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Purpose: Social robots have shown positive effects in treating children with autism spectrum disorder. The development of social robots in Indonesia has enabled their potential use in occupational therapy. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the acceptance of the potential use of social robots by Indonesian occupational therapists in clinical practice., Methods: This study employed a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. An adapted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model was utilised for the quantitative phase. The questionnaire explored the acceptance of social robots. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews with reflexive thematic analysis were conducted. The second phase aimed to explain the reasons behind the quantitative results and factors related to the acceptance of social robots in therapy., Results: Occupational therapists showed high interest in using social robots in their sessions, as indicated by the significant positive relationship between performance expectancy and potential use. Three influential factors affecting acceptance emerged in the qualitative phase: occupational therapists' characteristics and competencies, social robots and occupational therapy interventions, and environmental influence., Conclusions: Indonesian occupational therapists have shown interest in using social robots. However, there are challenges regarding the practical application of social robots concerning individual differences in the factors that influence acceptance.

Introduction: Young adults experiencing psychosis have the same plans for work and future careers as their peers; however, many find themselves unable to participate. While there is research available about interventions used to support employment of young adults with psychosis, there is little evidence regarding the experience of occupational therapists working in this field and the vocational rehabilitation interventions and practices they use., Methods: A descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was used to explore the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners who support young adults experiencing psychosis with employment. Qualitative data analysis was guided by cross case inductive thematic analysis., Consumer and Community Involvement: This study did not include consumer and community involvement., Findings: There were nine participants, two male and seven females (average 14.7 years mental health experience and age 39 years). All occupational therapists in this study were providing employment support interventions to young adults experiencing psychosis. These ranged from support with career exploration and job seeking to support with keeping and changing jobs. Thematic analysis generated five themes that characterised their experience including psychosis can make securing employment harder for young adults, young adults' pathways to work, and employment destinations of young adults. Finally, employment support interventions and strategies for young adults experiencing psychosis and the service system context-providers, problems, and possibilities for change were described., Conclusion: Young adults experiencing psychosis can miss out on the employment support they need when services are not accessible and evidence-based interventions, such as individual placement and support and early intervention, are not available. Occupational therapists prioritise employment when working with young adults experiencing psychosis. Occupational therapists with their person-centred, consumer-directed, and occupation-focussed approach can provide a range of employment support interventions to enable young adults experiencing psychosis to reach their work and career goals., Plain Language Summary: Nine occupational therapists shared how they help young people with psychosis find jobs. Not having transport or work experience can make it hard for young people to work. The occupational therapists talked about how it can be hard to work when you have psychosis. They shared ways to find a job. They shared stories of young people finding their own jobs, starting their own companies or getting jobs from family and friends. Sometimes young people wanted help, and they were having trouble getting someone to help them. Occupational therapists were trying to help young people get a job if they asked for help. For example, they helped young people think about jobs they would like to do and helped them with job applications. Young people need all the services and people they work with to help them with finding and keeping their jobs., (© 2025 Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Health professionals/clinicians interview people regularly as part of their role. However, a qualitative research interview differs considerably to a clinical interview. If clinicians approach qualitative research interviewing based on their expertise in clinical interviewing, it could cause insufficiencies in qualitative data generation. In this reflection article, we, a team of four experienced clinical occupational therapists with no previous experience in qualitative research interviewing, share our experiences while learning to become qualitative research interviewers before undertaking our first qualitative research project. We engaged in self-directed reading, formal training on qualitative interviewing, and practice interviews and used peer feedback and reflection to prepare ourselves to conduct qualitative interviews. We drew upon the work-role transitions theory to work through our adjustment to the new role. Although we set out to "switch hats" as the research topic itself was not clinical, interviewing people on health-related topics will mean bringing our clinical instincts into our research role, while still recognizing the difference between a clinical and research interview. This article can inform experienced clinicians/novice qualitative researchers as they develop this new skillset., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The care of adolescents in reclusion has been a field of work for occupational therapists in different parts of the world. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze Brazilian occupational therapists' practices with adolescents in reclusion. Research conducted in Brazil, identifying 56 professionals, invited to answer a questionnaire ( n = 43); participate in discussion groups ( n = 9); and interview ( n = 4). Professionals reported different visions that guide their practices, including the identification of individual skills and the profession's possibilities for social action. Occupational therapists have specificities to work in these institutions, highlighting the possibilities of acting with a focus on social change. Practices in occupational therapy can lead to social change if focused on social issues. Social occupational therapy offers theoretical and methodological elements that inform the profession. Reflections on the practice carried out, according to a critical perspective, enable a performance in occupational therapy that intends social change., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: To explore the factors that influence clinicians (occupational therapists, physiotherapists, vascular surgeons, and rehabilitation medicine physicians) when prescribing prosthetic rehabilitation. Additionally, the study aimed to gain insight into clinicians' perspectives regarding the role of patient cognition in prosthetic rehabilitation., Materials and Methods: This research constitutes one segment of a broader action research study which was undertaken in 2022. A total of thirty-four key clinicians involved in the amputation and prosthetic rehabilitation pathway within a local health district in Australia were engaged through a combination of group and individual interviews as well as surveys., Results: Five essential considerations when prescribing prosthetic rehabilitation emerged. These included patient's goals, medical history, quality of life, cognitive abilities, and the support available on discharge. This study also revealed variations in opinions among different disciplines concerning appropriateness of prosthetic rehabilitation for the patient cohort. Despite this, there was a desire to build a consensus around a shared approach of identification for patients and clinicians., Conclusion: The identification of these key pillars for clinician consideration has simplified a complex area of care. These pillars could be used to guide pertinent conversations regarding prosthetic rehabilitation and are closely linked with the patient's cognition.

