This mixed methods survey examines the perceptions of occupational therapists working in hand therapy in the United States regarding the benefits of and barriers to occupation-based hand therapy. Electronic questionnaires containing open- and closed-ended questions were answered by 105 occupational therapists working in hand therapy and analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitatively according to themes. Participants reported that occupation-based interventions benefit clients by facilitating functional activity, meaningful therapeutic experiences, and holistic approach to treatment. Reported barriers to occupation-based interventions include logistic issues, reimbursement issues, the limitations imposed by the client's medical condition or the treatment protocol, and credibility of occupation-based interventions. Overcoming the challenges to occupation-based practice in hand therapy requires research in the efficiacy of occupation-based hand therapy and education of the public as well as health professionals and occupational therapists working in hand therapy.
Findings of this study can assist occupational therapists to develop a more occupation-based intervention program through focusing on occupation-based theory, being intentional, using occupation-focused interventions and building an occupation focused context. Findings can also inform future research into the efficacy of occupation-based hand therapy, appropriate timing for balancing occupation with tissue protection, and the effects of therapist experience on their ability to use an occupation-based approach in hand therapy.
The pediatric physical therapists who took part in this project had positive attitudes toward evidence-based practice and made modest improvements in this area. It is critical for the profession to continue to investigate optimal strategies to aid practicing clinicians in applying research evidence to clinical decision making.
This paper examines the outcomes of an experiential learning lab embedded in a didactic course. Program evaluation results were derived from student surveys and reflective journaling. The outcomes indicate that students valued the opportunity for experiential learning citing the primary benefits as the opportunity to, apply and manipulate knowledge, build clinical reasoning skills, and develop the professional skills to engage in and effectively manage an intervention session.
The findings have implications for injury prevention in office settings and suggest that ergonomics education may yield positive knowledge and behavioral changes among computer workers.
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