Browsing by Subject "occupational therapy"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 80
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    Addressing Functional Cognition During Acute Psychiatric Hospitalization
    (2025-05) Stephenson, Sally; DeRolf, Annie Laurie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; McFadden, Rachel
    Serious mental illness (SMI) often presents with cognitive impairments that significantly impact occupational performance and quality of life. Occupational therapists (OTs) possess the training to address functional cognition, yet their role in acute psychiatric settings remains underdeveloped and ambiguous. This doctoral capstone project aimed to identify and implement evidence-based OT assessments and interventions to address functional cognition among inpatients with SMI at Eskenazi Health’s Mental Health Recovery Center (MHRC). Guided by an integrated Occupational Adaptation (OA) and Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT) framework, the student conducted a narrative review and synthesized findings into clinical practice over a 14-week experience. Weekly field notes outlining treatment approaches informed a discussion of practice implications in the context of evidence-based findings. Outcome measures were implemented to assess metacognition, insight, and judgment, while occupation-based interventions were used to improve participation and well-being through the development of metacognitive awareness, self-reflection, executive functioning, and social cognition. Results support the inclusion of functional cognitive assessment and intervention in acute psychiatric OT services and highlight the value of metacognitive and occupation-based approaches in promoting recovery for patients with SMI. Continued research, theory development, program advancement, and professional advocacy for OT’s role in mental health is warranted to advance quality of care and improve long-term outcomes for individuals with SMI.
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    Addressing Sensory Processing Differences Through Implementation of Education and Resources at a Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Clinic
    (2024-04-26) Rager, Carson; Van Antwerp, Leah; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Raches, Christine
    Neurodevelopmental disabilities impact one in 36 children in the United States; sensory processing differences impact 90 percent of these individuals. Sensory processing differences in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities can impact performance in their desired occupations, roles, and routines. This doctoral capstone project sought to implement training and resources related to sensory processing to improve education and competence of the clinicians at a Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disability (LEND) clinic in Indianapolis, IN. The project involved creation of four training modules that discussed various aspects of sensory processing, educational resources related to sensory processing, and handouts to assist in parent education. Project efficacy was evaluated via pre/post survey with quantitative and qualitative responses completed by clinicians at the Indianapolis LEND clinic. Quantitative results were inconclusive, due to insufficient amount of post-survey responses; however, qualitative results indicated that the clinicians found the trainings to be beneficial and impactful in their practices.
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    Advanced Clinical Skills and Educational Resources in Pediatric Feeding
    (2024-04-26) McIntyre, Velvet; Nguyen, Elizabeth; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Miller, Taylor
    Pediatric feeding difficulties are becoming more prevalent within the scope of occupational and speech therapy. After conduction of a needs assessment and thorough literature review, it was evident that an outpatient pediatric therapy clinic lacked caregiver involvement and limited educational resources. The purpose of this capstone project was to create evidence-based feeding resources to educate caregivers on different milestones and strategies to implement within the home environment in order to decrease parental stress, decrease the overall impact their child’s feeding difficulties had on the caregiver’s daily life, and improve occupational performance for children with feeding issues. Three pre- and post-assessments were utilized to measure the effectiveness of feeding therapy and the educational resources. Overall, the occupational performance for children with feeding issues improved by 21.5 points, the parental stress levels decreased by 7%, and the overall impact their child’s feeding difficulties had on the caregiver’s daily life slightly decreased. Keywords: occupational therapy, pediatric feeding, pediatric feeding disorder, feeding difficulties
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    Advancement of Clinical Skills and Interoceptive Assessments at Cincinnati Children's College Hill Campus
    (2025-04-30) Brown, Katelyn; Wasmuth, Sally; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Duncan, Chad
    Cincinnati Children’s Medical Hospital Center is known throughout the country as one of the leading medical centers for providing current evidence based pediatric care. Every department is responsible for having research teams in charge of finding literature to support best practices being utilized at the clinic. This capstone project aims to create an evidence based binder of interoceptive assessments to bridge the gap between occupational therapy services and mental health settings. The binder was created for the Translating Research and Clinical Knowledge (TRACK) team, a group of occupational therapists at the College Hill campus that work to advance research in mental health. The capstone student also gained clinical skills within a pediatric mental health setting during the capstone experience. Advancing skills in this setting will situate the student as a potential leader to advance the field of mental health into other settings. These skills help to advance the profession of occupational therapy by being able to address mental health during all sessions and settings. The capstone student was able to advance skills through leading group sessions, attending rounds, administering standardized assessments during evaluations, and completing one on one treatment sessions. The capstone student worked alongside other occupational therapists on site to ensure all groups were covered each day and that everyone’s caseload was equal for the day. This capstone project also helped to bring awareness to the work occupational therapists can accomplish in mental health settings.
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    Advocacy as an Environmental Modification: Occupational Therapy’s Role in Stigma Reduction to Increase Occupational Performance in Children with Learning Disabilities
    (2022-05) Klukken, Angela; Petrenchik, Terry; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Petrenchik, Terry
    Occupational therapists have a pivotal role in advocating for their clientele across various settings. The present study adds direction and suggestion for enhancing occupational therapy’s role in client advocacy, through the use of therapeutic skills utilized in teacher training to reduce the harmful effects of disability-based stigma for children with learning disabilities in a public elementary school setting. The author suggests that stigma reduction may serve as a powerful environmental modification; as disability accommodations and self-advocacy alone do not always permit equitable occupational participation. Teacher training in the area of pediatric learning disabilities with an emphasis on bias reduction, information, empathy, self-reflection and interpretation of anonymous student school experiences was implemented in a public elementary school by an occupational therapy doctoral capstone student. Medium effect sizes were found among some aspects of psychological flexibility with regard to stigmatizing thoughts among teachers. Significant results were found among students answering questions in class, and teachers’ awareness and ability to identify learning disabilities in their students. Results suggest that teachers were overall satisfied with training and have implemented changes in support of learning disability accessibility in their classrooms following intervention.
