bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Voluntary Work in the Lives of Post-Retirement Adults
Authors: Oakley Crispin , Pratt Joanne 
Published: April 2015

The ability of an individual to adapt to either role loss or role gain when he or she enters a period of retirement is influenced by many factors and several attempts have been made to describe both successful and unsuccessful role adaptation. This study aimed to examine the relationship between leisure activities and life satisfaction in a sample of 40 retired adults, aged 60–83 years. The difference in life satisfaction and leisure activities in one group of 20 subjects who undertook volunteer work was compared with a second group of 20 subjects who did not undertake volunteer work. Three data collection instruments were used: a demographic questionnaire, a leisure activity questionnaire and a life satisfaction questionnaire. When Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient was applied to the data to examine the relationship between leisure activities and life satisfaction levels for the full sample of subjects, a positive correlation was found at the 5% level. However, when the groups were examined separately, only the non-volunteer group scores showed a positive relationship. In order to compare life satisfaction levels and leisure activity patterns of those subjects who participated in voluntary work with those who did not, the Mann Whitney test was applied to the data. The results for both groups were not significant at the 5% level.
An Evaluation of the Occupational Therapy for Spinal Fusion Hip Spica Patients
Authors: Budge Gillian 
Published: April 2015

Spinal fusions, achieved by means of Steffee plates, can be followed by the patient being encased in a hip spica jacket for 3–6 months. This is likely to create functional difficulties for the patient, which are appropriate for occupational therapy. This research aimed to evaluate a hospital occupational therapy service provided to these patients and the follow-up community occupational therapy likely to be received on discharge. All the patients underwent surgery at an elective surgical unit within a general hospital. There were 25 patients in the study and 24 were available for interview within their own home 10 weeks postoperatively. Relevant data were collected on a number of clinical as well as functional topics. From all the sources of data it was concluded that these patients did experience difficulties postoperatively, although occupational therapy could address only some of them. In addition, it was indicated that rehabilitation was not complete once the patient's discharge package had been implemented and that, in fact, further rehabilitation was likely to be beneficial when the hip spica was gradually discarded. This article focuses on the patients' perceptions of the hospital occupational therapy service.
A Review of the Literature in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1989–1996
Authors: Mountain Gail A 
Published: April 2015

This article describes an analysis of the content of papers in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy over an 8-year period, from 1989 to 1996. The analysis is underpinned by research questions concerned with extent of published research, evidence of responsiveness to recent health and social care policy implementation and demonstrations of clinical effectiveness. The results of the analysis show that the majority of published papers over the 8 years were descriptive in nature. Of the papers with a research orientation, the most reported area of interest was physical disability. However, much of this research was small scale and there was a notable absence of funded projects. Nevertheless, the number of papers describing research activity increased markedly during the latter years, as did the application of evidence-based material. Policy-related material was poorly represented overall, as were papers concerned with evidence of effectiveness. These results suggest that occupational therapists are developing a research base. However, this needs to extend across a range of clinical interests. There is also a need to demonstrate a greater understanding of roles and responsibilities within the current policy framework.
An Investigation of Stroke Patients Resuming Sexual Activity
Authors: Edmans Judi 
Published: April 2015

An area often neglected in stroke rehabilitation is patients returning to their normal sexual activity. Generally, this is not discussed routinely with patients as part of their rehabilitation, even though for many it plays an important role in their lives. An investigation was carried out on the Nottingham Stroke Unit to identify whether stroke patients had been able to resume their sexual activity, what information they would find useful and when this should be given. The results showed that sexual activity generally deteriorated after a stroke and that patients and partners wanted relevant information when the patient started spending time at home or just before discharge. There was variation regardinthe need for private consultation and most patients and partners felt that returning to sexual activity should be considered as part of stroke rehabilitation.
The Use of Photographs as a Means of Obtaining Views of Occupational Therapy Held by Children with Learning Disabilities: A Pilot Study
Authors: Joy Debbie , Young Anita , Harvais Val , Chesson Rosemary 
Published: April 2015

