Estudio descriptivo de técnicas empleadas por terapeutas ocupacionales para el tratamiento de la heminegligencia visuoespacial / Descriptive study of techniques used by occupational therapists for the treatment of visuospatial hemineglect

Objetivos: recoger y analizar las técnicas que usan los terapeutas ocupacionales en el tratamiento de la heminegligencia, para posteriormente comprobar si en la práctica clínica se utilizan técnicas con evidencia científica. Métodos: la realización de este estudio se ha llevado a cabo a través de una encuesta, la cual se ha difundido desde varios Colegios Oficiales de Terapeutas Ocupacionales. Resultados: se obtuvieron 85 respuestas y la técnica que mejor resultado proporcionó en el tratamiento de la heminegligencia es Entrenamiento en Actividades de la Vida Diaria. Aunque esta técnica de buenos resultados en la práctica clínica no tiene una evidencia sólida. La técnica que más evidencia tiene actualmente en el tratamiento de la heminegligencia es la Adaptación de Prismas. Conclusiones: se necesita investigar más desde Terapia Ocupacional para basar nuestra práctica clínica en la evidencia científica y poder obtener buenos resultados en la rehabilitación de la heminegligencia visuoespacial. (AU)

Objective: to collect and analyse the techniques used by occupational therapists in the treatment of visuospatial hemineglect, in order to subsequently check whether techniques with scientific evidence are used in clinical practice. Methods: this study has been carried out by means of a survey, which has been disseminated by several Official Associations of Occupational Therapists. Results: 85 responses were obtained and the technique that provided the best results in the treatment of hemineglect is Training in Activities of Daily Living. Although this technique has good results in clinical practice, there is no solid evidence. The technique that currently has the most evidence in the treatment of hemineglect is Prism Adaptation. Conclusions: more research is needed from Occupational Therapy to base our clinical practice on scientific evidence and to obtain good results in the rehabilitation of visuospatial hemineglect. (AU)

Mind-body interventions utilized by an occupational therapist in a medical intensive care unit: An exploratory case study.

Patients in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) face life-threatening conditions leading to physical and psychological stress, and decreased occupational engagement. Mind-body interventions include techniques based on connecting the mind, body, brain, and behavior to positively influence health. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of mind-body interventions as a tool for use by occupational therapists (OT) to improve health and occupational performance. This was an exploratory case study completed with the patient, "Ann" in a MICU. Ann was a 57-year-old female who was admitted to the MICU for abdominal pain and later diagnosed with septic shock. Two mind-body sessions were completed with Ann and her responses were assessed via multiple variables, including: respiratory rate; blood pressure; heart rate; oxygen saturation; and anxiety. Ann stayed within normal ranges for all variables. This study demonstrates it was feasible to elicit mind-body interventions in this setting, with this patient.

Using the cognitive interviewing process to improve survey design by allied health: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Allied health professionals frequently use surveys to collect data for clinical practice and service improvement projects. Careful development and piloting of purpose-designed surveys is important to ensure intended measuring (that respondents correctly interpret survey items when responding). Cognitive interviewing is a specific technique that can improve the design of self-administered surveys. The aim of this study was to describe the use of the cognitive interviewing process to improve survey design, which involved a purpose-designed, online survey evaluating staff use of functional electrical stimulation. METHODS: A qualitative study involving one round of cognitive interviewing with three occupational therapists and three physiotherapists. RESULTS: The cognitive interviewing process identified 11 issues with the draft survey, which could potentially influence the validity and quality of responses. The raised issues included difficulties with: processing the question to be able to respond, determining a response to the question, retrieving relevant information from memory and comprehending the written question. Twelve survey amendments were made following the cognitive interviewing process, comprising four additions, seven revisions and one correction. CONCLUSIONS: The cognitive interviewing process applied during the development of a purpose-designed survey enabled the identification of potential problems and informed revisions to the survey prior to its use.

National variation in the composition of rheumatology multidisciplinary teams: a cross-sectional study.