There is a paucity of research into the strategies occupational therapists use to maintain career longevity professional resilience. The objective of the study was to identify the strategies used by occupational therapists to maintain their professional resilience. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data from a cross-sectional survey that investigated the professional resilience strategies used by experienced occupational therapists. Valid responses were received from 489 occupational therapists from 29 countries. The most used professional resilience strategies were maintaining a belief in the value of occupational therapy, taking time for reflection on positive outcomes, using personal time management strategies, and engagement in informal and formal professional support networks. A range of professional resilience strategies are used by experienced occupational therapists in health and social care settings. The findings can be used by managers and workplace organizations to support their occupational therapy workforce., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: As an occupational therapist, listening and empathy are critical components of practice because they are the foundation for developing therapeutic rapport with patients and their relatives. Currently, there is still no study regarding the level of empathy and listening styles among Occupational therapists in Malaysia. This study investigates the level of empathy and listening styles among occupational therapists in Malaysia and to examine their correlations., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 244 occupational therapy practitioners; 43 males; and 181 females. The level of empathy and listening style were assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Health Professional version and Listening Styles Profile- Revised questionnaires. Data were collected using Google Form. Analysis data were done using IBM SPSS Statistical Software version 26., Results: Statistical analysis showed that Malaysia occupational therapists preferred perspective taking (mean 55.67, Standard Deviation, SD 10.54) in empathy and the analytical listening in listening styles approach (mean 34.71, SD 6.76). In addition, there was a moderate to strong significant correlation between the level of empathy and listening styles (r= 0.419 to 0.648, p<0.05). Furthermore, there is significant difference between listening styles and empathy in relation to gender (male>female) p=0.001-0.038), race (Indian higher than Malay and Chinese) and areas of practice (paediatric higher than psychiatric) (p= 0.016 to 0.039)., Conclusion: The findings are helpful for occupational therapists to improve their quality services by being more listening and empathetic while providing proper intervention to the patients.

Importance: Burnout is common among occupational therapy professionals and associated with poor health and well-being, absenteeism, turnover, and exit from the profession. This study identified specific job titles, job characteristics, and resources related to burnout., Objective: To identify specific aspects of occupational therapy jobs related to burnout and to investigate job crafting as one approach for reducing burnout., Design: Cross-sectional survey., Participants: Four hundred occupational therapy professionals from 45 states across the United States., Outcomes and Measures: This study investigated the relative importance of job demands (e.g., workload, emotional labor, role ambiguity), job resources (e.g., professional identity, autonomy, perceived support), and burnout and examined job crafting as a strategy for reducing burnout., Results: Burnout varied across occupational therapy positions and practice areas and was most strongly associated with excessive workload. Occupational therapy professionals who engaged in job crafting reported less burnout. Several positive job resources, including meaningful work, job involvement, and perceived organizational support, were also associated with job crafting., Conclusions and Relevance: This study identified specific occupational therapy roles, settings, and job characteristics related to burnout and job crafting behaviors that may help reduce burnout. Plain-Language Summary: Burnout is common among occupational therapy professionals and is associated with poor health and well-being, absenteeism, turnover, and people leaving the profession. This study identifies occupational therapy positions, practice areas, and work conditions at most risk for burnout and highlights job resources that can prevent and mitigate burnout. The study found that burnout varied across occupational therapy positions and practice areas and was most strongly associated with excessive workload. Recommendations to address burnout include engaging in job crafting, optimizing job demands and resources, and fostering meaningful work to reduce burnout., (Copyright © 2025 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.)

