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THE LEVEL OF HEEL PAIN AND FOOTWEAR CHARACTERISTICS AND THE DURATION OF ITS USE AMONG ALLIED HEALTHCARE INTERNS AT SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY
No full textIntroduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between heel pain and specific footwear characteristics, as well as the duration of footwear usage, among allied healthcare interns at Silliman University. Heel pain, a common condition exacerbated by prolonged standing and walking, is particularly prevalent in healthcare professionals and students. Despite existing literature suggesting footwear as a contributing factor, the relationship between footwear characteristics—heel height, sole thickness, and insole material—and heel pain, especially in healthcare interns, remains underexplored. This study contributes to the field of healthcare ergonomics by highlighting the complexity of heel pain etiology and emphasizing the need for a broader, holistic approach to preventing foot discomfort in healthcare settings.
Methodology: A quantitative, non-experimental design with a correlational approach was employed, involving 70 interns from various allied health programs. Data were collected through a self-designed, validated questionnaire assessing the level of heel pain, footwear characteristics, and footwear usage duration. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.
Results: The level of heel pain among the 70 allied healthcare interns was assessed using a numerical pain rating scale, with the mean pain score calculated at 3.243, indicating a moderate level of discomfort. The majority of participants reported mild to moderate pain, highlighting the common nature of heel pain within this group. Footwear characteristics, including heel height, insole material, and sole thickness, were also evaluated. Most participants wore shoes with a medium heel height (81.43%), cushioned or flexible insoles (81.43%), and medium sole thickness (57.14%). These findings reflect a preference for footwear that may provide some comfort, though variability was observed in the types of insoles and sole thicknesses. The duration of footwear usage was examined, revealing that 58.57% of participants had been using their current footwear for more than four months. Despite the extended footwear usage, no significant relationship was found between heel pain and any of the footwear characteristics or the duration of footwear usage, based on Chi-square analysis. These results suggest that factors other than footwear characteristics and usage duration may be contributing to heel pain among the interns. Further research with a larger sample size may help clarify these relationships. The results revealed that the majority of participants experienced mild to moderate heel pain, with no significant relationship found between heel pain and the examined footwear characteristics or the duration of footwear use. Specifically, no significant associations were identified between heel height, insole material, sole thickness, and the level of heel pain, nor between the duration of footwear usage and heel pain.
Discussions: These findings suggest that factors other than footwear characteristics may play a more prominent role in the development of heel pain among healthcare interns. The study highlights the complexity of heel pain etiology and calls for further research to explore additional factors, such as activity levels, posture, and ergonomic conditions, that may contribute to foot discomfort. The findings underscore the need for a more holistic approach to preventing heel pain, considering both footwear and other potential contributors to foot health among healthcare interns.
Keywords: heel pain, footwear characteristics, healthcare interns, duration of footwear use, allied health programs, ergonomics, foot healt
Assistive Technology for Proper Seating and Positioning for Geriatrics
No full textThe lack of staff education on pressure injury prevention places older adults at a higher risk of developing pressure injuries in a skilled nursing facility.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2025/1003/thumbnail.jp
Improving Rest and Sleep for Hospitalized Individuals: An Occupation Based Approach
No full textDesign and create an educational program for occupational therapy practitioners working within hospital environments, patients, and occupational therapy students on evidence grounded, occupation-based sleep activities to use with patients in inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. The educational program will contain modules focusing on the importance of sleep for overall health, how sleep impacts recovery, common environmental and personal factors impacting sleep, and interventions to help improve patient sleep. These educational modules and interventions will focus on the specific client and environmental factors within the occupational therapy scope of practice (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020).https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2025/1008/thumbnail.jp
Bridging Sensory Processing and Community Integration for Adults with IDD: A Bilingual Approach
No full textThe capstone project included creation, implementation, and evaluation of an educational program. The program provided education for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their respective caregivers. The educational materials included development and implementation of educational workshops of sensory processing strategies in the community, work, and social settings for adults with IDD and bilingual home programs created for caregiver education. The program was evaluated through pre- and post-surveys administered to caregivers to demonstrate changes in knowledge of sensory processing strategies, as well as client assessments administered to assess changes in client understanding of sensory strategies.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2025/1009/thumbnail.jp
Developing Independent Living Skills in People With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities: A Guide for Direct Support Professionals
