Occupational Therapy Students Research Articles

A cross-training ergonomic exchange between the doctor of occupational therapy and dental students.

A cross-training ergonomic exchange between the doctor of occupational therapy and dental students.

Implementation and evaluation of a mobile application to support occupational therapy education

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of a mobile application, ValTO, designed to enhance communication and professional reasoning skills in occupational therapy students through a case-based learning approach. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive exploratory study was conducted with 32 second-year occupational therapy students. The usability of the app was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and the System Usability Scale, complemented by the University of Oviedo’s Learning Satisfaction Survey. Findings The majority of students (77.8%) rated the app above average on the System Usability Scale, with 50% scoring it as excellent. Mobile Application Rating Scale scores revealed high ratings across functionality, aesthetics and information quality, with a significant correlation between app usability and user satisfaction. Increased student satisfaction was also observed in the Learning Satisfaction Survey compared to previous years. Originality/value ValTO integrates modern mobile health tools into occupational therapy education, enhancing students’ decision-making skills in an innovative, real-world context. This study contributes to the growing body of research on mobile health applications in educational settings, demonstrating their potential to improve both student engagement and learning outcomes.

Enhancing fieldwork readiness in occupational therapy students with generative AI.

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into health professions education is revolutionizing traditional teaching methodologies and enhancing learning experiences. This study explores the use of generative AI to aid occupational therapy (OT) students in intervention planning. OT students often lack the background knowledge to generate a wide variety of interventions, spending excessive time on idea generation rather than clinical reasoning, practice skills, and patient care. AI can enhance creative ideation but students must still adhere to evidence-based practice, patient safety, and privacy standards. Students used ChatGPT v. 3.5 in a lecture and assignment to integrate generative AI into intervention planning. Students analyzed a case study, generated ideas with ChatGPT, selected interventions that aligned with the client's needs, and provided a rationale. They conducted evidence-based searches and wrote an analysis on how the research influenced their decisions. The results demonstrate generative AI's potential as a valuable tool for OT students, enhancing their comfort with AI and understanding of ethical and safety considerations. Qualitative feedback highlighted AI's role in boosting efficiency and creativity in intervention planning, with most students expressing strong intent to use ChatGPT in clinical practice due to its ability to reduce cognitive load and generate innovative ideas. These findings suggest that integrating generative AI into the OT curriculum could enhance intervention planning and improve clinical readiness.

Transitioning from specialisation to collaboration: interprofessional clinical simulation, metacognition and the phenomenon of convergence

ABSTRACT Research into metacognitive processes within interprofessional clinical simulation has been largely overlooked in the literature. This study explores how interprofessional simulation may influence cognitive and metacognitive processes across several professional programmes; medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and occupational therapy. This study focused on changes in performance pre- and post-simulation, with undergraduate students from each profession answering a set of questions related to the simulation case, requiring specialized knowledge from each profession. Question scores, item confidence judgment ratings, and calibration values were collected and analyzed. The data revealed a pattern of convergence in post-simulation assessments, where professions initially with lower performance in the pre-simulation phase improved, and those initially performing well demonstrating a decline in performance. Calibration values indicated that medical students developed metacognitive errors from their interactions in the simulation, which were not present pre-simulation, and that occupational therapy students suffered a loss of confidence and calibration in questions within their own field resulting from their experience (being more accurate pre-simulation). The authors anticipate that the phenomenon of convergence may have longer-term consequences, potentially fostering distrust among professions for those with declining performance. The authors propose that expanding awareness of convergence phenomena and conducting repeated simulations (thus facilitating further team development) could mitigate this issue.

Environmentally sustainable person-centred care: Occupational therapy students' attitudes, perceptions and self-perceived preparedness for practice.

