RICHES Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
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The Effects of Combining Relaxation Strategies with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Sleep, in Service Members with a History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Get PDFObjective: To determine if combining Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia with Relaxation Strategies is effective on sleep disorders in military members after sustaining a traumatic brain injury or concussion(s). Methods: 17 Needs Assessment Surveys were distributed, 13 pre-surveys, 13 post-surveys, and an electronic educational session was created and distributed. The educational session was created after conducting extensive research on evidence-based practices. Methods of Analysis incorporated quantitative data to be gathered from the surveys to identify recurring themes or patterns. Participants were identified as Occupational Therapists or Occupational Therapy Assistants. Results: The Needs Assessment revealed very few occupational therapy professionals used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, and only a small number of them were familiar with it. Some professionals used relaxation training with their patients. Overall, the survey indicated a need for the training. A measurable positive difference was anticipated through the presentation of a research-based analysis and interpretation of the participant survey completed by occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants after watching an educational session. The overall interpretation of post-survey results are as follows: The post-survey provided significant data showing a high confidence rate. Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants strongly agree that OTs use CBT-I for pts with sleep challenges, a high confidence rate they strongly agree they are aware of Relaxation Strategies that help improve sleep, a high confidence rate they strongly agree they know the main concepts of CBT-I, a high confidence rate they strongly agree their awareness of interviewing questions for sleep to incorporate into the Occupational profile, and a high confidence rate they strongly agree they are comfortable discussing sleep challenges with their patients
Exploring Animal Assisted Therapy as a Therapeutic Tool for use in Occupational Therapy
Get PDFOccupational therapy (OT) is an evidence-based and effective therapeutic approach; however, patient compliance and participation are the most significant factors determining outcome measures. Animal Assisted Therapy (AA T) is a therapeutic approach used for various disorders and medical diagnoses and has been showing strong growth in recent years. Animal-assisted therapy is the interaction of a patient and a trained animal to aid the patients\u27 progress toward their functional goals and is a valuable complement to OT. The purpose of this study is to examine the evidence-based research supporting the inclusion of AAT during skilled OT interventions to improve clinical impact. Participants were contacted by email and invited to participate in the study. The researcher sent 58 invites lo individuals, with 34 accepting. As a result of COVID-19 mandates at the time of the project, six (18%) participants received the presentations in person and 28 (82%) of the participants received the presentations virtually. An in-service was designed using the accumulated evidence-based research and presented to the participants. The researcher employed a pre-and post-survey to determine if the in-service was able to inform and educate participants of the benefit AA T has on patients and improve their AA T perspective. The accumulated results indicated that the participants demonstrated improved knowledge of AA T and its benefit on patients. Participants also showed increased support and interest in AA T following the presentation
Addressing Adherence and Barriers to Long-Tenn Elimination Diet Therapy Through Occupational Therapy in Order to Improve Quality of Life in Adults with Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Get PDFThe six-food elimination diet {SFED) is an effective treatment approach for eosinophilic esophagitis {EoE), but it can be challenging and affect patients\u27 quality of life. The aim of this study assesses patients\u27 potential factors influencing adherence to long-term elimination diets. This project employed participant questionnaires to measure attitudes and practice regarding living with EoE; and an education presentation ppt with a pre- and post-survey for key stakeholders synthesizing research findings while aligning patient-provider interaction to promote improved diet adherence. Using data electronic surveys, analysis was conducted using electronic statistical software to determine patient barriers; and to determine accuracy and impact via the stakeholder pre- and post-surveys. Forty participants identified themselves as over the age of 18 and with a diagnosis of EoE. Multiple factors appear to influence whether a patient remains adherent to the SFED including diet effectiveness, social situations, and diet-related anxiety. Understanding SFED adherence is multifactorial and complex. Factors influencing SFED adherence during include diet effectiveness, social situations, and diet-related anxiety. Despite identified psychosocial barriers, occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely positioned to address adult food insecurity by formally evaluating the adult with EoE and selecting person-, environment-, and occupation-focused interventions as needed to break down barriers and bridge the gap between patient-provider for increased compliance and adherence to SFED
Aquatic Therapy for Subacute Stroke Patients
Get PDFStroke is one of the leading causes of disability in the U.S. affecting patients physically and psychologically. A stroke can lead to significant functional deficits, depending on the location of the stroke, and level of rehabilitation. Currently, no rehabilitation protocol exists for stroke patients and often patients reach a plateau during treatment, without reaching their full potential, and with continued deficits that affect functional mobility. Interventions provided in an aquatic environment can promote continued therapeutic outcomes, not possible with land-based therapy. The purpose of this paper is to showcase aquatic therapy as a viable therapeutic intervention and to provide a guidebook that can be implemented by occupational therapy practitioners. This guidebook provides step-by-step and easy to follow along sequential exercises and activities to complete in the aquatic environment to improve rehabilitation outcomes. The guidebook is an effective and efficient way to implement aquatic therapy with subacute stroke patients