Objective: To assess rehabilitation clinicians' viewpoints regarding a multicomponent implementation program aimed at promoting high-intensity resistance rehabilitation (HIR), as well as practical implications for its use in skilled nursing facility (SNF) rehabilitation., Design: Prospective convergent mixed-method design., Setting: Eight rural SNFs within the Department of Veterans Affairs., Participants: Physical rehabilitation clinicians (physical and occupational therapists, physical and occupational therapy assistants, recreational therapists, and kinesiotherapists) who engaged with the implementation program (n=38)., Interventions: Clinicians engaged with the multicomponent implementation program to promote the use of HIR in clinical practice. The program components included clinician training (i.e., virtual didactic modules with synchronous case discussions), provision of resources (e.g., equipment, job aids), and facilitated implementation (e.g., external implementation facilitator support, distributed tips and tricks)., Main Outcome Measures: Acceptability of Intervention Measure, Training Acceptability Rating Scale, study-specific questionnaires, and qualitative focus groups exploring perceived acceptability, feasibility, and effect on work experience., Results: Questionnaires revealed high levels of implementation program acceptability and perceived effect, alongside moderate levels of feasibility. Focus group themes supported these findings, explaining high acceptability and effect through differentiation from other trainings and prolonged engagement. Feasibility results were explained qualitatively by facilitatory factors (i.e., team participation, reduced caseloads, training characteristics) and inhibitory factors (i.e., training timing, self-paced scheduling logistics, lack of protected time and space). There was no reported negative effect on clinician work experience., Conclusions: According to SNF clinician perspectives, a positive HIR implementation experience may be enhanced through implementation programs that provide prolonged engagement and a self-paced structure with built-in accountability. Leadership and organizational support appear important to protect time and space for clinicians who experience competing priorities to successfully facilitate evidence uptake. Future work can evaluate the applicability across various contexts beyond rural VA SNFs., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Occupational therapy practitioners' (OTP's) perceptions of their role in working on the acute postpartum hospital unit are unknown. The objective of this research was to determine the perspectives of OTP's enrolled in a continuing education course to gain competency in providing services to acute postpartum patients. Investigators engaged in a phenomenology consisting of semi-structured interviews with six OTP's working in acute care hospitals preparing to work on the postpartum unit. Three themes emerged from transcripts: (a) Its' Not THAT Different; (b) Willing To Try; and (c) Shifting Focus To Mom. OTPs working in hospitals identified existing skills applicable to working with acute postpartum patients, a need for additional learning to enhance competence, and a desire to focus support for the birthing person to improve maternal outcomes. Hospital onboarding and/or entry-level OTP programs should consider including education on the postpartum population. Future research should focus on program implementation on acute postpartum hospital units., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Health inequalities can affect access and uptake to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). An individual's protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation) may contribute to health inequalities. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) experiences of the inclusivity and representativeness of PR services and knowledge of protected characteristics are unknown, however are vital for the identification and resolution of health inequalities. This qualitative study explored HCPs understanding of protected characteristics and their perception of the inclusivity, representativeness and equitable benefit of their PR services., Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted in person or via videoconferencing with HCPs involved in PR from two healthcare providers. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis., Results: 12 interviews were conducted with physiotherapists ( n = 6), occupational therapists ( n = 2), nurses ( n = 2) and exercise physiologists ( n = 2). Participants had a median (IRQ) age of 43 (13) and 75% ( n = 9) were female. Four themes were generated. 1: 'I don't really know as much as I should' [about protected characteristics]; 2: It's uncomfortable collecting protected characteristics…; 3: 'I don't think [service users] are as representative as they could be'; 4: A conventional rehabilitation programme does not meet the needs of all., Conclusions: This study highlighted several challenges in HCPs understanding of protected characteristics and the representativeness of PR that must be addressed to ensure equity. Strategies, to understand barriers in accessing PR that limit representativeness should be explored., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: H. Drover reports a role as NRAP Honorary Clinical Fellow on the Pulmonary Rehabilitation workstream. S.J. Singh reports roles as NIHR Senior Investigator, NRAP Clinical Lead for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation workstream and Editorial Strategy Board of Chronic Respiratory Disease. M.W. Orme reports a role on the Editorial Review Board of Chronic Respiratory Disease. E. Daynes reports lecture honoraria from Clinical Physio, honoraria from Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (funding committee 2023) and roles with the BTS as chair of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist Advisory Group, Lead Expert Member NICE HTA EVA for Digital Rehabilitation, ATS Pulmonary Rehabilitation Assembly committee member, NRAP steering group, PRSAS steering group, CAHPR East Midlands Hub Lead, NIHR HS&DR funding committee member and Associate Editor of Chronic Respiratory Disease.

Background: Effective communication between healthcare providers and patients is essential for high-quality care and patient satisfaction. Barriers to communication can lead to misunderstandings and poorer health outcomes. This study aims to identify communication obstacles between physical/occupational therapists (PTs/OTs) and patients in the Saudi Arabian context., Methods: This cross-sectional study, which was conducted from September 2022 to January 2023, involved 228 patients and 46 therapists from the rehabilitation services department. Data were collected via two self-administered questionnaires and analyzed via Pearson's chi-square test of independence and Fisher's exact test for categorical nominal data to assess associations between variables. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Most patients (25.4%) were young adults aged 18-30 years, predominantly Saudi nationals (96.5%), with undergraduate degrees (63%). High satisfaction with therapists was reported by 69.3% of patients. The key barriers identified included limited consultation time (15.8%) and the use of medical records (4.8%). Therapists, primarily young professionals aged 25-30 years (54.3%) with 3-5 years of experience (43.5%), also reported time limitations (30.4%), physical setup issues (37.0%), and poor patient history-taking (56.5%) as significant barriers. Additional findings from our study indicated that monolingual Arabic-speaking therapists faced greater challenges in understanding language (p = 0.02), and younger therapists (aged 25-30) reported greater difficulties in managing multiple problems during sessions (p = 0.03), highlighting age and linguistic background as significant factors influencing communication efficacy., Conclusions: Addressing communication barriers through targeted interventions, such as enhanced training, improved clinical structures, and advanced electronic health records, can improve patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and specific communication training programs., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All methods were performed in accordance with the ethical standards established in the Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved with approval and consent of the Ethics Committee of King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (IRB approval number: IRBC/0937/22). Informed consent was obtained from all participants before their involvement in the study, ensuring that they were fully aware of the study's purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits. Consent for publication: Not Available. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objectives: There is an increasing push for broad implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) targeting older adults. Successful delivery of EBIs in communities requires therapists to adhere to protocols and to be responsive to contextual factors. This study explored the real-world implementation of an EBI, the Multiple-component Cognitive Intervention using Simulated Everyday Tasks (MCI-SET) in Taiwan from therapists' perspectives on fidelity, challenges, and strategies for program delivery., Research Design and Methods: We used a convergent mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from the 13-item Perceived Fidelity Questionnaire (PFQ), assessing the perceived importance, proficiency, and adherence to the essential skills of MCI-SET. Qualitative data were collected via 2 World Café discussions on implementation challenges and strategies, which were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative findings were then compared and integrated to enrich the interpretation., Results: 47 occupational therapists completed the PFQ. They rated community-oriented skills as more important, demonstrated greater proficiency, and achieved higher adherence. Qualitative analysis revealed that therapists need to increase and sustain participation by strategically introducing the program, adapting the intervention protocol to make it engaging, relevant to everyday issues, and tailored to local needs, and building rapport. Both quantitative and qualitative findings highlighted the importance of community engagement skills and the adaptability of intervention to implementation and sustainability in communities., Discussion and Implications: Real-world scale-up of EBIs requires tailored adaptations responsive to community contexts, especially when initially introducing an intervention unfamiliar to the community. This emphasizes the need for a dynamic fidelity concept., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Gerontological Society of America.)

