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Advocating for Occupational Therapy Intervention with In-House Athletics
Get PDFOccupational therapists (OT) have the opportunity to work with athletes by outsourcing through orthopedic centers with professional leagues such as the National Football League (NFL) (Jobs in Sports, 2022) but rarely do you see OTs within the sports complex working in-house. Although many studies go into great detail on the benefits of occupational therapy during the rehabilitation process, there are only a limited number of studies that explore occupational therapy intervention in athletics (Andreas et al., 2021). This project designed and implemented an occupational therapy-focused advocacy project that involves informing interprofessional sports faculty on the benefits of OTs being a part of the in-house athletic training team.The project deliverables included informative electronic advocacy-based flyers, the administration of occupation-based intervention in clinic (such as exercises, manual therapy, mindfulness practices, and mental health support), and an educational slideshow was presented to University of Florida sports health staff with the goal to educate sports rehabilitation professionals on the vitality of occupational therapy and the implementation of occupation-based techniques for those with occupational injuries.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2024/1049/thumbnail.jp
Occupational Therapy Role in Aiding Health Management for Caregivers of Children with Neurological Conditions
Get PDFNeurological disorders are identified as a dysfunction on any part of the nervous system that cause disability (Kumar et al., 2022). In order to enhance the outcome of children with neurological conditions, there should be an emphasis on the role and well-being of their caregivers. Common symptoms of neurological disorders among children include delayed developmental milestones, seizures and epilepsy, regression of skills, abnormal movements and behaviors, headaches, sensory processing issues, and communication difficulties. Adjusting to a new normal can be overwhelming for caregivers, especially when children transition out of rehab. The aim of the proposed capstone project is to aid in preventing burnout for the main caregivers by providing education on health management and alternatives that aid in care such as day programs for children. Emphasizing the role and wellbeing of the caregivers can enhance the outcomes of children with neurological conditionshttps://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2024/1020/thumbnail.jp
Preventing Depression in Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: An Educational Video Series
Get PDFThis paper presents a doctoral capstone project that created and implemented a self-help occupation-based educational video series to prevent and manage depression among grandparent caregivers. It consists of a literature review regarding the impact of depression on grandparent caregivers, the population’s barriers and statistics relating to the correlation of developing depression as a grandparent caregiver. It includes the process to create the video series including review of the literature and the development process. Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (TXGRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources and support to empower and advocate for grandparent caregivers. Problem: There is a lack of mental health resources, especially self-help approaches, for grandparents assuming the role of caregiver for their grandchildren. TXGRG does not have a mental health resource of their own that addresses depression for individuals to access and utilize. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to create an educational online video series for TXGRG on an occupation-based self-help approach for grandparents to prevent and/or manage depression. The creation of this capstone project fills the need for an accessible preventive mental health resource for TXGRG and the grandparent caregiver community. This paper presents the outline and scripts for the video series, the links to the YouTube channel and playlist of the video series, and a discussion of its implications of the video series to the target population
Best Practice Toolkit for Nursing Staff Caring for Ventilated Patients
Get PDFPractice Problem: Best practice tool kits are used to guide better outcomes for ventilated patients and staff members. Many reasons can contribute to requiring a patient to be on mechanical ventilation, but the most common reasons are a trauma event and infection.
PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In critical care staff such as nurses, respiratory therapists (RT), and critical care providers caring for mechanically ventilated patients (P), what is the effect of implementing a best practice coordination toolkit (I) compared to standard care procedures (C) on the adherence to best practices by critical care providers (O)?
Evidence: Studies showed that the ventilator bundle, along with staff member knowledge supported the decrease in ventilator associated events in ventilated patients in the intensive care unit. In return, resulted in fewer healthcare costs.
Intervention: Intervention includes the ventilator bundle PowerPoint. A pretest and posttest are recommended to be sent to individuals via email for evaluation of knowledge before and after the ventilator bundle PowerPoint.
Outcome: The ventilator bundle and Toolkit presentation for staff members was beneficial in reducing ventilator associated events in critical care patients.