Climate change threatens the environments in which person-centred occupational therapy occurs. Environmental sustainability is directly linked with the health and wellbeing of current and future generations, presenting occupational therapists with a unique advocacy and activist role. As practitioners of the future, there is an urgent need to understand students' attitudes, perceptions of, and self-perceived preparedness for, dealing with environmental determinants of health and intergenerational occupational and climate justice. A cross-sectional exploratory descriptive survey collected United Kingdom (UK) based allied health professional students' attitudes, perceptions, and self-perceived preparedness for advocating for environmental sustainability in the context of person-centred care. The survey was distributed to 48 gatekeepers in UK institutions with approved allied health professional training programmes (44 offered occupational therapy); 62 occupational therapy students responded. Descriptive and non-parametric inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Text and short answers were analysed qualitatively via inductive content analysis. The study was co-designed and implemented with MSc (pre-registration) occupational therapy students. Participants (94%) expressed concerns for climate change, with 84% feeling responsible for addressing environmental sustainability in health care. While 64.5% identified climate justice as a top priority, a perceived challenge emerged between person-centred care and sustainability, with only 18% of participants feeling prepared for environmental sustainability in occupational therapy practice. Participants requested education on personal and professional sustainability practices, as well as collective action. Sharing personal climate change experiences, advocating with family and friends, and facilitating connections for collective action were highlighted as potentially transformative educational tools in this area. Occupational therapy curricula should address environmental sustainability through pragmatic, critical, and ethical lenses to enhance students' preparedness for this advocacy and activist role. Reflection and continuous professional development for environmentally sustainable practices is recommended. Occupational therapists believe that it is important to support people to participate in occupations that matter to them. However, the activities that some people choose to participate in may have negative effects on the environment and the planet. It is important to ensure that when occupational therapists support people in their choices of activities, this does not lead to unequal access to healthy and meaningful occupations of others, now or in the future. That is because occupational therapists also have a responsibility to prevent occupational injustice. Occupational therapy students are the professionals of the future, so it is important to include them in research about this topic. They need to develop skills that allow them to simultaneously make sure that they are delivering person-centred care, which is not environmentally detrimental and that does not lead to occupational injustice. Making sure that occupational therapists provide person-centred care while also managing risks of occupational injustice may be seen as a profession-specific dilemma. In this study, occupational therapy students in the UK completed a survey about their feelings, views, and readiness for managing this dilemma. Results showed that most respondents are concerned about climate change, but do not feel that their occupational therapy education sufficiently prepared them to practise in an environmentally sustainable way. They were asked to propose ideas for addressing this issue, and the article discusses how occupational therapy curricula might be changed in accordance.

Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions and Experiences of an Interprofessional Simulation

Clinical placements and interprofessional practice for healthcare students are often met with anxiety, unpreparedness and a lack of confidence. Whilst interprofessional simulations may address these concerns, there are gaps in the literature. This study aimed to: (i) investigate the impact of interprofessional simulations on students’ perceived confidence, anxiety and preparedness for placements and their attitudes toward interprofessional practice and education, and, (ii) understand students’ experiences and satisfaction with the simulation. Pre-simulation and post-simulation survey results were collected from 25 speech pathology and 25 occupational therapy graduate-entry Masters degree students from one Australian university. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test while qualitative data was reviewed through content analysis. Statistically significant (p<0.05) improvements across students’ confidence, anxiety and preparedness ratings were observed. Students’ attitudes towards interprofessional practice and education revealed statistically significant positive changes on 8/10 questions and they described the simulation to be a meaningful learning experience. Results indicate that following participation in an interprofessional simulation, students’ perceptions of their confidence, anxiety and preparedness for an adult inpatient hospital placement improved. Moreover, students’ attitudes towards interprofessional practice and education were more positive and the experience was reported to be beneficial. Future studies could explore timing-related considerations and simulation anxiety itself.

Incorporating Real-time Simulated Patient and Instructor Feedback to Enhance Simulation Learning Experience for Occupational Therapy Students: A Mixed Methods Study

Incorporating Real-time Simulated Patient and Instructor Feedback to Enhance Simulation Learning Experience for Occupational Therapy Students: A Mixed Methods Study

A single-arm pilot study of a brief cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia intervention among Japanese occupational therapy and physical therapy university students with sleep disturbances

ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of the Sleep Health through University Student Habits (SHUSH) program, a brief sleep improvement intervention based upon principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) developed for Japanese university students.MethodsPretest-posttest, single-arm pilot study design with 3-month follow up was used to evaluate the feasibility of SHUSH. We developed then offered a 90-min sleep education class based upon the two-process model of sleep regulation, sleep restriction, stimulus control, and sleep hygiene. We recommended individualized sleep prescriptions (e.g., prescribed time to bed and prescribed time out of bed) from 11 days of daily sleep diary data. We then offered 15 min of individualized follow-up meetings each week for three consecutive weeks in person or online in which we supported adherence to sleep prescriptions. Fifteen university students with self-reported sleep disturbance (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI score ≥ 9) completed the SHUSH program. Participants were on average age 19.7 years old; nine were women, and they were students in occupational therapy and physical therapy. We assessed validated Japanese versions of sleep-related (e.g., ISI, Sleep hygiene practice scale; SHPS), mental health-related (e.g., Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener) patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and daily sleep diary variables (e.g., sleep onset latency and sleep efficiency).ResultsComparing baseline and posttest data, a statistically significant difference was observed in insomnia symptom severity, daytime sleepiness, sleep hygiene practices, eveningness to morningness, anxiety, depression, sleep diary improvements (e.g., sleep onset latency, total time in bed, and sleep efficiency). Comparing posttest and 3-mo follow up data (n = 10), a statistically significant difference wasn't observed for most PRO effects. However, there was a statistically significant difference in ineffective sleep behaviors (i.e., SHPS-J). We did observe a rebound effect for some SHPS-J items.ConclusionSHUSH was developed as a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention for insomnia. SHUSH participants showed improvements on sleep-related and mental health-related PROs after 4 weeks of intervention. At 3 months follow-up sleep quality and mental health gains were maintained. SHUSH was a feasible program. Randomized controlled trials are needed to test treatment efficacy on sleep related and mental health related PROs in the future.

A Pilot Study Examining The Efficacy Of Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation Programmes For Students With Work-Related Muscular-Skeletal Disorders

Background: Musculoskeletal issues at work have an influence on daily life, productivity, and quality of life. Musculoskeletal issues that go untreated can result in severe damage and function loss, which can limit participation, cause financial loss, and add to the rising burden of illness in the world. Objective: The purpose of this study was to find the effect of occupational therapy rehabilitation program in occupational therapy students with work related musculoskeletal disorder. Study Design:Quasi-experimental, pilot study design was chosen for the research Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental study design. Thirty occupational therapy students aged 20-25 years were recruited through convenience sampling after a prevalence check where 30 students reported 54 musculoskeletal problems. A total number of participants (n= 30) received occupational therapy rehabilitation program. Standardised Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (SNMQ) and Numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) were administered to Pain and work related musculoskeletal disorder for all the participants. Result: It revealed that there was a statistically significant difference in pre-test and post-test with numeric pain rating scale (t=10.625, p=0.000). There was a significant difference in percentage in 7 days component of SNMQ. There was no statistical difference with post-test of score of 12 months component of SNMQ. Conclusion: Occupational therapy rehabilitation program is effective for reducing Musculoskeletal disorder or discomfort in occupational therapy students.

Evaluation of an innovative dementia care competency model among physical and occupational therapy students

ABSTRACT The rising prevalence of dementia calls for a competent workforce capable of delivering quality dementia care. A standard for assessing dementia-care-specific competencies is necessary to guide curriculum development and implementation in a competency-based educational framework during academic training. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Dementia Care Competency Model (DCCM) among students enrolled in physical (PT) and occupational therapist (OT) programs. Eighty PT and OT students completed the DCCM by rating the 11 sub-competencies using the National Institute of Health Proficiency Likert Scale. The Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin of 0.878 and Bartlett’s test significance value of < 0.001, which indicates that the data were very good for factor analysis. The Eigenvalues and scree plot derived two factors with an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.936). When examining the grouping of sub-competencies, the two factors that emerged were patient-centered and interprofessional collaborative care. The DCCM version 2.0 can guide educators in designing learning experiences that target the essential competencies in dementia care, ensuring that PT and OT graduates are well-prepared to work with individuals living with dementia. Future research should refine the model by exploring additional sub-competencies within each domain and expanding the model’s applicability across multiple healthcare disciplines.

A randomized pragmatic feasibility trial to promote student perspective-taking on client physical activity level: a collaborative project