Get PDFOver one percent of the world has intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Many of these people lack the living skills needed to live independently. Direct support professionals (DSPs) are people who provide daily assistance, care, and support to improve the wellbeing and quality of life among people with IDD. DSPs often have minimal training to perform their role, especially in support of the development of independent living skills. Independent living skills are adaptive behavioral competencies related to self-sufficiency, with focus on conceptual skills such as language abilities, social skills including interpersonal and social problem-solving, and practical skills that relate to self-care, activities of daily living, health, and safety. The availability of resources to guide DSPs in the teaching of independent living skills is limited. Problem: DSPs lack knowledge and training on how to deliver independent living skills training in people with IDD. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to create an evidence-based teaching guide for DSPs to develop independent living skills in people with IDD. The Independent Living Skills Teaching Guide was developed as a resource for DSPs. it contains activity plans to develop independent living skills, communication skills, and activity modifications based on cognitive and motor abilities. The guide was also designed to be expandable by DSPs to ensure longevity in relevancy. The capstone project sheds light on how the field of occupational therapy can support DSPs’ endeavors to better the lives of their clients with IDD
Pain Education and Preparation Across Health Care Professions: A Scoping Review
Get PDFIntroduction: There is an ongoing evolution in the understanding of pain biology and its underlying mechanisms. Healthcare professionals’ education and preparation must adapt to continue to provide effective management for individuals experiencing pain. A review of current studies in pain education and preparation across healthcare professions was performed. This scoping review provided theories and will be part of a larger study assessing pain preparation in physical therapy.
Methods: A scoping review of articles discussing pain education and preparation of healthcare professions, including dentistry (2), medicine (8), nursing (7), occupational safety and health (1), occupational and physical therapy (2), and physician assistants (3), was performed within PubMed and the College of St. Scholastica Library’s EBSCO Discovery Service (SOLAR). Twenty-three articles were analyzed, and study conclusions were categorized.
Results: Three emerging themes that affect the pain preparation of healthcare professionals were identified, including (1) the level of academic preparation, (2) educational hours spent, including additional postgraduate training and certification, and (3) clinical experience.
Discussion: This review suggested that common underlying themes affected the preparation and education of healthcare professionals toward effective management of individuals experiencing pain. Despite the heterogeneity of conclusions in the included studies, three emerging themes were observed: level of academic preparation, pain education, and clinical experience. These themes will be utilized as benchmarks in a larger mixed methods study assessing pain education and preparation of physical therapists working with individuals experiencing pain.
Keywords: Pain Education, Academic Preparation, Educational Hours, Clinical Experience, Healthcare Professionals, Scoping Revie
Increasing Access to Adequate Care for Low-Resource Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Get PDFExploring and understanding the barriers to accessing adequate neurodivergent affirming care for autistic children and their families. Taking steps to decrease financial barriers, poor health literacy, and lack of available resources by developing a non-profit organization that will increase access to adequate care for these families. Participating in community outreach to raise awareness of and education about autism spectrum disorder in the local community of Corsicana, Texas on the needs of the autistic community.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1009/thumbnail.jp
Fostering Autonomy and Self Efficacy: An Informal Caregiver\u27s Guide to Encouraging Participation in Self-Care
Get PDFHelping Hands and Active Lives is a practical guidebook designed to empower informal caregivers to support senior independence and well-being. It offers evidence-based strategies to enhance communication, mobility, and daily function while emphasizing the impact of caregiving approaches on occupational success.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1023/thumbnail.jp
A Specialized Training Toolkit to Increase Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in After School Programs
Get PDFThe Inclusive Pathways Toolkit was developed and implemented in after-school programs to enhance staff competencies in supporting children with disabilities. This initiative aimed to create a more inclusive environment by providing staff with practical strategies and resources, thereby improving the overall experience and participation of children with disabilities in after-school activities.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1026/thumbnail.jp
PODEROSAS: A Program to Meet the Occupational Needs of Latina Women
Get PDFMany women who have immigrated from Mexico and other Latin American countries and who have experienced some form of sexual trauma, sexual violence, sexual abuse, or sex trafficking have unmet occupational needs as they adjust to their lives in the United States. Limited research and resources are available to address these needs. A culturally sensitive program was curated to identify and meet the occupational needs of these women. Three themes that encompassed their primary occupational needs included the need for social participation and connection, the need for emotional and mental health promotion and maintenance, and the need for security and stability. By the end of the 7-week program, these needs were met successfully. Further research, program development, and advocacy are required to refine the individual care occupational therapists can provide to women from this population.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1028/thumbnail.jp