Conclusion: Ventilated patients are at an increased risk of infection while in the ICU. Bedside nurses and other staff members are critical in preventing infection and providing the best care for individuals requiring mechanical ventilation
Empowering Caregivers: A Training Manual for Supporting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Get PDFChildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often require specialized support to navigate daily activities, yet respite and Community Living Support (CLS) workers frequently lack adequate training to address the sensory and behavioral challenges these children face. This project aimed to address these gaps by developing a comprehensive training manual grounded in evidence-based practices and occupational therapy (OT) principles, including the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model and Sensory Integration (SI) Theory. Surveys and interviews with families, respite workers, and CLS workers identified critical training needs, such as understanding sensory processing, managing challenging behaviors, and effective communication strategies. The manual includes practical modules, embedded videos, printable resources, and knowledge checks to enhance caregiver skills. Piloted through Mimi’s Mission, feedback from participants was integrated to refine the content. The resulting 79-page training manual equips caregivers to provide consistent, high-quality care, reducing the burden on families and improving the occupational performance outcomes of children with ASD. This project highlights the role of occupational therapists in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and empowering non-professional caregivers, thereby extending their impact beyond direct client care.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2024/1028/thumbnail.jp
To-Do List: A Chore Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Get PDFMany children with autism spectrum disorder do not have the exposure to age-appropriate chore tasks because their parents may be unaware of how to actively get their child involved with household tasks. The overarching goal of this project was to develop a chore program for children with autism to gain responsibilities and learn functional living skills through the use of household chores to aid in the transition process to adulthood.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2024/1013/thumbnail.jp
Holistic Occupations: Education and Counterbalance to Activate Learning and Development
Get PDFThis dissertation book addresses two primary topics. The first is a series of segmented approaches that the author has observed throughout the fields of therapy, education, leadership, and entrepreneurship. The second is how to integrate these segments in a systematic approach that promotes learning and development, which drive improved performance outcomes within the healthcare field. At heart, this book addresses the problem of segmented practices and explains how the systems of the body and the environment can be engaged and integrated to facilitate learning and development. The achievement of learning and development is referred to as whole human organism success (WHOS™). The educational process that reinforces WHOS™ is called OT:FIT™ practice. Client learners engage in OT:FIT™ practice using a tool developed by the author, which is known as: OT:FIT™. The first step of integration is for practitioners and clients to identify behavioral goals and to establish reinforcers to achieve those goals. The next step is to re-conceptualize learning and development as one multi-phased process to promote personal and professional growth. Occupations are broadly defined to include all life activities. This broader definition is referred to as holistic occupations. Learning and development are driven by holistic practice of movement science to achieve multisensory-motor performance outcomes. Holistic healthcare practice is initiated at the Body Level through myofascial connections
Nurse Retention Amid Workplace Adversity: Examining Strategies and Outcomes
Get PDFPractice Problem: This project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nurse retention strategies in enhancing job satisfaction, focusing primarily on Emergency Department (ED) Registered Nurses (RNs). A comprehensive approach was adopted within the ED of a veteran hospital in the Southeast, aimed at promoting staff retention.
PICOT: The PICOT question guiding this project is as follows: In a veteran hospital\u27s Emergency Room (ER) located in the southeast (P), how does the implementation of nurse retention strategies (I) compared to current standards (C) increase their job satisfaction (O) over a period of ten weeks (T)?
Evidence: This project relied on evidence from 11 articles. These investigated the impact of workload management, education, and nurse recognition on job satisfaction in a hospital setting.
Intervention: The interventions involved 15-minute daily rounding sessions. Daily huddles and monthly focus groups were also practiced in addition to feedback sessions, and a recognition program.
Outcome: Job satisfaction among ER nurses significantly improved after implementation of the project. This outcome suggests that workload management, recognition, and continued education can help promote job satisfaction among ER nursing staff.
Conclusion: The project fostered a work environment that values knowledge sharing, workload management, and recognition. As a result, it improved job satisfaction among nursing staff and the implemented initiatives can be relied on to promote a good work environment
An Occupational Therapy Perspective of Post Secondary Transitions for High School Students: Considering Socioeconomics and Opportunities
Get PDFIn most cases, an occupational therapist’s role in a post-secondary transition includes improving adolescents with disabilities’ functional preparedness to transition from a special education setting, into adult-based roles. Much of this work is explained by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), and only encompasses occupational therapy’s role in post-secondary transitions for adolescents with a diagnosed disability. Unfortunately, these resources, programs, and services are not available to adolescents who do not have a disability. This barrier of not providing similar services or programs to adolescents without a disability creates a lack of opportunity for these individuals to explore possible career paths. This barrier also creates lack of instruction on completing necessary applications and forms, decreased knowledge of resume writing, poorly developed interview skills, and overall, a minimal number of available resources about the options after high school.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2024/1001/thumbnail.jp
The Psychosocial Effect of Video Games in a Hand Therapy Setting
Get PDFA project that analyzes the psychosocial effects of video games as an alternative to hand therapy interventions. This project addresses the barriers of financial investment, and space requirements. This project shows the effectiveness of video games as a short-term intervention method.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2024/1002/thumbnail.jp