Introduction: Visiting a patient's living environment is important for occupational therapists, albeit costly and time consuming. MapIt is a mobile app producing a 3D representation of a home with the possibility of taking measurements. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of a 3D representation of a patient's home for the clinical practice of occupational therapists., Methods: Case study in which the unit of analysis was the utility of MapIt as defined by ISO 9241-11:2018 and as perceived by occupational therapists in four different occupational therapy clinical settings (Canada). Onsite observations with 10 occupational therapists (and their patients) were triangulated with data from interviews, diaries, and logbooks. Inductive thematic condensation led to emerging conclusions for each clinical setting, fuelling the next case data collection and analysis. Inter-case analysis was corroborated by additional occupational therapists, through crowdsourcing and expert review., Results: Occupational therapists' clinical reasoning was supported by the MapIt app, enhancing and streamlining their work and inducing adjustments to treatment plans. Occupational therapists saw and measured the patient's environment remotely, to better match person-environment-occupation and promote occupational engagement. MapIt's 3D representations were judged useful to communicate between occupational therapists and stakeholders, to educate, allow continuity, optimise resources, minimise the patient's time on a waitlist for homecare, and save time for everyone., Discussion: MapIt allowed occupational therapists who performed home visits to bring a little of the patients' home to their office, whereas occupational therapists without access to the home could see it and take measurements. MapIt's utility was confirmed for practice in clinical settings and for better continuity of care between settings., Conclusion: MapIt makes it possible for occupational therapists to 'walk around' the patient's home remotely, but the possibility of measuring environmental elements is a 3D model's true added value over currently used photos or short videos., (© 2024 The Author(s). Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Introduction: Autistic children commonly receive simultaneous services from various health-care and other professionals, including occupational therapy, throughout their journey of diagnosis and consequent therapeutic support. Current best practice guidelines for supporting autistic youth emphasise the importance of interprofessional collaboration. Despite this, collaboration among health-care professionals does not always occur, and little is understood about clinicians' experiences of collaborative care. The aim of this study was to explore Australian paediatric occupational therapists' experiences of interprofessional collaboration and their perception of factors influencing collaboration when supporting autistic children., Methods: This study employed an exploratory qualitative descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 Australian paediatric occupational therapists involved in service provision to autistic children. Questions explored clinicians' experiences and perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to inductively analyse data., Consumer and Community Consultation: This study was conceptualised and conducted by a team of researchers with a range of personal and professional experiences with the autistic community. The research design was strongly informed by the Autism CRC'S research guidelines., Findings: Three themes were generated highlighting factors that influence collaboration between occupational therapists and other professionals. The first emphasised that 'clinicians' capacity to collaborate' at both organisational and individual levels was understood to be greatly influenced by funding structures. The second emphasised that 'relationships are key to collaboration' with these often established through shared workplaces or clients. The third, 'shared perceptions make collaboration easier' described how shared perceptions of collaboration, the occupational therapy role, and autism-related frames of reference were perceived to influence interprofessional collaboration., Conclusion: Findings indicate that, while occupational therapists perceive interprofessional collaboration as valuable in the support of autistic children, there are barriers to effective collaboration, particularly in the context of a marketised service delivery model., Plain Language Summary: This study looked at how Australian occupational therapists work with other professionals to support autistic children. Even though it is recommended that professionals work together to support autistic children and their families, this does not always happen. In this study, researchers interviewed 13 occupational therapists and asked what it is like working with other professionals, what is helpful, and what makes working together difficult. From these interviews, it was found that many things affect how well occupational therapists can work with other health professionals and teachers to support autistic children. Factors like funding and workplace rules affect how professionals work together. Having someone take on the role of leader and having good relationships between professionals made it easier to work together. It was also helpful when occupational therapists and other professionals shared similar ideas on how to support autistic children. The study could be improved if it had gathered more information about the occupational therapists' education and what they have learnt about working with other professionals. Overall, the therapists in this study believed that working together to support autistic children and their families was important, but that there are many challenges to making this happen. More research on this topic would be helpful., (© 2024 The Author(s). Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Introduction: Swedish healthcare has undergone significant changes since the transferral of home healthcare from a regional to municipal responsibility, and since the new 2018 law regulating discharge from hospital. This meant changes to ways of working for Occupational Therapists (OTs), as OTs play a key role in planning for discharging patients, a crucial process before patients return home, and in the transition between care givers., Aim: The aim of this study is to illuminate how OTs experience the intra-professional collaboration during the discharge process between inpatient care and home healthcare., Methods: Interviews were conducted with OTs ( N  = 12), with even distribution between inpatient care and home healthcare, in three geographical locations in Sweden. Data analysis was performed according to qualitative content analysis., Results: A central theme ran through all categories; the multi faces of intra-professional communication are challenging, intertwined and emotional. The categories illuminate experiences in terms of important but neglected patient participation and safety, different forms of mind-set depending on setting, complex rapid communication, unpredictable paths of discharge, unclear responsibility and organisational guidelines and, impact on work health and OT emotions., Conclusion: Intra-professional communication is complex with many aspects and perspectives of importance for collaboration to run smoothly, but also the many individuals involved in the collaboration process of discharging a patient. This situates high demands on the professionals involved to distinguish and identify necessary information to make the discharge sound and safe for patient, as well as for relatives, involved services, and manageable for OTs.

