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All professional preparation programs need to ensure that university curricula remain reflective of current practice, and also prepare graduates for practice in the future. Upon formation, the Australia and New Zealand Occupational Therapy Mental Health Academics (ANZOTMHA) network identified that there was insufficient or poorly organised information available about how well current occupational therapy curricula prepared students for practice in the field of mental health. One of the first priorities established by ANZOTMHA was to undertake a program of research to examine this issue. The aim of this report is to summarise and integrate the outcomes of two inter-related studies to explore the extent to which current occupational therapy university curricula in Australia and New Zealand match educational priorities identified by practising occupational therapists in mental health.

Refereed/Peer-reviewed Background/aim: Childhood picky eating occurs when there is limited intake or variety of food and/or unwillingness to try new foods. Within research settings, standardised assessments are used to describe picky eating behaviours in children. However, little is known about assessment practices of occupational therapists. Similarly, occupational therapy interventions for picky eating in the literature focus on; providing strategies for parents, and working with the child on self-feeding skills. Despite this, interventions and strategies utilised by occupational therapists in clinical practice within an Australian health-care context are unknown. This study examines Australian health professionals' observations of picky eating behaviours, the use of childhood picky eating assessments and interventions, and differences between occupational therapists and other professionals. Methods: Health professionals (n = 179) were recruited through professional organisations, such as Occupational Therapy Australia. Participants completed an online survey between March and May 2021. Independent variables were reported using descriptive statistics, with logistic regression used to consider differences between occupational therapists and other health professionals. Conventional content analysis was used to analyse responses to open-ended questions. Results: The final sample included 109 eligible participants, with an average of 8.5 years working with picky eaters. Results indicated picky eating behaviours aligned with those reported in the literature. Participants relied on clinical observations and workplace designed assessments. The most common interventions were education, coaching, and the sequential oral sensory approach to feeding. Occupational therapy participants were significantly more likely than other health professional participants to report always using coaching and education. Conclusion: Although few health professionals used standardised or validated assessments, the use of education and coaching by occupational therapists aligned with the literature. Results highlight the need for more rigorous investigation to determine the sensitivity of current assessments to differentiate between clinical and typical picky eating, and the effectiveness of interventions for childhood picky eating.

Background/aim: Occupational therapy programs must prepare graduates for work in mental health. However, this area of practice is complex and rapidly changing. This study explored the alignment between educational priorities identified by occupational therapists practising in mental health and level of coverage of these topics in occupational therapy programs in Australia and New Zealand. Methods: Surveys were distributed to heads of all occupational therapy programs across Australia and New Zealand. The survey included educational priorities identified by occupational therapists in mental health from a previous study. Respondents were requested to identify the level of coverage given to each of these priorities within their curriculum. These data were analysed to determine a ranking of educational topics in terms of level of coverage in university programs. Results: Responses were received for 19 programs from 16 universities. Thirty-four topics were given High-level coverage' in university programs, and these were compared against the 29 topics classified as Essential priorities' by clinicians. Twenty topics were included in both the Essential priorities' and High-level coverage' categories. Topics considered to be Essential priorities' by clinicians which were not given High-level coverage' in university programs included the following: mental health fieldwork experiences; risk assessment and management; professional self-care resilience and sensory approaches. Conclusion: While there appears to be overall good alignment between mental health curricula and priorities identified by practising occupational therapists, there are some discrepancies. These discrepancies are described and establish a strong foundation for further discussion between clinicians, academics and university administration to support curriculum review and revision. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The aim of this report is to summarise and integrate the outcomes of two inter-related studies to explore the extent to which current occupational therapy university curricula in Australia and New Zealand match educational priorities identified by practising occupational therapists in mental health.