The Effects of Teacher Education on Children with Sensory Feeding Difficulties
Get PDFBackground: 3 According to recent studies, there is strong evidence to support the effectiveness for education over feeding therapy interventions and its link to promoting carryover within a client\u27s environments. However, there is limited literature concerning the effects that teacher education over sensory feeding can provide to the pediatric population. This Capstone project was developed to provide evidence-based support for teacher education over this therapeutic concept and the positive outcomes it can have on student\u27s goal progression. Furthermore, when a student\u27s occupational performance is being negatively impacted by feeding aversions and behaviors, he/she is unable to successfully engage in meaningful occupations, in this case eating. Methods: This project started with the creation of a needs assessment survey designed to measure the need for teachers to participate in sensory feeding training. Once this need was established, an educational presentation with a pre- and post-test surveys for teacher professionals was employed to instruct participants in how to implement sensory feeding interventions safely within their classroom under the guide of a trained therapist. Utilizing data from electronic surveys, analysis was conducted through online websites in order to objectively determine the impact of the in-service on teacher\u27s knowledge and future participation in sensory feeding within their practice. Results: In setting out to determine a need for sensory feeding within the school system, it was found that a large percentage of teachers were around their students at lunch time, taught students with sensory concerns and feeding difficulties, and had never received training over sensory feeding in the past. It was also determined that by providing an evidence-based approach, a measurable difference was demonstrated by the responses in participants regarding the teacher\u27s role in their students\u27 plan of care, how feeding difficulties present themselves, and the theories backing sensory feeding. In addition, teachers demonstrated improved understanding for how to implement what they learned through answering hypothetical scenarios regarding sensory feeding. It was also found that the majority of teachers reported being likely to implement the techniques they were taught during the in-service within their school setting. The sensory feeding training program described provided an effective means for promoting meaningful occupational performance within the school setting by instructing how to create a good fit between the person (students), environment (school), and occupation (eating)
Promotion of Fine Motor Skills Through Video Supports
Get PDFPediatric occupational therapists working with students in a school-based setting are consistently facing challenges with time management due to their high caseload numbers and limited documentation time in school-based settings. Along with time constraint issues, schoolbased occupational therapists find it difficult to communicate with caregivers on the skills being practiced in the school setting due to limited face-to-face time with caregivers. Children continue to require therapeutic services in school-based settings, however as occupational therapists continue to take on more responsibilities in this setting it becomes more challenging to find time to provide effective and efficient means to educate and reinforce proper fine motor skills across varied contexts. Fine motor skills involve the movement of smaller muscle groups in the hands, fingers, and wrists. They are essential to not only occupations in a school environment, but also most occupations performed in a child\u27s daily routine including play, leisure exploration, feeding, dressing, and other self-help areas. Difficulty with fine motor skills can have a detrimental effect on academics and social-emotional development of a child especially considering as much as 60% of a student\u27s school day is spent carrying out fine motor tasks (Jackman & Stagnitti, 2007). The purpose of this capstone project is to increase caregiver knowledge of basic fine motor skills and to reinforce these skills in the home environment for preschool and kindergarten-age children using video supports created by an occupational therapy Master\u27s student. The videos were designed to be easily accessible from the caregiver\u27s home and simple supplies were used throughout the videos for convenience and to build caregiver confidence. Caregivers of the preschool and kindergarten-age children were asked to take a pre-test, watch a video regarding fine motor skills, and trial the new skills they have learned for a week. They were then asked to watch a second video on fine motor skills, trial the new skills they have learned for a week, and then take the post-test survey to determine if they felt the videos were advantageous toward the promotion of fine motor skills and beneficial for at-home carryover. If caregivers felt they needed additional supplies to trial at home during the duration of this project, a PDF document was created and made accessible for all participants that included opportunities for coloring, cutting, and tracing. After data collection, it was determined that all ten participants in this capstone project felt fine motor videos were overall a beneficial resource for the promotion of fine motor skills in home-based environments
Validating Occupational Therapy\u27s Role to Facilitate Aging in Place: The Need to Raise Clinical Awareness