Background: Obesity and being overweight can hinder participation in daily activities and impact engagement. Occupational therapists offer a unique perspective on this issue, yet their practice is seldom described in the literature., Aim: To explore how Australian occupational therapists use their occupational perspective when working with people who are obese or overweight., Methods: A qualitative dominant crossover mixed methods approach was adopted. Eleven semi-structured interviews with occupational therapists were conducted and analysed. Questions explored clinical decision-making, barriers, facilitators, and therapist knowledge and confidence about working with these clients. Three Likert scale questions on client contact frequency, perceived intervention effectiveness and knowledge of weight-related occupational therapy provided contextualisation., Results: Occupational therapists reported average confidence and variability in the effectiveness of weight-related interventions. Three key themes were identified: 1) Exploring clients' needs for weight management; 2) Incorporating weight management strategies in occupational therapy intervention; and 3) Organisation of current occupational therapy practice for people with obesity., Conclusion: Occupational therapists should leverage an occupational perspective to enhance participation and engagement for people with obesity, thereby ensuring the client's best interests are met., Significance: As change agents, occupational therapists can advocate for shifts in care culture, influence leadership and challenge systemic issues that limit occupational performance and participation for people with obesity.

Introduction: Occupational therapists support children with self-regulation needs to engage in meaningful occupations at home, school, and in the community. However, little is known about how Australian practitioners perceive their role working with children with self-regulation needs in the Australian healthcare context. Therefore, we explored the contemporary practice experiences of Australian occupational therapists working with children 4-12 years referred for self-regulation support, to better understand elements constituting efficacious service delivery to enhance occupational engagement., Methods: A qualitative descriptive design, underpinned by constructivism and relativism, was implemented to address the research aim. Occupational therapists were recruited online to participate in audio-recorded focus groups and interviews. The audio recordings were anonymised, transcribed verbatim, and analysed through reflexive thematic analysis., Consumer and Community Involvement: No consumers were involved in the study design or analysis., Findings: Four themes were generated, encapsulating the experience of 13 occupational therapists working with children with self-regulation needs: (1) navigating the complexities of self-regulation, (2) intervening to support the child and surrounding systems, (3) bringing the occupational therapy perspective to the self-regulation puzzle, and (4) working within an evolving practice context. Themes 1-3 describe specific processes that all occurred within the context of Theme 4. Overall, participants detailed successful practice to support children with self-regulation needs to participate in meaningful occupations that required person-centredness, collaboration, coaching, and adaptability of therapists responding to different stakeholder demands., Conclusion: Self-regulation is a complex area of practice, and occupational therapists have a key role in supporting occupational engagement by balancing the child's needs with those of family, other stakeholders, and funding bodies. Findings support occupational therapists and decision-makers advocating for the unique role of occupational therapy in supporting self-regulation in childhood as part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach. Specific consideration must also be given to ways that current funding schemes in Australia enable occupational therapy services for children with self-regulation needs., Plain Language Summary: Controlling emotions and behaviours is sometimes called 'self-regulation'. Some children find this hard and need help from an occupational therapist, who knows a lot about the body and the systems within it. A lot of occupational therapists in Australia help children with their self-regulation. There is not much known about how these therapists see their role in working with these children. We wanted to understand what it is like for occupational therapists who help children, between 4 and 12 years old, with their self-regulation. We interviewed 13 occupational therapists from across Australia and analysed what they said. The data showed four main points: (1) understanding the challenges of self-regulation, (2) helping the child and their environment, (3) using an occupational therapy approach to solve self-regulation issues, and (4) working in a changing practice environment. The therapists described how important it is to focus on the child, work together with many people like caregivers and teachers, and being flexible. They talked about how they balance the needs of the child, family, and funding bodies, which could sometimes be tricky. The study shows the things that therapists are doing when working with children who need help with their self-regulation and the things that therapists find hard working in this space. The results of the study can be used by people who advocate for services that help children and by people who make decisions about Australia's healthcare. One way the study can be used is to think about how current funding schemes do or do not allow different people and professions to work together to support children's self-regulation. Even though there were some limitations, such as a low response rate due to the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did interview therapists from different parts of Australia who work in different settings to each other., (© 2024 Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Background: A less developed professional identity negatively influences a person's mental well-being and is suggested to potentially affect quality of care and thus clients' well-being. Literature indicates that a strong developed professional identity is to strive for. In Flanders, Belgium, cultural and legislative challenges negatively impact the professional development of occupational therapists., Aim/objectives: To explore the professional identity development of Flemish occupational therapists, with a focus on significant events shaped by aspects of self-efficacy., Method: Five Flemish occupational therapists were interviewed twice. The semi-structured and open follow-up interviews were all conducted online. Data was analysed by using a narrative- and narrative slopes analysis., Results: Similar and unique experiences emerged: occupational therapy appeared as an unexpected career choice, clinical placements were important, getting and staying in the work field has its challenges, and continuously improving themselves. Self-efficacy fluctuated during their whole journey., Conclusion: Five unique narratives, raise awareness of potentially vulnerable events in becoming an occupational therapist., Significance: This study highlights the importance of actively reflecting on how to support students, novice, and senior therapists in developing and nurturing their professional identity (e.g. continued professional development, strong supervisor relationship, interprofessional education).