BackgroundHealth-care practitioners have opportunities to talk with clients about unhealthy behaviors. How practitioners approach these conversations involves skill to be effective. Thus, teaching health-care students to communicate empathetically with clients should promote effective client-practitioner conversations about health behavior change. The primary objective of this pilot trial was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of a theoretically informed intervention designed to improve perspective-taking.MethodsFor inclusion in this randomized mixed-methods parallel two-arm trial, participants needed to be a student at the investigators’ Canadian university and have completed course content on behavior change communication. Using a 1:1 allocation ratio, participants in Respiratory, Physical, and Occupational Therapy; Nurse Practitioner; and Kinesiology programs were randomly assigned to full or partial intervention conditions. Full intervention participants completed a perspective-taking workshop and practiced perspective-taking prior to an in-lab dialogue with a client-actor (masked to condition) about physical activity. Partial intervention participants received the workshop after the dialogue. We assessed feasibility and appropriateness by comparing recruitment rates, protocol, and psychometric outcomes to criteria. We assessed acceptability (secondary outcome) by analyzing exit interviews.ResultsWe screened and randomized 163 participants (82 = full intervention; 81 = partial intervention). We fell slightly short of our recruitment success criteria (10–15 participants per program) when 2/50 Occupational Therapy students participated. We met some but not all of our protocol criteria: Some full intervention participants did not practice perspective-taking before the dialogue, because they did not see anyone during the practice period or did not have a practice opportunity. Psychometric outcomes met the criteria, except for one measure that demonstrated ceiling effects and low reliability (Cronbach’s alpha < .70). There were no adverse events related to participation.ConclusionsThe intervention should be largely feasible, appropriate, and acceptable to deliver. We suggest changes that are large enough to warrant conducting another pilot study. We outline recommended improvements that are applicable to researchers and educators interested in recruitment, adherence to home practice, and online uptake of the intervention.Trial registrationThis trial was registered retrospectively on November 8, 2023, at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06123507.

The Effect of a Mindfulness Course on Self-Compassion Among Occupational Therapy Students

Abstract Objectives This study examined the impact of a mandatory course teaching mindfulness skills to first-year occupational therapy (OT) students' mindfulness skills and self-compassion. The objectives were to assess: (a) the correlations between students' mindfulness and self-compassion skills before and after participating in the course; and (b) the differences in mindfulness and self-compassion skills among the OT students who completed the mindfulness course. Method A cross-sectional, comparative, and correlation study design involved 106 first-year undergraduate OT students during three academic years, who participated in a mindfulness course. The students completed the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) before and after completing an academic semester. Results High and significant correlations were found between mindfulness skills and self-compassion total scores before versus. after completing the course. The post-scores of all the KIMS facets, besides “Acting”, were higher than the pre-scores; these differences were found to be significant for the total score, and for “Observing” and “Accepting” subscales. Significant improvement was also found in the SCS total score, and in all SCS components besides “Common Humanity”. Conclusions This study provides insights into the impact of a mandatory course teaching mindfulness and self-compassion skills to a large group of first-year undergraduate OT students. The results highlight the need to integrate mindfulness training into the curricula of health professions, such as OT. Practicing mindfulness and self-compassion may contribute to the personal and professional development of health profession students, as well as enhancing their ability to cope with academic pressures and challenges. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.

Impact of Training on Addressing Farmer Mental Health in Occupational Therapy Practice.

Farmers experience high rates of mental health conditions and suicide. It is within occupational therapy's scope to address mental health conditions in patients as it pertains to their participation in meaningful occupations. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of training provided to occupational therapy practitioners and students on addressing farmer mental health. Participants were directly recruited from occupational therapy state associations and graduate programs in the American Midwest to attend a 1-hour presentation and complete pre- and post-training surveys. A total of 119 participants completed the pre- and post-training surveys. Both occupational therapy practitioners and students significantly increased their confidence in assessing and addressing mental health concerns and providing resources to farmers following the training. Occupational therapy-specific training can increase therapists' confidence in addressing farmer mental health. Further research should assess multi-faceted interventions related to farmers' mental health in occupational therapy practice.

Feedback practices in clinical placement: how students come to understand how they are progressing

Health clinicians are required to make use of feedback to form effective judgements and deliver efficacious health care. In health education, clinical placements provide an opportunity for students to translate knowledge to practise and develop expertise. During placements students are expected to engage with and act on feedback in order to improve and demonstrate competence. Increasingly, in the assessment literature, students’ ability to judge the quality of their own performance (known as evaluative judgement) is considered key to placement success. Despite this, there is limited empirical research examining student feedback practices and their influence on evaluative judgement in the placement environment. This study sought to examine feedback practices in clinical placement and their contribution to the development of evaluative judgement. Three participant groups, occupational therapy students, placement supervisors, and university placement support staff took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using document and thematic analyses. Findings suggest students use a range of active feedback practices during placement, seeking feedback from multiple sources in different forms. Feedback practices appear pivotal in developing evaluative judgement but this often requires patching together of disparate, complex and competing information. Placement supervisors need to scaffold feedback so that students can develop evaluative judgement.

