this article the broad scope of the profession is illustrated with various examples of occupational therapy interventions. The interventions are identified by means of a literature search. A questionnaire (the questionnaire is available by mailing the author) was sent out to experts across Europe which resulted in both relevant literature and evidence-based examples. The evidence level of these examples differs from expert opinion (5), case series (4), case-controlled studies (3), cohort studies (2) and randomized-control trial (1). The article ends with recommendations in four areas how to develop, establish or strengthen the profession in primary care.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Therapy; Primary Health Care
PubMed: 32799994
DOI: 10.1017/S146342361800049X -
Canadian Journal of Occupational... Jun 2024Occupational therapy clinical education was disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This introduced both challenges and opportunities in clinical fieldwork...
Occupational therapy clinical education was disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This introduced both challenges and opportunities in clinical fieldwork education and created a naturalistic opportunity to study the innovations that occurred. To identify and describe fieldwork education innovations that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and understand how these clinical learning contexts impacted competency development in occupational therapy learners. A qualitative multi-case study methodology was used. The participants ( = 28) were occupational therapy learners and preceptors who self-identified as having participated in an innovative fieldwork placement during the pandemic either as a preceptor or learner. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and analyzed to identify cases of innovation. Within and across case analyses were conducted to describe innovations and competencies addressed. Three cases of fieldwork innovations were identified: (a) Virtual Care; (b) Intrapreneurship; and (c) Administration. The commonly addressed competency domains across the cases were OT Expertise, Excellence in Practice, and Communication and Collaboration. The competency domain, culture, equity, and justice, was only addressed in the virtual care case. Our findings indicate that innovative fieldwork placements can support competency development in occupational therapy; however, this development is complex and contextually based.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Occupational Therapy; Clinical Competence; Qualitative Research; Preceptorship; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 37537873
DOI: 10.1177/00084174231190768 -
Occupational Therapy International 2017Assistive technology was once a specialised field of practice, involving products designed for populations with specific impairments or functional goals. In Australia,... (Review)
Review
Assistive technology was once a specialised field of practice, involving products designed for populations with specific impairments or functional goals. In Australia, occupational therapists have, at times, functioned as gatekeepers to public funding, prescribing products from a predefined list. An expanding range of accessible mainstream products available via international and online markets has changed the meaning and application of assistive technology for many people with disability. In the policy context of consumer choice and cost-effectiveness, have occupational therapists been left behind? This paper describes the change in context for access to assistive technology resulting in expanded possibilities for participation and inclusion. A case study of environmental control systems is used to explore the overlap of mainstream and assistive products and the funding and services to support their uptake. The analysis describes a future policy and practice context in which assistive technology includes a spectrum of products decoupled from access to independent advice and support services. A broader scope of occupational therapy practice has potential to enhance the occupational rights of people with disability and the efficiency and effectiveness of assistive technology provision.
Topics: Australia; Disabled Persons; Humans; Occupational Therapists; Occupational Therapy; Orthopedic Equipment; Self-Help Devices
PubMed: 29097973
DOI: 10.1155/2017/5612843 -
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal Feb 2023Rural communities contribute to national wellbeing, identities, economies, and social fabrics yet experience increased risk of mortality, morbidity, and disability,... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Rural communities contribute to national wellbeing, identities, economies, and social fabrics yet experience increased risk of mortality, morbidity, and disability, coupled with lower levels of income, formal education, and employment than urban citizens. Despite higher need, occupational therapy services are maldistributed to urban locations. Publications about non-urban services discuss predominantly outreach-based, individualist, rehabilitation for specified diagnoses/age groups. However, given this population level inequity, it is unclear why individualist focussed services are more commonly discussed. Understanding intentions expressed in publications about non-urban service design may identify assumptions/limitations to current approaches and contribute to improved future services.
METHODS
Each of 117 publications identified in a scoping review was read by two reviewers to independently identify themes. Provisional themes were discussed and modified in an iterative process to develop final themes/subthemes. The first author reinterrogated the publications and coded data to identify relevant examples to support the identified themes.
RESULTS
Three key themes and nine subthemes were identified. Hegemonic perspectives were found in the themes (i) Extension of urban practice and (ii) Austerity, particularly in the Global North. Non-urban services were typically extended to non-urban contexts underpinned by austerity and neoliberal values such that non-urban persons and their context were problematised rather than service or funding design. A counter-hegemonic perspective was found in the theme (iii) Responses to situational realities more commonly in Global South publications, which valued non-urban contexts, and focussed on developing non-urban communities and promoting justice.