Aim: To investigate the influence of contextual framing on physio- and occupational therapists' clinical reasoning in sensory rooms for patients admitted to psychiatric units., Material and Method: Physiotherapists and occupational therapists from acute and intensive care units with sensory rooms were invited to participate in the study. The therapists were interviewed following sessions with patients in sensory rooms, using a semi-structured interview guide. These therapists also participated in a focus group interview. All interviews were transcribed and analysed based on the thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke., Results: Twenty individual interviews and one focus group interview were conducted with seven physio- and occupational therapists. Three themes with accompanying subthemes emerged: (i) The contextual influence: Therapists' perceptions of the use of sensory rooms, The dominance of the medical paradigm). (ii) The therapeutic alliance: The therapists' relational skills, The importance of a good therapeutic patient relation, and Physio- and occupational therapy in a psychiatric setting.: (iii) The therapeutic diagnosis, Therapeutic sensory room interventions, and Holistic approach in a limited timeframe ., Conclusion: The clinical reasoning of physio- and occupational therapists in sensory-modulating sessions for patients admitted to psychiatric units is influenced by a primarily medically dominated paradigm; legally, economically, and politically. Occupational therapists mainly focus on everyday skills and being in the present, whereas physiotherapists focused on activities with bodily anchoring and awareness.

Introduction: Poor fit between the work environment and work expectations is associated with high levels of workplace-related stress. Work stress in occupational therapy has been attributed to the nature of the profession and various other workplace-related factors. Workplace-related stress leading to burnout has been found to be higher in early career occupational therapists with less than 5 years of experience. This study explored workplace factors that result in poor person-work environment fit in six work-life areas in South African early career occupational therapists. Methods: A descriptive electronic survey design was used to access a sample of South African 261 occupational therapists with 2-5 years of work experience. The Area of Work-Life Survey (AWS) considers six work-life areas: control, workload, community, rewards, values, and fairness, which were used to collect data. Data were analysed to determine low, moderate, and high work environment fit for workplace factors including employment setting, field of practice, years' experience, time with current organization, and hours worked. Results: Of the six work-life areas, only the scores for workload fell below the norm for the respondents. All six work-life areas were impacted by employment settings, with respondents in public health hospitals and clinics indicating significantly low person-environment fit in most areas. Respondents in physical rehabilitation had a significantly low fit for workload, as did years of experience, length of time with organization, and hours worked. Fairness had a low fit for physical rehabilitation and medicolegal fields of practice. Conclusion: Workload impacted workplace-related stress in respondents with scores below the norm on the AWS for this work-life area. Although some work-related factors affected workplace-related stress, the overall scores for the other work-life areas were above the norm, with only respondents in public service settings and in the field of physical rehabilitation reporting low work environment fit., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Patricia de Witt et al.)

Introduction: The demand for occupational therapy services in Australia has experienced considerable growth in the last decade. Despite an increase in occupational therapy numbers, there remains a substantial workforce shortage. One reason for this shortage is difficulty with the retention of occupational therapists and subsequent workforce attrition. The literature attributes planning to leave as being influenced by high workloads, insufficient time, a negative workplace culture, and stress impacting well-being. However, much of this research is specific to a practice area, such as mental health, and does not explore the experiences of those who have already left. Knowing why people leave occupational therapy will inform our understanding of how to support and retain our occupational therapy workforce., Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken using narrative inquiry in an Australian context. In 2022, stories were gathered from six former occupational therapists who left within the previous 5 years. Data were collected via semi-structured in-depth interviews using Zoom. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed using narrative and thematic analysis., Findings: Four themes were developed: "I just want to help this person"; "there was no real understanding"; "Trying to find where occupational therapy fits for me"; and "I'm not able to continue … anymore." Participants experienced dissonance between enacting their occupational therapy values and the expectations of their management. They were challenged by unsupportive workplace cultures and leadership styles that undermined their autonomy. They responded with resilience, and trying new ways to continue being occupational therapists, but became increasingly uncomfortable and stressed until they reached a tipping point where they decided to leave., Conclusion: Increasing leadership development within the profession is essential, along with creative strategies for meeting funding requirements and fulfilling occupational therapy values. Workplaces that provide autonomy and respect the occupational therapy role are likely to support retention., (© 2024 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

The Philippines is one of the major labor exporters for health care workers in the world and occupational therapists are the second most likely professionals behind nurses to work in "greener pastures" overseas. This phenomenological study describes the migration experiences of Philippine-trained occupational therapists working in high-income, Anglophone countries. Researchers conducted online interview for 15 participants who were previously/currently unemployed/underemployed. Following an inductive approach to qualitative data analysis, themes were drawn from the migrant therapists' lived experiences. Four themes describe the migration experiences of Filipino occupational therapists: (a) realities of being an occupational therapist in the Philippines, (b) contradictions faced by Filipino occupational therapists upon migration, (c) when the pastures overseas are not greener, and (d) when the pastures overseas are indeed greener. The study contributes to the labor migration discourse in occupational therapy and the critical examination of the idea of "greener pastures.", Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Consumer experience is a key driver of successful health and education outcomes. Yet, the key factors influencing consumer experiences with care are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to understand, from the perspective of people receiving health care or education services, factors that determine positive and negative experiences with care. We interviewed people who received services, including occupational therapists, and analyzed recordings of the interviews using content analysis. Themes emerged from positive experiences with care on a continuum from "Acknowledges Me" to "Shares Problem Solving." Themes from negative experiences were also on a continuum from "Lacks Curiosity" to "Disregards." A fifth theme emerged from occupational therapists, describing "transformational insights" regarding how their personal experiences receiving care affected their practice. The findings from this study align with core OT constructs and advances understanding of authentic partnerships with people receiving professional services., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted hospital operations worldwide, including services delivered by occupational therapists (OTs). Purpose. This study aimed to understand the experiences of OTs at one Canadian, tertiary care hospital during the 2021-2022 period of the pandemic. Method. We used a qualitative descriptive approach to describe the experiences of OTs during the pandemic. Findings. While there were similarities in the 10 participating OTs' experiences, salient differences were largely linked to the method of service delivery. Inpatient OTs benefitted from the support of colleagues and developed coping strategies in response to high levels of workplace stress and anxiety and a perceived lack of support from many levels of society. Clinically, they spent more time on discharge planning with fewer resources. OTs providing virtual/hybrid services experienced unique challenges related to adapting their practice to a virtual platform, including challenges assessing patients. They described benefits associated with virtual/hybrid service delivery and brought up concerns around equity of service provision. Conclusion. OTs in this hospital setting faced challenges in providing patient care and supporting their own wellness during the pandemic. Future research could explore the role of leadership in supporting occupational therapy practice during public health emergencies.