The objective of this study is to describe the composition of multidisciplinary teams (MDT) working within rheumatology departments across the UK. All rheumatology departments in the United Kingdom (UK) were invited to participate in a national electronic survey between February 2014 and April 2015 as a part of a national audit for the management of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis commissioned by Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. Rheumatology departments were asked to report their MDT composition; defined as a rheumatologist (consultant or specialist trainee), specialist nurse, occupational therapist physiotherapist, and podiatrist. The data were collected as Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of each professional group at each department adjusted to 100,000 population. The data were grouped according to British Society for Rheumatology regions to study regional variations. The survey was completed by 164/167 departments (98% response rate). All departments reported an MDT comprising a rheumatologist (consultant or specialist trainee) and almost all included a specialist nurse but only 28 (17%) of the departments had MDTs comprising all the professional groups. There was a high degree of regional variation in the provision of Allied Health Professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and podiatrists) in the UK. MDT care is recommended for the management of inflammatory arthritis, but few UK rheumatology departments have a full complement of healthcare professionals within their MDT. There is a high degree of regional variation in the composition and staffing levels of the rheumatology MDT across the UK; the impact of which warrants further investigation.

Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation: Effectiveness of a clinical training model.

BACKGROUND: Patient engagement in medical rehabilitation can be greatly influenced by their provider during therapy sessions. We developed Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation (EMR), a set of provider skills grounded in theories of behavior change. EMR utilizes 18 motivational techniques focused on providing frequent feedback to patients on their effort and progress and linking these to patient goals. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of a clinical training protocol for clinicians to do EMR, as measured by clinician adherence. METHODS: A physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapist, and certified occupational therapist assistant were trained in EMR. Training consisted of five formal training sessions and individual and group coaching. Adherence to EMR techniques was measured during two phases: Pre-Training and Maintenance, with an a priori target of 90% adherence by clinicians to each EMR technique. RESULTS: With training and coaching, clinician adherence per therapeutic activity significantly improved in 13 out of 18 items (p < 0.05). The target of 90% adherence was not achieved for many items. CONCLUSIONS: Our training and coaching program successfully trained clinicians to promote patient engagement during therapeutic service delivery, although not typically to 90% or greater adherence. Ongoing coaching efforts were necessary to increase adherence.

The clinical utility of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure in vocational rehabilitation: A qualitative study among occupational therapists in Slovenia.

BACKGROUND: Few studies exist on the clinical utility of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) in vocational rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore how Slovenian occupational therapists working in vocational rehabilitation, perceived the usefulness of the COPM in their everyday practice. METHODS: A qualitative study using two focus group discussions was conducted. The meaning condensation method was applied to analyze the data. RESULTS: Analysis revealed the following key themes: (1) the COPM facilitates collaboration with the client; (2) the COPM is a source of evidence and empowerment for occupational therapists; (3) the challenges that arise when using the COPM; (4) the use of COPM requires training; and (5) using the COPM results and understanding their meaning. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals new insights into using the COPM results in occupational therapy, especially into the contextual factors that influence the meaning and importance of work for clients in vocational rehabilitation.

Participación de terapia ocupacional en contextos de conflicto armado y postconflicto / The role of occupational therapy in contexts of armed conflict and the post-conflict

Objetivos Identificar experiencias profesionales de terapia ocupacional en contextos nacional e internacional de conflicto armado y postconflicto. Métodos Revisión sistemática cualitativa de literatura 2005-2014, según cinco categorías analíticas: experiencias profesionales; problemáticas; poblaciones; referentes teóricos; y procedimientos. Resultados Se recuperaron 78 trabajos. Contexto nacional: los modelos más empleados son ocupación humana y desempeño ocupacional realizante; la problemática más tratada es desplazamiento forzado. Contexto internacional: 19 países documentan experiencias; los modelos canadiense y rehabilitación basada en comunidad se emplean en mayor número; las principales problemáticas tratadas son desplazamiento forzado, condición de refugiados y atención a integrantes de la fuerza pública. En ambos contextos se destacan procedimientos como las actividades artísticas e intervenciones en bienestar social e inclusión sociolaboral. Conclusiones Los trabajos de grado son la principal fuente de experiencias nacionales, aunque pocos están publicados; son escasos los trabajos con población victimaria (desmovilizados, desvinculados); cobra relevancia el sector rural como escenario típico del conflicto armado y contexto expulsor; se han introducido frecuentes categorías conceptuales y prácticas al quehacer, desde la perspectiva de la terapia ocupacional crítica, que afianzan el papel profesional en fenómenos de exclusión social y violencias, como agente de transformación que acude a la dimensión sociopolítica de la ocupación humana. Estos hallazgos plantean retos gremiales y académicos para publicar, abordar poblaciones no sólo en condición de víctimas, incursionar en la formación y ejercicio en contextos rurales y reconocer el papel profesional como agente que trasciende más allá de la dimensión salubrista de la ocupación humana.(AU)