As an adjunct to a pilot project on the use of Goal Attainment Scaling in occupational therapy for children with learning disabilities, children's views of therapeutic intervention were explored. These were investigated by means of interviews held at the residential special school that the children attended and were carried out by a therapist who was unknown to them. During the interview, six photographs (three therapy and three non-therapy related) were presented. Each child's response was recorded by the interviewer. Despite the seven children having emotional and behavioural difficulties, all cooperated during the interviews, looking at the photographs and not displaying any challenging behaviour. When the children's responses were categorised in terms of their unique styles of communication, more positive reactions to the photographs relating to occupational therapy than to the others were noted. It is acknowledged, however, that further development work is required in order to establish the reliability and validity of the method.
The Delphi Technique: An Adaptive Research Tool
Authors: Sumsion Thelma 
Published: April 2015

The Delphi technique is one type of research methodology that is growing in popularity. This paper introduces this technique to therapists searching for a user-friendly method of conducting research. The Delphi process is explained and several issues that the researcher must consider are presented. These issues include the identification of participants and the number of questionnaires or rounds that are required to reach consensus. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the technique concludes that the argument is weighted equally on both sides. Applications to research in rehabilitation are reviewed and brief case scenarios related to the application of the technique to management issues are presented for further consideration. The Delphi technique is not a perfect tool for all situations but it can be adapted to address a variety of issues in a range of working environments.
Occupational Therapists' Perceptions of Their Undergraduate Preparation for the Workplace
Authors: Adamson Barbara J , Hunt Adrienne E , Harris Lynne M , Hummel Jill 
Published: April 2015

The health care environment is undergoing rapid change. This has major implications for health science education programmes. The extent to which university education prepares graduates for the requirements of the workplace has become an important issue in the health science literature. The present study investigated the perceptions of 144 graduate occupational therapists regarding the adequacy of their undergraduate education at the University of Sydney in equipping them for the workplace. The findings indicated that occupational therapy graduates perceived significant gaps between the knowledge and skills gained during their undergraduate course and those required in the workplace, particularly in the areas of communication with other health professionals and the general public, knowledge of the health industry and workplace management. This paper considers the implications of workplace requirements and expectations for the occupational therapy course curricula.
Sexuality Education and Counselling for Individuals with a Spinal Cord Injury: Implications for Occupational Therapy
Authors: Summerville Patti , McKenna Kryss 
Published: April 2015

Sexuality is an integral component of human behaviour, being the expression of an individual's personality and identity. Consequently, sexuality education and counselling, as part of the rehabilitation process for individuals with a physical disability, are considered important. Although the role of occupational therapists in facilitating sexuality as a life skill Is recognised, their participation in this component of rehabilitation is low, reportedly as a result of perceived inadequate knowledge. This paper focuses on spinal cord injury as an example of a physical disability. To highlight the need to address sexual concerns, the physiological and psychological aspects of individuals' altered sexual status after spinal cord injury are briefly described. The limitations in the sexuality education and counselling programmes provided to date are explored, with recommendations made as to how such intervention can be improved and the role that occupational therapists may play in this service provision. The P-LI-SS-IT model is presented as an appropriate framework from which to develop and deliver an effective sexuality education and counselling programme for individuals with a spinal cord injury. It is concluded that occupational therapists, as part of a multidisciplinary team, should adopt an active role in the delivery of sexuality education and counselling programmes for individuals with a physical disability.
Occupational Therapy and the National Health Service, 1948–1998
Authors: Paterson Catherine F 
Published: April 2015

Much of the history of occupational therapy is associated with the history of the National Health Service (NHS). As the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NHS on 5 July 1948, it is fitting to reflect on the development of the profession over the past half century and how it has adapted to the many medical, technological, demographic and social changes. In 1948, the profession comprised a small band of mainly middle-class women, who worked under medical direction with long-stay patients in a hospital setting. In 1998, over 18,000 occupational therapists are state-registered. Having gained degree-entry status practitioners are increasingly self-directed and research-focused, and they work in a wide range of settings with all age-groups: a profession reflecting the ideals of the NHS to provide a service from ‘the cradle to the grave’.
Risk in Dementia – Assessment and Management: A Literature Review
Authors: Thom Karen M , Blair Sheena E E 
Published: April 2015

