bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Survey of Post-Registration Research Students in Occupational Therapy
Authors: Bannigan Katrina , Duncan Edward A S 
Published: April 2015

In 1999, the College of Occupational Therapists' Research and Development Board was expanded. Two new members were appointed to represent post-registration research students. As little was known about this constituency of the membership of the British Association of Occupational Therapists, the Research and Development Board approved a study of post-registration students. The aims were to identify the needs of post-registration research students in occupational therapy and to develop an action plan based on the findings. A survey was conducted. The response to the questionnaire was varied: some respondents felt very isolated within their studies whilst others felt well supported. There was general agreement that it was helpful to be in contact with other occupational therapists actively involved in research. A consultation process based on the findings of the survey was carried out to develop an action plan. This process also produced varied results, which made it difficult to make specific recommendations other than that a network was wanted. At the Research and Development Board meeting in August 2000, the action plan recommended by the post-registration research student members, in which the main recommendation was to set up a post-registration research student network, was approved.
Using Nominal Group Technique to Explore Competence in Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Students during First-Year Placements
Authors: Steward Barbara 
Published: April 2015

Exploring supervisors' opinions about student competence is a complex issue. The nominal group technique offers an alternative to focus groups and individual interviewing, allowing opportunities for individual data generation and group discussion and evaluation. This paper records and critically appraises its use as part of an investigation of the qualities therapists value in students in their first full fieldwork placement. This small-scale and exploratory qualitative study suggests that occupational therapists and physiotherapists appear to value very similar personal qualities in students, but that departments and individuals may give different weightings to skills and knowledge. The findings have implications for students, fieldwork supervisors and college educators when preparing for clinical placements.
Assessing the Outcomes of Equipment and Adaptations: Issues and Approaches
Authors: Heaton Janet , Bamford Claire 
Published: April 2015

Current government policy emphasises professional accountability, Best Value, evidence-based practice and outcomes for users and carers. In this context, being able to demonstrate the effectiveness of routine practice is increasingly important. This article considers the key issues in collecting information about the outcomes of equipment and adaptations. These include: the assessment of the full range of outcomes; the timing of data collection; the use of standardised and individualised measures; and linking outcomes to interventions. Three approaches to evaluating the outcomes of equipment and adaptations are distinguished: functional status measures; health status or quality of life measures; and indirect approaches. Examples of each approach are provided and their strengths and limitations discussed. Previous work on the outcomes of equipment and adaptations has neglected the perspectives of carers and the impact of service delivery (service process outcomes); further work on these areas is needed to ensure that all the outcomes of equipment and adaptations are fully evaluated.
The Leisure Participation of Clients with a Dual Diagnosis
Authors: Hodgson Susan , Lloyd Chris , Schmid Thérèse 
Published: April 2015

People with a dual diagnosis experience disruption in carrying out their daily occupations. This article describes a study in which an occupational therapist explored the leisure participation of clients with a dual diagnosis. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four outpatients from an alcohol and drug rehabilitation programme. Inductive analysis of the informants' interviews identified two main themes: leisure as part of the recovery process and the barriers to leisure participation. This study provides support for the need to understand the leisure occupations of the clients with whom occupational therapists work. Further research is required to examine the interventions that assist clients with a dual diagnosis to develop meaningful leisure activities.
Breaking Moulds — Shifting Thinking
Authors: Ryan Susan 
Published: April 2015

Have you ever read statements that have stopped you in your tracks and changed the way that you looked at things? One comment had a major impact on my thinking with regard to professional education. It pulled me up, made me think hard and was the initiator for pursuing further knowledge and ideas. It was from the educator Eraut (1994, p49), who stated: …certain systems of thought or paradigms dominate a profession's thinking in such a way that they are passed on unquestioned from one generation to the next. There is mounting evidence from researchers, students and therapists in the United Kingdom that educators, including fieldwork educators, need to look again at some of the time-honoured ways of facilitating learning. From Australia, a different type of ‘interactive therapist’ is being advocated (Higgs and Edwards 1999). Beyond technical competence, professionalism and a commitment to quality health care, such a person embraces the unique and uncertain situations that contemporary practice presents. This includes the conflicting values and ethical stances seen in social and cultural contexts. Ways of educating need to encompass and encourage these qualities.
The Computation of Fieldwork Achievement in Occupational Therapy Degrees: Measuring a Minefield?
Authors: Westcott Lyn , Rugg Sue 
Published: April 2015