CONCLUSION
The hegemonic paradigm links occupational therapy services with neoliberal notions of individualism, private provision of care, and efficiency/market value, rather than the occupational therapy values for justice. The profession must consider our role in perpetuating injustice for non-urban people and consider if and how more contextually tailored counter hegemonic place-based paradigms can be developed from and with regional, rural, and remote practice.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Therapy; Disabled Persons; Employment
PubMed: 36193547
DOI: 10.1111/1440-1630.12844 -
Occupational Therapy International 2019Professional reasoning in occupational therapy is the process used by practitioners to plan, direct, perform, and reflect on client care. The professional's ability to... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND/AIM
Professional reasoning in occupational therapy is the process used by practitioners to plan, direct, perform, and reflect on client care. The professional's ability to manage the process of the intervention is structured around it, thereby influencing the effectiveness of the work carried out. The objectives of this research were to identify and describe (a) the historical development of this area of research from 1982 to 2017 and (b) the nature and volume of the scientific literature on professional reasoning in occupational therapy and the evidence that exists today.
METHODS
A scoping review method was used to carry out an historical mapping of research on professional reasoning and to summarise the lines of research explored to date. The review was conducted in five stages following the PRISMA guidelines. After applying the selection criteria, the search identified 303 references.
RESULTS
The results are presented under three headings: (a) nature and volume of publications on professional reasoning in occupational therapy according to number and year of publications, journal, country, author, and line of research; (b) historical trends in the scientific literature on professional reasoning in occupational therapy since 1982; and (c) methodological aspects of the research. Each of them is discussed through statistical analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
The research about professional reasoning in occupational therapy is a field of empirical nature, in which qualitative studies predominate. Principal lines of research are focused on specific fields of practice, undergraduates, and theoretical aspects of professional reasoning. There were identified three historical phases with common features in terms of objectives and research methods.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Therapy; Problem Solving; Professional Competence; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 31824234
DOI: 10.1155/2019/6238245 -
Journal of Motor Behavior 2017Priming can be described as behavior change generated by preceding stimuli. Although various types of priming have been long studied in the field of psychology, priming... (Review)
Review
Priming can be described as behavior change generated by preceding stimuli. Although various types of priming have been long studied in the field of psychology, priming that targets motor cortex is a relatively new topic of research in the fields of motor control and rehabilitation. In reference to a rehabilitation intervention, priming is categorized as a restorative approach. There are a myriad of possible priming approaches including noninvasive brain stimulation, motor imagery, and sensory-based priming, to name a few. The authors report on movement-based priming which, compared to other priming types, is less frequently examined and under reported. Movement-based priming includes, but is not limited to, bilateral motor priming, unilateral priming, and aerobic exercise. Clinical and neural mechanistic aspects of movement-based priming techniques are explored.
Topics: Exercise; Humans; Movement; Neuronal Plasticity; Occupational Therapy; Repetition Priming; Teaching
PubMed: 28277966
DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2016.1250716 -
Scandinavian Journal of Occupational... May 2017There is limited evidence about the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for participation outcomes in children with coordination difficulties. Developing...
BACKGROUND
There is limited evidence about the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for participation outcomes in children with coordination difficulties. Developing theory about the interventions, i.e. their ingredients and change processes, is the first step to advance the evidence base.
AIM
To develop theory about the key ingredients of occupational therapy interventions for children with coordination difficulties and the processes through which change in participation might happen.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Grounded theory methodology, as described by Kathy Charmaz, was used to develop the theory. Children and parents participated in semi-structured interviews to share their experiences of occupational therapy and processes of change. Data collection and analysis were completed concurrently using constant comparison methods.
RESULTS
Five key ingredients of interventions were described: performing activities and tasks; achieving; carer support; helping and supporting the child; and labelling. Ingredients related to participation by changing children's mastery experience, increasing capability beliefs and sense of control. Parents' knowledge, skills, positive emotions, sense of empowerment and capability beliefs also related to children's participation.
CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE
The results identify intervention ingredients and change pathways within occupational therapy to increase participation. It is unclear how explicitly and often therapists consider and make use of these ingredients and pathway.
Topics: Child; Female; Grounded Theory; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Motor Skills Disorders; Occupational Therapy; Parents; Play and Playthings
PubMed: 27454899
DOI: 10.1080/11038128.2016.1201141