Dementia affects a person's ability to undertake previously achievable tasks which can present risks. The assessment and management of risk can differ and inclusion of the person's view is not always apparent. This literature review aimed to explore current knowledge concerning key areas relevant to risk assessment and management. This included the contribution of occupational therapy functional assessment. It revealed that knowledge tended to be practice based, rather than research based, and that there was no specific research on functional assessment of risk. Issues of how risk was established by those involved and consideration of the person's view were raised.
Screening for Neurological Dysfunction in the Specific Learning Difficulty Child
Authors: Blythe Sally Goddard , Hyland David 
Published: April 2015

A developmental questionnaire was given to the parents of 140 children. Seventy of the children had a history of specific learning difficulties which had not responded to normal remedial education. The remaining 70 had no history of specific learning difficulties. The research was undertaken to ascertain whether the developmental questionnaire could be used as a reliable instrument to detect the neuro-developmental delay underlying the specific learning difficulties and preventing remedial intervention from being effective. The results revealed that the screening questionnaire did discriminate between the two populations. At a 98% confidence level, a child with a score of 7 or more belonged to the specific learning difficulty group and a child scoring 2 or less did not. A score of 7 or more is therefore necessary to identify a neuro-developmentally based specific learning difficulty. The two populations were also compared on individual questions to identify which early developmental factors were significant in predicting later learning difficulties when viewed as part of a developmental profile.
Promoting Staff Development in Occupational Therapy: A Reflective Group Approach
Authors: Errington Edward , Robertson Linda 
Published: April 2015

Staff development is a vital aspect of professional practice. It enables occupational therapists to observe latest practice and upgrade standards appropriately. Staff development opportunities often ensure that practitioners have access to theoretical knowledge as the basis for improving practice. This approach may be ineffective or minimally effective if it provides only theoretical professional knowledge and is not integrated into everyday practice. A more productive staff development procedure involves an exploration of practical knowledge. This is not theoretical knowledge about practice, but the kind embedded in practice. Such practical theories gained through reflective processes may be discussed informally during workplace interactions but rarely are opportunities available for therapists to articulate these in a systematic way. Given the above, this paper reports on the procedures of a staff development research project which engaged a sample of practising occupational therapists from the Dunedin community in a process of reflective group practice. The project focused on two main questions: what are the issues that influence practice? And are the uses of reflective peer groups an effective staff development strategy? Two themes emerged from the investigation, the first being that practice is fraught with uncertainties and the second that the aims of occupational therapists are not necessarily supported by other health team members. These two themes highlight the notion that occupational therapists cannot rely on theoretical knowledge alone prior to graduation and that practical knowledge plays a substantial part in their learning. The use of reflective groups was endorsed by all participants as a viable method of staff development. The reported effectiveness was in facilitating change at various levels: simple raising of awareness; encounters with ideas of others different from one's own; stated intention to change practice in light of new insights; and reports of actual changes because of group insights.
Sexual Issues within Occupational Therapy, Part 1: Attitudes and Practice
Authors: Couldrick Lorna 
Published: April 2015

This article describes a qualitative study which considered if a client's sexual expression was a legitimate domain of concern of the occupational therapist. The research used an inductive strategy of depth interviews with 10 practitioners who represented a breadth of practice (children, adults and elderly people; acute and community settings; and physical and psychosocial conditions, learning disabilities, alcohol abuse, HIV and AIDS). The focus of the study was to discover the attitudes, practice and confidence of occupational therapists to address sexual issues. Part 1 reviews relevant literature, outlines the methodology and briefly reports the results. Part 2 will discuss the results, especially their implications for professional education and practice, and the need for further research.
Male Occupational Therapists in Canada: A Demographic Profile
Authors: Brown G Ted 
Published: April 2015