Background: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an evidence-based intervention that is rarely used by Canadian physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs). A common barrier to FES implementation is a lack of knowledge and training. FES learning resources that meet therapists' learning needs and preferences may address this barrier., Objective: To explore OTs' and PTs' perspectives on the utility of FES e-learning resources, including whether the resources met their learning needs and preferences., Methods: Through this qualitative descriptive study, feedback on FES e-learning resources was solicited from 5 PTs and 18 OTs who work clinically, but do not use FES. Participants reviewed ≥3 prerecorded lectures on FES topics and then completed a semi-structured interview. Participants were asked about the lectures' content, delivery, ease of use and comprehensibility, and were asked to suggest modifications to facilitate self-directed learning about FES. Interviews were analyzed using conventional content analysis., Results: Three themes were identified. (1) Feedback on FES e-learning: the content and delivery of the prerecorded lectures facilitated participants' learning, although opportunities to improve content and delivery were identified. (2) Factors influencing FES learning needs and preferences: Participants identified internal (i.e., baseline knowledge, learning style) and external (i.e., learning with colleagues, practice setting) factors that affected learning. Themes 1 and 2 impacted (3) the effects of FES e-learning: Participants described the outcomes of their FES e-learning, including increases in FES knowledge, confidence, and use in clinical practice., Conclusion: Therapists' perceived the FES e-learning resources to be useful and to address their learning needs and preferences., (© 2024 The Authors. Artificial Organs published by International Center for Artificial Organ and Transplantation (ICAOT) and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Context: To tackle the systemic injustices experienced by people in vulnerable situations, occupational therapists' agency, i.e. their power to act, is necessary. However, occupational therapists feel ill-equipped to exercise this power, and would like to develop their skills. The general aim of this research was therefore to document occupational therapists' perception of their skills before and after agency training., Methods: We used a mixed sequential explanatory design, comprising a quantitative component consisting of a pre- and post-training self-administered questionnaire and a descriptive qualitative component with group interviews., Results: A total of 103 occupational therapists completed the training between January 19 and October 19, 2019. Their sense of competence improved, especially for those with no prior training in agency. The skills perceived as having developed the most corresponded to the skills deemed a priority for development, namely effective communication, intentional collaboration, and observation and analysis. On the other hand, occupational therapists emphasized that they had not mastered the exercise of these skills in a real-life context., Conclusion: Although continuing education is one way of improving the skills needed to exercise agency, questions remain as to the optimal modalities for ensuring their full and lasting development., Competing Interests: Aucun conflit à rapporter., (© 2024 Carrier, Éthier, Beaudoin, Hudon, Bédard, Jasmin, Lavoie-Trudeau, Verville; licence Synergies Partners.)