Objective To identify professional experiences of Occupational Therapy in Colombian and international contexts of armed conflict and post-conflict. Methods A qualitative systematic review of the literature between 2005-2014 in five analytical categories: professional experiences, problem situations, populations, theoretical frameworks, and procedures. Results 78 papers were retrieved. Colombian context: the models most used are human occupation and occupational performance; the most frequent problem is forced displacement. International context: 19 countries documented experiences; the Canadian model and the community-based rehabilitation model are most used; the main problem situations are forced displacement, refugee status, and attention to members of the armed forces. Both contexts highlight procedures such as artistic activities and interventions related to social welfare and social-inclusion. Conclusions Graduate these are the main source of Colombian experiences, though few are published; there are a few studies about victim population (demobilized). The rural sector as a typical scenario of armed conflict and a context of displacement have been seen as relevant. Frequent conceptual categories and practices have been introduced from the critical perspective of Occupational Therapy which reinforce the role of the professional in phenomena of social exclusion and violence, as a transformational agent that addresses the socio-political dimension of human occupation. These findings posit challenges for professionals and academics to publish, to work with populations (victims or not), to approach training and practice in rural contexts, and to recognize the role of the professional as an agent that transcends the public health dimension of human occupation.(AU)

[Quo vadis Therapeutic Health Care Professionals--What do Occupational and Physical Therapists Think about their Future? Results of a Survey throughout Germany]. / Quo vadis Therapieberufe--wie sehen Physio- und Ergotherapeuten die Zukunft ihrer Berufe? Ergebnisse einer deutschlandweiten Befragung.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of occupational and physical therapy as academic disciplines is evidence of radical changes in the therapeutic health care professions. Therapists' professional associations are planning and negotiating both with health insurance companies and with other branches of the health care professions concerning future spheres of activity. In order to find out what the therapists in these professions think about their future, we conducted a survey of physical and occupational therapists through-out Germany. Our findings regarding professional life, job satisfaction, competition and cooperation have already been published. This article presents therapists' assessments of the future of their professions. METHOD: From May until December 2008 we performed a cross-sectional survey, interviewing physical and occupational therapists throughout Germany. Statements were answered on a 6-step Likert scale; open questions were answered in free-text fields. The evaluation was performed quantitatively; the free texts were also evaluated qualitatively. RESULTS: A total of 3,506 questionnaires were evaluated; 1,273 were completed by occupational therapists and 2,233 by physical therapists. Nearly half of the therapists (n=1,687; 48.4%) used the opportunity to emphasise the need for change. We identified 4,026 statements about 8 general topics: remuneration, employee co-determination, professional recognition, continuing education, cooperation, initial access to the professions, and their academic status. Therapists illustrated certain items in the questionnaire with examples from their professional experience, suggested additional topics, and proposed concrete changes. We document a broad range of opinions and concerns, especially in regard to such subjects concerning the future of the professions as their new academic status and initial access. CONCLUSION: Physical and occupational therapists are concerned about the future development of their professions. They see a need for change in the following areas: remuneration, employee co-determination, initial access and cooperation as well as in the development of their profession as an academic discipline. Policy makers need to heed therapists' assessments of the state of their professions and their calls for its increased professionalisation.