Occupational therapy is a predominantly female profession with, for example, only 5.8% of the occupational therapists in Canada being men. Traditionally, there has been limited success in recruiting men into occupational therapy education programmes and those men who do qualify as occupational therapists tend to work in the profession for only short periods of time. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic characteristics of a group of male occupational therapists. A questionnaire was posted to all male therapists who were members of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (n = 199). Eighty-three per cent of the sample responded. The survey results indicated several significant findings. Seventy-four per cent of the respondents said that they would end up leaving the profession within 10 years. The top four features of the profession that influenced respondents' choice of an occupational therapy career were the opportunity to work with people, job security and availability, feelings of accomplishment and diversity. On the other hand, the top four factors that contributed to respondents' feelings of job dissatisfaction were limited earning potential, limited upward mobility and opportunities for advancement, lack of awareness by other professionals of occupational therapy's role in health care and the lack of understanding the general public have about occupational therapy. In terms of demographics, the majority of male occupational therapists were around 33 years old, worked with an adult client caseload in a general hospital setting and spent 50% of their work time in direct client care. Overall, the male occupational therapists in this study were job dissatisfied. If means are not implemented to address this issue, many male clinicians are likely to leave the occupational therapy profession at some point.
Rising from Sitting in Elderly People, Part 1: Implications of Biomechanics and Physiology
Authors: Laporte Diane M , Chan Donna , Sveistrup Heidi 
Published: April 2015

Rising from a sitting position is arguably the most frequently performed component of activities of daily living and is a prerequisite to functional mobility and subsequent meaningful activity. A difficulty with rising, commonly observed in elderly people, may either be a nuisance factor or have a serious impact on independence and quality of life; thus the occupational therapist seeks to maintain and improve this function. This literature review is in two parts. Part 1 discusses the functional implications and importance of rising from sitting and provides a biomechanical analysis of sit-to-stand that focuses on balance and momentum. It considers the dynamic relationship between the centre of mass and the centre of pressure, the phases of rising and the factors that affect ease of rising, such as initial body position, speed of rising and age-related physiological changes. Part 2 will offer movement, environmental and motivational strategies based on the findings presented in part 1. These strategies are designed to help elderly people to compensate for difficulties in rising. The analysis and strategies proposed are also applicable to younger clients with balance or muscle strength impairments.
A Study to Determine a British Occupational Therapy Definition of Client-Centred Practice
Authors: Sumsion Thelma 
Published: April 2015

This paper presents the results of a study that used the Delphi technique to create a draft definition of client-centred practice in occupational therapy. A brief literature review of the issues related to the Delphi technique is followed by details about the 64 therapists who participated in the four rounds of this study. They represented a range of geographical areas and areas of practice. In round one, the participants were asked to add items to or eliminate items from a list of components of client-centred practice chosen from the literature. These components related to the client, the therapist and client-centred practice in general. These items were placed in rank order in round two and further reviewed in round three. Round four provided the opportunity to comment on the first draft of the definition. Information is provided about the analysis of the results in each round. The resulting second draft of the definition is presented in the paper along with a discussion of the limitations of the study.
Reliability of ‘The Motor Observations with regards to Sensory Integration’: A Pilot Study
Authors: Norwood Kate W 
Published: April 2015

The Motor Observations (MO) with regards to Sensory Integration’ (Horowitz 1994) is based on the original Clinical Observations of Ayres (1972a). The test aims to identify children aged 5 to 12 years with a learning disorder, described in this study as a developmental coordination disorder (DCD), hypothesised by Ayres to be due to sensory integration dysfunction. This study initiated the measurement of the reliability (internal consistency and intrarater and interrater reliability) of the MO, not included in its Dutch standardisation. An observational correlational design was employed. The subjects were 28 children aged 6 to 10 years from the Sussex Weald. The MO was administered to a random sample of 21 children without DCD and a convenience sample of 7 children with DCD. Reliability coefficienss (Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation [ICC] random observers) were obtained via statistical analysis of score sets generated from live testing and its video recording. The results indicate marginal reliability of the MO. Internal consistency (N=28) at 0.62 fell below the a priori level of 0.70. Intrarater and interrater reliability for the total samples (N=28, n=15) and the DCD samples (n=7, n=5) was high, ranging from 0.98 to 0.91, above the 0.75 a priori level. However, interrater reliability for the normal sample (n=10) fell below at 0.57, which suggests a deficiency in the test to identify normal development of sensory integration reliably. As the findings are not generalisable due to small samples, further studies are recommended.