Fieldwork is a distinct element of undergraduate occupational therapy degrees. Students are seconded from educational institutions to fieldwork educators in practice settings, where their vocational competence is developed and assessed. Fieldwork procedures are devised by individual educational institutions. This paper reports the findings of a survey based on data from fieldwork coordinators, which investigated the incidence of and reasoning behind the computation of fieldwork achievement in England and Ireland. The results showed that every programme had considered computing fieldwork performance at some time and that most were actually doing this. Many programmes that were not computing fieldwork performance expressed the desire to do so, but were uncertain about this action. Highly inconsistent practice was found regarding fieldwork assessment procedures and the weightings given to fieldwork elements; consequently, students' practical fieldwork skills may not be conveyed by their degree classification award. Various factors influenced fieldwork computation, with many inconsistencies and contradictions emerging. The study concluded that computation of students' fieldwork achievement was highly inconsistent. Further development is vital to improve this situation for students, educators, clinicians and employers alike. It is suggested that development be coordinated at a national level.
Measuring Clinical Effectiveness in Mental Health: is the Canadian Occupational Performance an appropriate Measure?
Authors: Chesworth Clunis , Duffy Ruth , Hodnett Jacqueline , Knight Amanda 
Published: April 2015

Assessing the impact of occupational therapy with mental health clients within community settings has received relatively little attention in the research literature. Where such studies have been undertaken, there has been inconsistency in the types of instrument used and considerable variation in the sample sizes. In this study, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to detect what changes, if any, had occurred on the completion of an occupational therapy programme. This instrument seeks to assist clients in the identification of the problems with occupational performance that cause them most concern. Sixty clients, who were in receipt of occupational therapy, participated in a 4-year study. Data were collected using the COPM at the commencement of their interventions and again on completion of the programme. The findings suggest that this was an appropriate instrument for detecting significant changes in this client group on completion of their occupational therapy. The implications of these findings are discussed, with a view to improving the efficacy of interventions by occupational therapists in mental health care in the future.
A Survey of Australian Mental Health Occupational Therapists
Authors: Lloyd Chris , King Robert , Bassett Hazel 
Published: April 2015

Mental health reform in the western developed world has resulted in new models of care and changed work practices for all mental health professionals. Occupational therapists, as with other mental health professionals, have been required to assume new roles and responsibilities. Literature from the United Kingdom has reflected concern about this new way of working. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the current work practices of and issues faced by Australian mental health occupational therapists. One hundred and forty-eight respondents (74%) answered an occupational therapy practice in mental health questionnaire. The results from this survey suggest that there are two quite distinct groups of occupational therapists working in mental health settings in Australia. One group works as rehabilitation therapists in traditional activity-focused work roles. The other group works as case manager therapists and employs a much broader spectrum of clinical and support roles. The issues facing therapists include the development and maintenance of a clearly defined role, generic case management versus discipline-specific roles, recruitment and retention, the need for research and evidence-based practice, professional standing, and education and professional development. The concerns over the role of occupational therapy in mental health were similar to those in previous British studies. The implications of these findings include a need for education and training at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels to equip mental health occupational therapists with both discipline-specific and generic skills.
Childhood Transformed? Risk Perceptions and the Decline of Free Play
Authors: O'Brien Jonathon , Smith Jenny 
Published: April 2015

Occupational therapists have been concerned with the health-promoting aspects of children's play. The evidence suggests that children's freedom to play away from adult supervision has declined in recent years and that parental perception of risk may be a factor in this. This research used a qualitative approach to explore six parents' views on how their fear of risk might be shaping their children's play. The parents stated that their children were now more likely to take part in activities supervised by adults. The article shows that these findings may be linked to national trends and that occupational therapists should be concerned about the health implications of these changes. It is suggested that further research should take into account other factors that might affect children's play.
Pain and Function: Occupational Therapists' Use of Orthotics in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Henderson Sarah Elizabeth , McMillan Ian R 
Published: April 2015