Get PDFThe concept of staying in one\u27s home as they age, known as aging in place (AIP), presents an emerging area of practice in which occupational therapy (OT) professionals can utilize their skills within the clinic and community to fill a niche that has been underserved. However, lack of awareness of occupational therapy, as well as the complex nature of aging in place, may weaken the understanding of the important role that OT holds to facilitate aging in place. A systematic review of evidence-based literature was conducted to establish a platform to validate occupational therapy\u27s complex role to facilitate aging in place. A descriptive survey of caregivers was created to establish the need for services. A pre-survey was distributed to 20 OT clinicians to assess perspective, knowledge, and implementation of caregiver education in current practice. From the data collected, it can be surmised that some clinicians may not be knowledgeable in the complexities of the role of OT (as it relates to aging in place), therefore having an impact on service delivery. Based on data collected from the needs survey and the pre-survey, there is evidence to suggests a correlation between the clinicians\u27 delivery of caregiver education and the caregivers\u27 concerns and stress levels. To bridge this gap, an in-service presentation was provided to further educate clinicians about OT\u27s role in aging in place; followed by a post survey. Post survey results indicate a 35% increase in the clinician\u27s opinion as to whether caregiver education is important. This provides evidence that education can build on the foundation of knowledge and skills, thus enhancing the ability to provide client-centered interventions and education to facilitate the aging in place process
Understanding Benefits of a Community Garden on Those Impacted by Food Insecurity
Get PDFOccupational therapy professionals can support individual and community interventions for improved health and wellness. Occupational therapists have the unique ability to assess the multi-faceted contexts that impact an individual\u27s and/or community\u27s ability to participate in daily occupations and their level of occupational performance. Addressing nutrition can improve the individual\u27s overall health and wellness and subsequently improve occupational performance, and ability to participate in daily occupations. Many community-based programs act as resources, or access, to improved nutritional intake for community members working towards food security. Occupational therapy has a role in these community-based programs to facilitate improved nutritional intake through functional occupation to enhance overall health and wellness and promote occupational justice. The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of occupational therapy in nutrition, community-based gardens, and how the profession can impact food insecure communities through gardening. This project includes a literature review of the mentioned topics that promote occupational therapy\u27s role in community-based programs to facilitate food security and improved overall health and wellness. The obtained research was then compiled and presented to local community resources working with food insecure communities to educate on the benefits of utilizing and occupational therapist in gardening programs. The pre and post surveys obtained from participants revealed an overall benefit of the information and it can be concluded that the participants have a greater understanding of occupational therapy\u27s role in community programs and there is an opportunity for this area of practice
Does Computer-Based Classroom Instruction Impact Student Participation?
Get PDFCOVID-19 has caused a disruption of typical teaching methods forcing students to receive instruction virtually. Computer-based classroom instruction was implemented to allow for quick transition between virtual and face-to-face instruction as determined by COVID-19 cases. This research explores how computer-based classroom instruction has impacted student participation within the classroom and the role of occupational therapy to support students who utilize this method of learning. Eighteen elementary school teachers who currently utilize this method of learning were surveyed and data was collected to determine feedback on the impact of computer-based classroom instruction. Data determined that student participation is impacted by computer-based classroom instruction and that face-to-face instruction is more beneficial than computer-based classroom instruction. Lack of knowledge about how occupational therapy can support the learning environment was gathered from the data. Overall, more research is required to determine the reliability of these results secondary to a small sample population
An Occupational Therapy Approach to Ergonomic Intervention
Get PDFThe occurrence of work-related shoulder and neck injuries is on the rise for computer workers due to extended work hours, fewer breaks, and repetitive movements involving neck rotation, shoulder movement, and awkward posture. The individual\u27s workstation and environment\u27s design play a key role contributing to neck and shoulder injuries. An occupational therapist is equipped with the knowledge and skills to modify and adapt a person\u27s workstation and improve their shoulder and neck pain or injuries. The capstone project\u27s purpose was developed to identify risk factors, promote an occupational therapy ergonomic intervention program, suggest workstation and environment modification/adaptations, and promote posture reeducation and stress relieving exercises. This study utilized a pre-and post-survey with an occupational therapy ergonomic intervention handout. The pre-survey questionnaire focused on questions pertaining to the knowledge of occupational therapy ergonomic interventions, how to adapt a desk workstation, how to implement posture reeducation strengthening and stretching exercises, and if occupational therapy would be beneficial in the workplace to address ergonomic interventions. The handout consisted of a diagram on how to adapt a desk workstation, and posture reeducation, strengthening and stretching exercises. The post-survey questionnaire pertained to the handouts to see if they provided useful ergonomic interventions for a desk workstation, increased occupational therapist knowledge on how to adapt a desk workstation, implement posture reeducation, strengthening and stretching exercises. The project results support the use of an occupational therapy ergonomic intervention program for individuals having a desk job in preventing shoulder and neck injuries