55,755 research outputs found
National survey of occupational therapy managers in mental health
No full textThis study, part of the College of Occupational Therapists' Mental Health Project, surveyed occupational therapy managers in mental health to gather data about them, the services they managed and their opinions on current and future issues of importance. A questionnaire was sent to the 184 managers who it was believed worked in mental health and it achieved a 65.2% response rate.
The majority of the 120 respondents were female, with Head II therapists between the ages of 31 and 40 forming the largest group. Two-thirds had additional qualifications and 71% had worked in mental health for more than 11 years. In addition to managing occupational therapy services, 86% carried a caseload or managed other services. Aspects of professional management were ranked highest in a list of tasks undertaken. Contradictions were noted in the managers' opinions on recruitment and retention of staff and the importance of staff supervision. The managers displayed commitment to the principles and philosophy of occupational therapy and a determination to demonstrate its effectiveness through research and evidence-based practice.
This study contributed to the position paper on the way ahead for occupational therapy in mental health (Craik et al 1998a) and provided information for occupational therapy managers to assist them to review their role
Educating occupational therapists for mental health practice
No full textThe last of four elements of the Mental Health Project, established by the College of Occupational Therapists to produce a position paper on the way ahead for research, education and practice in occupational therapy in mental health (Craik et al 1998a), focused on educating occupational therapy students to work in mental health.
First, the views of practitioners about their pre-registration education were derived from one component of the practitioners' survey (Craik et al 1998b). One hundred and eleven (81%) practitioners considered that their pre-registration education had been sufficient or partially sufficient to meet their needs on first working in mental health.
Secondly, the views of occupational therapy educators were elicited by a short qualitative survey that replicated three questions about future issues in mental health, which had formed a key constituent of both the practitioners' survey (Craik et al 1998b) and the managers' survey (Craik et al 1999). Important issues for educators were focusing on clients who would benefit most from occupational therapy in community and primary care settings, preparing undergraduates for the unique approach of occupational therapy and the need for more research to support evidence-based practice. Both groups highlighted the value of positive fieldwork placements
Characteristics of students who enter occupational therapy education through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Clearing System
No full textSince the 1960s, there has been substantial research outside the United
Kingdom (UK) on recruitment to occupational therapy education. Recent UK
studies have explored the characteristics of mature students (Craik and Alderman
1998), first-year students (Craik et al 2001) and students with a first degree
(Craik and Napthine 2001). Based on these studies, a semi-structured, self-report,
postal questionnaire gathered data from 50 students who entered the BSc(Hons)
Occupational Therapy course at Brunel University, London, via the Universities
and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK (UCAS) clearing system.
The students tended to be younger and were more likely to be female and
Caucasian and to have similar or higher academic qualifications than standardentry
students at the same university. The majority first became aware of
occupational therapy through previous work in a health care setting, although
some did so while researching allied health professions. Although one-third
originally had physiotherapy as their first career choice, 92% now considered
that occupational therapy was what they wanted to do. The principal reason
for applying through the clearing system was timing, with some applicants
deciding late in the academic year to study occupational therapy. These
findings add further weight to the need to promote the profession
Factors supporting and hindering the participation of people with mental health problems in leisure
No full textAlthough leisure is recognised as a key aspect of occupational therapy, few studies have explored it in relation to people with enduring mental health problems. Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants with mental health problems living in the community, randomly selected from clients referred to a local assertive outreach service in South-East England. Initially, the data were analysed for content and the phrases, language and words used; subsequently, emerging themes were
identified, which were confirmed by a second occupational therapist. The three themes arising from the data reported here were the number and range of occupations engaged in, the factors enabling participation in leisure and the factors hindering participation in leisure. The range of leisure occupations was similar to that noted in the literature. The main enabling factor was having an adequate network of people to provide support, while the main hindering factors were physical limitations, lack of finances and lack of transport. In the absence of paid employment, leisure was important to the clients. Occupational therapists need to recognise that enhancing the factors enabling participation in leisure and assisting clients to overcome the factors hindering participation in leisure will lead to the increased wellbeing of people with enduring mental health problems
Without leisure … ‘it wouldn’t be much of a life’: The meaning of leisure for people with mental health problems living in the community
No full textPrevious research has explored the occupational engagement of people with
mental health problems. This study set out to establish the meaning and value
of leisure for people with enduring mental health problems living in the
community. Using a mainly qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were
conducted with 10 participants randomly selected from clients referred to a
local assertive outreach service in South-East England. Initially, the data were
analysed for content, phrases, language and words used; subsequently, emerging
themes were identified which were confirmed by a second occupational
therapist. Three themes are reported here: why certain occupations were
considered to be leisure, the feelings expressed during leisure and the value
of leisure.