The use of orthotics in the management of rheumatoid arthritis appears to be relatively commonplace within occupational therapy departments. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of orthotic use by occupational therapists, their beliefs about the efficacy of orthotic use, what they aimed to achieve by orthotic provision and any outcome measures used. The total membership of the British Association of Hand Therapists who were both occupational therapists and self-identified as working and/or having an interest in rheumatology (n = 132) were surveyed through a postal questionnaire. Of the responses received (n = 89, 67%), all the respondents (100%) were regular users of orthotics in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. The results showed that the most highly rated reasons for orthotic provision were to decrease hand and wrist pain and to improve hand function. Subjective comments from the respondents provided evidence of positive beliefs about the efficacy of orthotic use, despite a lack of objective outcome measures to support such comment. Given the complexity of the intervening variables that occur with orthotic use, perhaps there is no easy answer; however, with the expectation of evidence-based practice and intervention, it is suggested that an increased use of standardised outcome measures may provide additional strength in presenting, often subjective, evidence.
Social Integration following Traumatic Brain Injury and Rehabilitation
Authors: Conneeley Anne Louise 
Published: April 2015

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the issues involved in social integration for those affected by traumatic brain injury, following a period of rehabilitation. Eighteen patients, their significant other* and members of the rehabilitation team involved in their care were interviewed when the patient was discharged from the ward of a neurological rehabilitation hospital, 6 months later and, again, at one year following discharge from the ward. When the data were analysed at the time of the final interview, two respondents reported social isolation. Although many others felt that the level of social contact was that of their choice, several issues were discussed that affected social relationships. These included the impact of impairments, the social response of others and the fact that social networks change naturally over time irrespective of injury or disability. When the data were considered from a sociological perspective, the themes of self-identity, master status and stranger status emerged. This gave a different insight into issues that could be relevant but had not been discussed widely within the head injury literature. Further consideration of the individual in the context of personhood as well as head injury is recommended as a means to develop understanding.
Occupational Therapists' Beliefs regarding Treatment Options for People with Chronic Pain
Authors: Brown Cary A 
Published: April 2015

An expanding body of chronic pain research is now evident within occupational therapy and strong support has developed during the last 10 years for the multidisciplinary approach to the management of chronic pain. Although this stand is now subject to growing scrutiny, a multidisciplinary structure continues to be the environment for most outcome studies. Occupational therapists, as accepted and involved members of pain management programmes, need to examine the values and beliefs that they bring to the treatment team. As part of a wider research study of the congruence between what service providers and service users believe to be necessary treatments for chronic pain, the members of the National Occupational Therapy Pain Association were surveyed in January 2001. The survey asked therapists' opinion about whether specific treatment components were needed or not needed for people with chronic pain. The survey also included Skevington's (1990) Beliefs about Pain Control Questionnaire (BPCQ), which measures beliefs in the internal or personal control of pain, beliefs that powerful others (doctors) control pain and beliefs that pain is controlled by chance events. The findings showed that there were few treatment components that 100% of the respondents agreed were needed. Endorsements clustered around treatments that focused on self-management and a statistically significant relationship emerged between certain treatment components and BPCQ scores. The paper concludes by discussing some possible influences on occupational therapists' decision making in relation to treatments for chronic pain.
Are Occupational Therapists Losing Sight of Hemianopia?
Authors: Taylor Lisa , Poland Fiona , Stephenson Richard 
Published: April 2015

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge base surrounding hemianopia and to collate the rehabilitation principles offered by members of the National Association of Neurological Occupational Therapists (NANOT). A questionnaire was sent to 250 randomly selected members of NANOT. The completed questionnaires (n = 120) represented approximately a quarter of the total number of NANOT members at the time of the study. The mean post-registration time of the respondents was 11 years (SD 0.6). All United Kingdom geographical areas apart from Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man were represented. A wide range of clinical areas was also represented. The results showed that 92% of the respondents provided an accurate definition of hemianopia as the loss of half of the visual field. However, 48.3% reported that they were not testing every individual with a stroke for hemianopia. A third of the respondents stated that 80–100% of individuals with hemianopia always needed occupational therapy to compensate. The respondents also rated their understanding of eight neurovisual terms and, out of a total possible score of 80 (full understanding of terms), the mean score was 41 (SD 2.9). The occupational therapist's role in the assessment/rehabilitation of hemianopia emerged in four categories: education, compensation, assessment of effects and diagnosis. Even if individuals were made aware of their hemianopia, 62% of the respondents reported that there were resulting problems in the individual's engagement in occupation (aspects of self-care, productivity and leisure). These results are discussed in the context of the available literature and conclusions are drawn. A recommendation is made to improve the awareness and rehabilitation of individuals with hemianopia by occupational therapists.
AIDS Dementia Complex: The Perception of Loss of Functional Ability
Authors: Gregory Kate , Gibbs Deanna 
Published: April 2015

