Awareness Of Occupational Therapy Research Articles

Knowledge and Awareness of Occupational Therapy among Students from Colleges of Medical Sciences in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

There are limitations in studies addressing knowledge and awareness of Occupational Therapy (OT) among medical sciences students in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide insight into the status of knowledge and awareness of occupational therapy among students from colleges of applied or allied medical sciences in Saudi Arabia. Using convenient sampling and snowball methods, students from colleges of applied or allied medical sciences in Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in this cross-sectional online survey. A total of 113 Students responded to our survey. Students had good awareness of OT with some major misconceptions identified such as that OT is a branch of physical therapy. Although participants had higher correct answers on most knowledge questions, the majority had poor to moderate overall knowledge scores with a mean score of 14.53 ± 4.01. Saudi applied or allied medical sciences students had good awareness of OT, yet poor to moderate knowledge about its application in clinical practice. There is a high need for educational and interdisciplinary sessions within academic settings to help clarify and distinguish OT to other future members of the healthcare team. Further research is needed on a variety of different populations within Saudi Arabia.

Perceptions of Hand Surgery Patients About Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists provide holistic health care and social care and seek to promote health through occupation. This study measured how hand surgery patients who received referrals for occupational therapy perceive occupational therapy and occupational therapists. A cross-sectional online survey was designed to determine the meaning of an occupation, the role of occupational therapists, the services and benefits provided by occupational therapists, the populations served, and the work settings of occupational therapists. This study included 634 patients who responded to the survey (three-fourths were women). Most participants were uncertain about the professional environment of occupational therapists. Approximately one-third of the respondents believed that occupational therapists work at general hospitals. Most participants believed that occupational therapists manage orthopedic conditions and hand injuries; however, the least participants believed that occupational therapists manage cases involving cardiorespiratory conditions. No significant correlation was noted between the participants' overall awareness of occupational therapy and their sex or age. However, a notable statistical relationship was found between the comprehensive knowledge of occupational therapy and the educational level of the participants. To receive the benefits of occupational therapy, it is necessary for the population to be aware of those benefits. Patient perspectives of occupational therapy can help in patient's education and their treatment plan.

Missed Opportunities to Ease Suffering: An Explanatory Model of Occupational Therapy Utilization in End-of-Life Care.

Background: With disease progression, a terminally ill person may experience loss of physical and cognitive skills required to perform everyday activities. Such functional loss can erode autonomy and cause existential suffering. Supported engagement in everyday activities may help terminally ill people stay involved in living and cope with dying. Occupational therapy enables people to engage in valued activities at the end of life, yet remains under-utilized. Objectives: To address the perceived under-utilization of end-of-life care occupational therapy, the authors investigated how utilization of occupational therapy in end-of-life care is determined from the perspective of decision-makers and occupational therapists and then developed a model of the process. Methods: Using a grounded theory method, authors conducted two semi-structured interviews with 20 decision-makers and 21 occupational therapists. Theoretical sampling followed by paradigm analysis, yielded a data-grounded model. Results: The authors developed The Model of Occupational Therapy Utilization in End-of-Life Care. Service utilization was primarily contingent upon the decision-makers' awareness of occupational therapy's role in end-of-life care and further influenced by place of care cost constraints and participants' ability to adjust focus of the occupational therapy to accommodate the patient's dying process. Conclusion: Limited awareness of occupational therapy's role in end-of-life care warrants research on whether modification of model constructs may increase awareness and utilization. Education is indicated to teach providers about suffering due to functional loss and how to adjust focus of occupational therapy to sustain occupational participation through decline, across different care settings, and along a range between rehabilitation-focused to participation-focused outcomes.

A Survey on the Awareness of Occupational Therapy of the Public in General

A Survey on the Awareness of Occupational Therapy of the Public in General

재활치료와 관련된 사람들의 작업치료에 대한 인식조사

Purpose : This study was to investigate the awareness on occupational therapy by the people involved in rehabilitation of persons with disabilities Methods : The survey on the awareness of occupational therapy was conducted on 9 organizations and 111 employees associated with rehabilitation, of which the collected data was calculated in percentage using the results Result : 89.2% answered with "I know the subject of occupational therapy," 66.6% with "I know the meaning of it," 81.1% with "I know the purpose of it," being awared that it has been conducted in medical institutions and other places. However those answers might need more precise information for each occasion. In addition, for the distinction between occupational therapy and other kinds(physical therapy, speech therapy, art therapy, play therapy, music therapy), 40.5% answered with "yes in some degree," but 19% with "no." Regarding the eligibility requirement for occupational therapist, 55% answered with "qualified with a licence." Conclusion : Active promotion will be required more focusing on the subject of occupational therapy, the meaning of occupation, the purpose and working places of occupational therapy, the difference from other therapies, and the qualification of occupational therapist.

Carers' Perspectives on their Needs and Local Authority Occupational Therapy Practice

Unpaid family carers are the main providers of care for older people in the community. Local authority occupational therapists are required by law to assess the needs of such carers in their work, targeting their interventions to support carers' roles. This small qualitative study identified the perceived needs of nine family carers of adults with physical disabilities in one English county, exploring the extent to which these needs were met by local authority occupational therapists. Data were collected from semi-structured qualitative interviews with nine family carers. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using elements of grounded theory methodology. Six varied categories of carers' needs emerged. Occupational therapists met the participants' needs for practical assistance and information, but not for respite or financial assistance. Regarding support network issues, the participants reported poorly integrated community services and little initial awareness of occupational therapy. Once seen by an occupational therapist, however, they wished to remain ‘on file’ to gain instant access to a valued source of support. The recommendations made include the generation of family carer targeted occupational therapy information resources, ongoing therapist liaison to raise general practitioners' familiarity with local service provision and additional research.