Although the participants had some difficulty in articulating their views,
leisure was differentiated from other occupations, with the time available to
complete a task in the absence of pressure being the distinguishing feature.
Overall, the participants had positive views about leisure, which was valued in
terms of meeting their individual and unique needs. The implications for
occupational therapy are explored. In determining the meaning and value of
leisure for people with mental health problems, more emphasis should be
given to their actions and less to their skill in verbalising emotion
Using accreditation of prior experiential learning (apel) to replace a practice placement: A controversial option?
No full textThe Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) is established in higher
education, but there are no studies on its use in occupational therapy. Brunel
University wanted to investigate whether APEL could enable occupational therapy
students meeting certain criteria to be exempt from the first-year practice
placement, and so devised an APEL proposal. Practice placement educators and
students were invited to give their opinion on the proposal through a questionnaire;
additionally, the students attended a nominal group discussion.
Three themes emerged from the six practice placement educators who
agreed to participate: logistics, student experience and learning opportunities.
The three students who participated valued APEL for confirming and recognising
learning from previous experience. The low response impedes establishing any
definite views on the topic, but could suggest that APEL is not a controversial
option to practice placement educators and students. Further study is required
on the adoption of APEL in occupational therapy education
Living in a glass house: exploring occupational alienation
No full textBackground. Community mental health care has shifted focus from resettlement to empowerment, reflecting a wider agenda
for social inclusion. Purpose. This study evaluated mental health day services from the perspectives of thirty-nine clients.
Method. Data analysis of the four focus groups explored the implications for occupational therapy. The data collected were
subjected to constant comparative analysis and theoretical sampling. Results. Participants described how mental health day
services structured their day and enabled access to support networks.However,many perceived aspects of the services as fostering
their dependence and threatening sessions they valued. This dependency led to them feeling alienated and wishing to seek
greater influence over decisions about their current and future life. The concept of occupational alienation was used to further
interpret their situation. Practice Implications.Occupational therapy could overcome occupational alienation experienced by
mental health day service clients, through the development of services within and beyond day services which promote a sense of
belonging and offers meaningful occupation
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
No full textBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
Letter from C. D. Dawson, Tusayan Copper Mining and Smelting, to Carl Hayden
No full textLetter from C. D. Dawson to Carl Hayden urging him to consider the rights of miners and farmers when drawing up the boundaries for the proposed park
Updated measurement of decay-time-dependent CP asymmetries in D^{0}→K^{+}K^{-} and D^{0}→π^{+}π^{-} decays
No full textA search for decay-time-dependent charge-parity (CP) asymmetry in D^{0}→K^{+}K^{-} and D^{0}→π^{+}π^{-} decays is performed at the LHCb experiment using proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb^{-1}. The D^{0} mesons are required to originate from semileptonic decays of b hadrons, such that the charge of the muon identifies the flavor of the neutral D meson at production. The asymmetries in the effective decay widths of D^{0} and D[over ¯]^{0} mesons are determined to be A_{Γ}(K^{+}K^{-})=(-4.3±3.6±0.5)×10^{-4} and A_{Γ}(π^{+}π^{-})=(2.2±7.0±0.8)×10^{-4}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The results are consistent with CP symmetry and, when combined with previous LHCb results, yield A_{Γ}(K^{+}K^{-})=(-4.4±2.3±0.6)×10^{-4} and A_{Γ}(π^{+}π^{-})=(2.5±4.3±0.7)×10^{-4}
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