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    Advocating for the Role of Occupational Therapy in the Transplant Continuum of Care
    (2024-05) Koppen, Arianna; Hess, Pamela; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; DiPerna, Christy; Bernard, Drew
    The thoracic transplant continuum of care includes lung transplant, heart transplant, and ventricular assistive devices (VAD) candidates and recipients. This patient population often faces unique physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and mental health deficits that impair physical and occupational performance hindering activities of daily living (ADLs). Survey and observational data (n=24) was collected from clinicians and patients participating in a transplant-specific rehabilitation program in Indianapolis, IN to identify occupational performance deficits and define the need for occupational therapy in this setting. Recommendations for integrating occupational therapy into the clinic were developed and included in the report.
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    Applying the Ecological Model of Human Performance and the SlutWalk Movement to Support those Affected by Rape Culture in the Context of Occupational Therapy
    (WMU, 2023) Klukken, Angela; Wasmuth, Sally; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    Improving the occupational lives of others is at the heart of occupational therapy practice. Advocacy for clientele is central to this improvement, both at individual and structural levels. We argue that interventions in the Ecological Model of Human Performance (EHP) and the social movement theSlutWalk can offer increased opportunity for occupational therapists to address the harmful implications for clients affected by sexual assault and rape culture. In addition, through the principles of the EHP and the SlutWalk, we propose that occupational therapists can have a hand in eradicating the culture that facilitates and tolerates sexual violence. This paper highlights the barriers women and sexual assault survivors may face to equitable occupational participation, where occupational therapists may establish/restore, alter, create, prevent, and adapt intervention approaches in the client’s context to elicit optimal engagement in meaningful activity.
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    An Approach to Providing Occupational Therapy Services Within a Post-Intensive Care Clinic
    (2022-05-01) Manning, Jeremy; Zeigler, Jayson; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Khan, Sikandar
    Patients discharged from lengthy ICU stays due to critical illness are often accompanied by post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). PICS is a condition that presents with physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychiatric deficits that often interfere with everyday activities. This study included a sample of 25 ICU survivors within a post-intensive care follow-up clinic. Data was extracted from self-report assessments for anxiety/depression, self-care, mobility, administered cognitive assessment and further data was collected utilizing grip strength measures. Data collected through the clinic provided evidence that would yield the need for occupational therapy services within this patient population. Additionally, a rapid systematic review was completed with the aim of expanding the role occupational therapists have within this post-intensive care population. Data collected within the clinic and results from the systematic review provide evidence for the potential role of occupational therapy within this patient population.
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    Area Agency on Aging and Occupational Therapy
    (2021-05-07) Minnich, Victoria; DeRolf, Annie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Ziegler, Dustin; Stinson, Kelsey
    Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and the profession of occupational therapy have similar values as they pertain to the promotion of aging in place amongst community-dwelling older adults. AAAs provide a wide range of services that allow older adults to safely and productively age in their own homes rather than in institutionalized settings (National Association of Area Agencies on Aging [n4a], n.d.). Occupational therapy practitioners have an essential role in promoting quality of life, health, and participation in meaningful occupations amongst community-dwelling older adults (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2016). Despite these similar values, there are few partnerships between the two entities as fewer than 3.2% of occupational therapists even work in community settings with older adults (AOTA, 2020b). The goal of this capstone project was to evaluate an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and provide the organization with an evidence-based, client-centered proposal on how a staffed occupational therapy practitioner could fit within their organization. Outcomes of this capstone project consisted of five tailored recommendations for the organization as well as an increase in knowledge and perception of the scope of occupational therapy amongst the organization’s staff. Future research should be conducted on the outcomes associated with partnerships between AAAs and occupational therapy practitioners.
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    Bridging the Humanities and Health Care With Theatre: Theory and Outcomes of a Theatre-Based Model for Enhancing Psychiatric Care via Stigma Reduction
    (APA, 2022-12-22) Wasmuth, Sally; Pritchard, Kevin T.; Belkiewitz , Johnna; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    Objective: This article describes the rational, methods, implementation, and effectiveness of Identity Development Evolution and Sharing (IDEAS), an evidence-supported, narrative theater-based training that reduces stigma among health care providers to increase health care equity in psychiatric rehabilitation. Method: The IDEAS model has been used to reduce provider bias toward patients. From May 2017 to January 2020, we interviewed people from three patient groups who have been harmed by stigma, including Black women, transgender, and gender-diverse people, and people with substance use disorders. These interviews informed the creation of three theatrical scripts that were performed by professional actors for audiences of health care providers from January 2020 to May 2022. The performances aimed to raise conscious awareness of implicit provider biases and to provide a reflective opportunity to ameliorate these biases. The purpose of IDEAS is to improve experiences in health care settings such as psychiatric rehabilitation of patients from groups who have been harmed by stigma. We used paired-samples t tests to compare pre/postprovider stigma, measured via the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Stigma (AAQ-S). Results: Sociodemographic factors for providers who viewed IDEAS were similar across all three performances. IDEAS significantly decreased AAQ-S scores (t = 11.32, df = 50, M = 13.65, 95% confidence limit: [11.32, 15.97], p < .0001). Conclusions and implications for practice: IDEAS reduces provider stigma to support positive clinical encounters with diverse patient populations. These findings are relevant for psychiatric rehabilitation settings, which seek to establish positive rapport between providers and patients.