Images of Occupational Therapy among Secondary Schoolchildren

There has been no published research in the United Kingdom specific to the promotion of occupational therapy as a career among secondary schoolchildren. A two-part questionnaire was administered to 110 schoolchildren (age 14–16 years) at three schools in England. The questionnaire investigated awareness about occupational therapy as a potential career and opinions about various promotional materials: a video, radio advertisements and careers leaflets issued by the College of Occupational Therapists.The findings indicate that awareness of occupational therapy is low; careers teachers are the first choice and the Internet the second choice when finding out about a career in occupational therapy. All participants chose the video as the best promotional material. Schoolchildren need to be informed about occupational therapy before the age of 14 years if they are to consider it as a career; careers teachers need ready access to promotional materials; and the College of Occupational Therapists' web pages need to be developed specifically for secondary school-age children.

Perceptions of Occupational Therapy compared with Physiotherapy and Nursing among Minority Ethnic and White United Kingdom School and College Students: Implications for Recruitment

There is currently a recruitment crisis in occupational therapy in the United Kingdom and also evidence that minority ethnic groups are underrepresented in the profession. This study comprised 651 self-completion questionnaires and 43 depth interviews with minority ethnic and white school and college students to investigate factors influencing attitudes to careers in occupational therapy. Occupational therapy was much less well known than nursing or physiotherapy and, compared with the white participants, the minority ethnic group participants were less familiar with it. Differences were also found in what the minority ethnic and the white participants wanted from careers. Significantly, the minority ethnic participants were more likely to regard doing a degree as important but were also less aware that occupational therapy was studied at degree level. The participants tended to perceive similarities between occupational therapy and nursing and the implications of this are discussed. In conclusion, while 1 in 10 participants would consider a career in occupational therapy, with lower proportions from the minority ethnic than the white participants, many characteristics of careers considered important by these students applied to occupational therapy. Efforts should be made to increase awareness of occupational therapy with, for example, emphasis placed on degree level study, job security and the level of responsibility and professional nature of the career.

What do young school‐age children know about occupational therapy? An evaluation study

AbstractOccupational therapy is a poorly understood profession. In response to this fact, the American Occupational Therapy Association has launched a national campaign to increase awareness of occupational therapy among adults. Little is known, however, about children's perceptions of occupational therapy. The current evaluation study reports on the assessment of children's perceptions of occupational therapy prior to, and following, an interactive demonstration on occupational therapy as part of a larger neuroscience exposition. One hundred and three elementary school‐aged children (55 boys and 48 girls) from local schools attended a one‐day neuroscience exposition held at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Omaha. At three of 18 booths at the exposition, occupational therapy faculty and students explained what occupational therapists do, and demonstrated the link between brain function and occupational performance. Children completed pre and post questionnaires. Results revealed that on pre‐test, the vast majority of participants could not answer the question or had no idea of what occupational therapists do. On post‐test, 75% reported that they had knowledge of what occupational therapists do. These preliminary findings suggest that a campaign of public awareness about occupational therapy for children would be highly effective and beneficial, and that a neuroscience exposition including occupational therapy is one effective intervention to promote such awareness. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Occupational Therapy and Victim Advocacy

ABSTRACT This article provides an orientation to increase the profession's awareness of occupational therapy's role in victim advocacy, an emerging area of community-based practice. Analysis and comparison of OT's core assumptions and values with general principles of victim advocacy and empowerment demonstrate striking similarities: Each acknowledges holism and a profound connection between the individual and society, as well as their ability to interact and influence each other. In addition, the cultures of OT and victim advocacy both value the dignity and worth of persons, self-determination, freedom and autonomy, latent capacity, human uniqueness and subjectivity, and active and mutual cooperation in restoration or recovery. The compatibility of OT and victim advocacy is further demonstrated in the context of one therapist's work with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Deinstitutionalisation of Occupational Therapy and Health Care Administrators Knowledge

Administrators of 100 Brisbane health care agencies were surveyed about their level of knowledge of traditional and nontraditional roles of occupational therapy and other allied health professions. Administrators were found to have reasonable levels of knowledge of the allied health professions, poor knowledge of occupational therapy, and very low levels of knowledge of the nontraditional roles of occupational therapy. Lack of health care administrator awareness of occupational therapy is a barrier to the transition of the profession from institutionally based models of practice to working in community health settings.

Planning Playgrounds for Children With Disabilities

Occupational therapists are well qualified for involvement in playground planning. They know how to eliminate architectural barriers, adapt equipment to maximize independence and functional levels, and use play in facilitating children's development. By participating in playground planning or adaptation, the occupational therapist can present play opportunities for children with disabilities, increase public awareness of occupational therapy, and extend the use of treatment modalities. This paper makes specific suggestions for planning and building to make the idea for a playground a realistic goal. A case example illustrates the planning of a playground in a hospital setting.