La competencia de comunicación terapéutica en estudiantes de práctica profesional de Terapia Ocupacional: percepciones y opiniones desde los docentes

IntroductionCommunication is key in Occupational Therapy and its effectiveness affects up to 20% of therapeutic results. It must be developed throughout the occupational therapists training and professional career, with internships being a critical period for the acquisition of these skills. This study explores opinions and perceptions about the importance and performance of communication competencies in Occupational Therapy students during their professional internships. MethodologyMixed sequential explanatory cross-sectional design, with a descriptive scope, in which 32 teachers participated through an online survey and individual interviews. ResultsThe most relevant elements in relation to communication competence are: agreement on plans and problems, information, patient perspective and empathy. In addition, teachers found that the performance of communication competence in students improves at the end of professional internship. DiscussionsCommunication competence is important, but there are differences in its assessment. Personal, curricular factors and teaching skills can influence performance. It is suggested to incorporate it into the curriculum from the beginning of training. ConclusionsCommunication competence is essential for occupational therapists, especially during their professional internships. Its continuous development should be encouraged so that students acquire clear and effective communication skills that promote therapeutic success.

Transition workshops: A programmatic approach to supporting theory-to-practice in health education

Health graduates must competently apply theory in their practice, but this is challenging for students to learn. This study explored student experiences of a program-level curriculum design aimed at supporting theory-to-practice translation in occupational therapy. Annual ‘Transition Workshops’ targeted theoretical tenants of the program and supported students to transition their learning from one year to the next. The Transition Workshops were evaluated using pre- and post-workshop surveys and focus groups. There were 223 post-workshop surveys completed by student participants and four focus groups with 18 student participants. The quantitative survey data were analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Qualitative survey data were analysed using content analysis and group interview transcripts were inductively analysed using thematic analysis. Students conveyed that the Transition Workshops were beneficial and their perceived levels of theoretical knowledge, and confidence in applying that knowledge, increased after engaging in them. The workshops assisted students to transition their learning across the degree by providing opportunities to revise and prime for their next stage of learning, learn how to apply theory-into-practice, and build self-confidence for practice education learning within their degree. Transition Workshops, designed at a program-level, can be incorporated into curriculum to assist occupational therapy students to develop their theoretical knowledge and support theory-into-practice. This approach may be of value within other clinical and professional programs and that inclusion in university policy is required to guide academic practices.

Occupational therapy students’ and educators’ perspectives and understanding of the role of occupational therapy within social prescribing: A qualitative interview study

Occupational therapy students’ and educators’ perspectives and understanding of the role of occupational therapy within social prescribing: A qualitative interview study

Students’ first professional placement: unravelling expectations and realities

PurposeThis study aims to examine the anticipated and actual challenges encountered by occupational therapy and physiotherapy students during their first full-time professional placement and to understand the strategies they implemented to manage their multiple life roles.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal qualitative research examined students’ anticipated and reported challenges with their first block professional placement and the strategies they implemented during it. In total, 22 occupational therapy and physiotherapy students were interviewed at two time points (pre- and post-placement), producing 44 interview data points. Transcribed interviews were analysed thematically using a hybrid approach.FindingsPre-placement, students perceived potential challenges related to the distance between their placement location and where they resided and their ability to maintain balance in their multiple roles. Post-placement, the main reported challenge was maintaining role balance, due to unexpected challenges and students’ unanticipated tiredness. Students implemented strategies to assist with managing multiple roles and reflected on the benefits and drawbacks of placements. They also considered the necessary future adjustments.Practical implicationsThis study highlighted the importance of social support and the need for proactive recovery strategies to negate the tiredness that students experienced on placement.Originality/valueThis is the first study, to our knowledge, to investigate how allied health students, on their first block of professional placement, balanced their multiple roles over time.

Perception of the Educational Environment Among Occupational Therapy Students at University of Santo Tomas: A Study Based on the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)

Perception of the Educational Environment Among Occupational Therapy Students at University of Santo Tomas: A Study Based on the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)

Belonging: A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Lived Experienced of Black Occupational Therapy Students and Practitioners

Abstract Date Presented 03/21/24 Black students and practitioners face systemic inequities that are insufficiently addressed. This session will explore their lived experiences with systemic racism and the impact of their occupational therapy education on their sense of belonging. Primary Author and Speaker: Nardia Aldridge Additional Authors and Speakers: Chloe Hill, Sierra Green, Lili Maglaris