AIDS Dementia Complex (ADC) is a subcortical dementia often associated with HIV disease. Despite undergoing numerous assessments of cognition and function to determine their need for personal care assistance, there is limited information on how individuals with ADC view their functional and cognitive impairments and the subsequent effect on their lifestyle. This study investigated issues of concern to clients with ADC in order to provide a greater understanding of the psychological effect of the loss of functional ability. A qualitative design was used to explore individuals' experience of ADC and clarify their insight and perception regarding the loss of function. The participants were selected by the use of purposeful sampling techniques. Information was obtained through semi-structured interviews and analysed using an analytic induction method. Five main themes were identified as being important in relation to the perception of functional ability. Discrepancies emerged between the insights of individuals with ADC regarding their level of function and their need for assistance and support with activities of daily living, compared with those of the health care workers involved in their care. Health care workers need to have an awareness of the insight that individuals with ADC may have into their functional ability when addressing issues of supported accommodation and level of assistance required.
An Evaluation of the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure in Mental Health Practice
Authors: Warren Alison 
Published: April 2015

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is a client-centred outcome measure designed for use by occupational therapists to demonstrate change in a client's self-perception of occupational performance over the course of occupational therapy. A review of the literature indicated that there had been limited research into the use of the COPM in mental health practice. The aim of this study was to formulate an occupational therapy assessment form based on the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and incorporating the COPM and to evaluate its effectiveness in mental health practice. A qualitative approach was used in this two-phase study with seven occupational therapists working in mental health practice. First, semi-structured interviews were completed to gain occupational therapists' reflections on the use of the COPM. Headings were then collated to devise an occupational therapy assessment form that incorporated the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and the COPM. The second phase involved piloting the form in a variety of mental health settings. The form was evaluated by a second interview to highlight the factors that facilitated or hindered the use of the form in mental health practice. This study indicates that the combination of the COPM with other assessment categories based on the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance has produced an occupational therapy assessment form that can be used in mental health practice.
The Use of Lycra Garments in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Report of a Descriptive Clinical Trial
Authors: Knox Virginia 
Published: April 2015

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of wearing Lycra garments in children with cerebral palsy. Eight participants, aged 3 years 5 months to 13 years (male = 4, female = 4) and with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, were recruited. A repeated measures design was used, with participants tested with the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) before and after intervention. Both parents and participants recorded the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the participant wearing the Lycra garment at the end of the trial. Each participant received a baseline test, was then provided with a Lycra garment and was re-tested once wear time was more than 4 hours per day. Four participants withdrew from the trial (discomfort from suit, n = 3; prescribed spinal jacket, n = 1). Of the remaining four participants, all showed an improvement in either GMFM or QUEST score and one showed improvement in both test scores. All but one of the eight participants recorded functional improvements when wearing their suit. In this population, the participants showed improvements in function when wearing a Lycra garment, but problems with discomfort remained a barrier for some children to their more sustained use.
Older Drivers and Driving Cessation
Authors: Liddle Jacki , McKenna Kryss 
Published: April 2015

Driving is a complex and valued instrumental activity of daily living, which is associated with a person's freedom, independence and autonomy. With an ageing population and various cohort effects, the number of older drivers is increasing at a nearly exponential rate. While drivers over the age of 65 years have attracted media and research attention because of accident statistics, research has also begun to focus on the outcomes for older people giving up driving. The outcomes of older people driving or giving up driving need to be considered by occupational therapists because of the potential impact on quality of life, life roles, independence and safety. Occupational therapists must be aware of legislation pertaining to older drivers and health professionals, although this is complicated by the fact that it differs between and within countries. This literature review aims to investigate the issues associated with older drivers and with driving cessation and the implications for occupational therapists.