Exposure to patients who have experienced major traumatic events places burn therapists at risk of developing high levels of anxiety and stress, directly impacting their quality of life. Poor professional quality of life has been associated with negative physical and emotional characteristics in healthcare professionals and may subsequently influence patient safety and satisfaction, job retention, and productivity. The purpose of this study was to understand and describe the experiences of occupational and physical therapists who provide acute therapy to people who have sustained burn injuries. Semistructured interviews were completed with 10 participants (8 females and 7 physical therapists) for this qualitative descriptive study. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data collected from semistructured interviews. Six themes emerged after content analysis: (1) the importance of therapeutic relationships to patient successes and therapists' retention; (2) the autonomy and flexibility of burn therapists; (3) the impact of career longevity on compassion; (4) the uniqueness of burn team relationships and camaraderie; (5) the challenges of operating within the business of a healthcare system; and (6) the physical, mental, and emotional challenges to the burn therapists' resiliency. This research brings to light the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that impact burn therapists' resiliency, and which should be considered when creating programs to increase retention and professional quality of life in this professional population., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Burn Association. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Previous studies have explored facilitators and barriers to research conducted by allied health professionals in general medical settings. Since the mental health system is acknowledged to be significantly under-funded and more poorly functioning than general medical services, it is unclear whether the published facilitators and barriers also apply to mental health settings. This study sought to explore the research-related knowledge, understanding and practices of allied mental health clinicians based in a large public mental health service., Methods: A mixed methods study recruited 59 occupational therapists and social workers working in a dedicated metropolitan public mental health service in Melbourne, Australia. Quantitative survey results are reported elsewhere. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 survey responder volunteers. Thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative survey and interview data., Results: Four main themes were identified: research must connect with clinical practice; fragments of knowledge; research in practice; and research is not part of my professional identity. The third theme, research in practice, comprised four subthemes: no time for research in clinical roles, missing communication, lack of ownership, and what I need to do research., Conclusions: This study found that research and research-related activities were not considered part of the mental health social workers and occupational therapists' professional identities. Dealing with this issue may be instrumental to the realization of these clinicians' professional peak-body associations' code of practice and to government mandated practice standards. We provided several strategies to encourage both clinicians and services to view research-related activities as an everyday part of clinical roles. This is especially important if we think of allied health evidence-based practice requiring a reasonable level of research-related skills and/or competencies to appraise, practice, evaluate and adapt their evidence-based practice., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Evidence-based practice supports clinical decision-making by using multiple sources of evidence arising from research and practice. Research evidence develops through empirical study while practice evidence arises through clinical experience, client preferences, and the practice context. Although occupational therapists have embraced the paradigm of evidence-based practice, some studies have identified limits in the availability and use of research, which can lead to reliance on other forms of evidence. This study aimed to understand how Australian occupational therapists use practice evidence, manage potential bias, and enhance trustworthiness. Potential use of a critical appraisal tool for practice evidence was also explored., Methods: A 42-item questionnaire was developed to address the study aims. It consisted of a 7-point Likert scale, ordinal and free text questions. Likert scales were collapsed into binary scales and analysed using SPSS. Ordinal data were graphed and free text responses were analysed using manifest content analysis., Results: Most respondents (82%) indicated that practice evidence was an important informant of practice and is used alongside research evidence. Almost all respondents (98%) expressed confusion when reconciling discrepancies between research and practice evidence. There was general acknowledgement that practice evidence is prone to bias (82%), yet 92% were confident in trusting their own practice evidence. Most respondents (74.5%) undertook some measures to appraise practice evidence, and almost all respondents (90%) agreed they would refer to a critical appraisal tool that helped them evaluate practice evidence., Conclusion: Occupational therapists in this study routinely use practice evidence arising from their own experience, client perspectives, and their practice context to inform clinical decision-making. While they agreed that practice evidence was prone to bias and misinterpretation, they generally trusted their own practice evidence. Participants indicated they needed guidance to critically appraise their practice evidence and supported the development of a critical appraisal tool for this purpose., (© 2024 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate clinicians' perspectives regarding their usage of rehabilitation technology in their day-to-day practice and uncover the factors that impact clinicians' use of rehabilitation technology in their daily practice., Materials and Methods: An online survey was used to gather cross-sectional data from American occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and speech language pathologists. This survey used Likert-scale, multiple choice, and free-response questions., Results: Approximately half ( n  = 56/105, 53.3%) of our clinicians reported using rehabilitation in their daily practice. Less than 20% ( n  = 18/105, 17.1%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they felt comfortable implementing new rehabilitation technology, and few reported that their workplace encouraged ( n  = 16/85, 18.8%) or strongly encouraged ( n  = 14/85, 16.5%) the use of rehabilitation technology in practice. Additionally, excluding the 2011-2020 graduate clinicians that reported that they had not learned about rehabilitation technology in school or fieldwork, few reported feeling prepared ( n  = 14/97, 14.4%) or very prepared ( n  = 4/97, 4.1%) to use rehabilitation technology after graduation., Conclusions: Our findings have revealed a sizable knowledge-to-practice gap in regard to clinicians' preparedness to engage with and advocate for rehabilitation technology in their day-to-day practice.

Introduction: Occupational therapists work with forensic mental health patients in solitary confinement to counter impacts of mental illness and occupational deprivation, to promote well-being and support transition to less restricted environments. There is little literature describing occupational therapy in this context. This study aimed to explore and describe the work, context and professional reasoning of occupational therapists working in solitary confinement settings within a large forensic mental health service in Victoria, Australia., Methods: A qualitative design used semi-structured interviews with 11 occupational therapists and reflexive thematic analysis., Findings: Three central organising themes, it's all about risk, the work we do and why we do what we do, provided rich description of the context and work of occupational therapists in solitary confinement settings, including approaches used to engage patients in occupation and how the Model of Human Occupation and recovery principles informed their professional reasoning. Despite the setting restrictions, participants engaged in core elements of the occupational therapy practice process and described creative work that offered patients choice and meaningful occupation. They described occupational enrichment to address occupational deprivation and create opportunities for change within the highly restrictive and risk-focussed environment of solitary confinement. Assessment was mainly unstructured, and the need for better evaluation of therapy outcomes acknowledged. Goal setting often focussed on immediate needs. Working in a risk-focussed environment influenced participants' professional reasoning and work with patients, and while they advocated for occupational opportunities for patients, frustration was experienced in response to limits to occupational therapy involvement in risk assessment., Conclusion: The findings address a gap in the literature about the work of occupational therapists in forensic solitary confinement. Though participants' reasoning was informed by occupational and recovery principles, and they described working in occupation-based ways, they did not always articulate explicit connections between theory and practice., (© 2024 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Introduction: The compassionate communities' movement is a public health approach to end-of-life care that emphasises the integral role of communities in supporting and caring for dying persons and their informal carers. Although occupational therapists have well-established roles in palliative care teams, little is known about their potential in assisting in the formation and maintenance of compassionate communities., Method: Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with nine Australian occupational therapists with experience in specialist palliative care. Interview questions were based around the British Columbia Compassionate Community Ideal framework. Key themes were derived through qualitative descriptive analysis, blending deductive, and inductive reasoning., Findings: Interviewees indicated that occupational therapists have a role in supporting compassionate communities that centres on the facilitation of networks and connections between palliative care professionals and in the promotion of informal care networks. The importance of education and awareness raising were also discussed as valuable to the development of community capacity. It was also suggested that occupational therapists have important skills to support dying persons and their caregivers to remain engaged and safe in their homes and communities, in a meaningful and sustainable way. However, many interviewees maintained a profession-centric view on control within compassionate communities, as opposed to approaches that are community led., Conclusion: Findings offer early insights into the promise and potential of occupational therapists in supporting the compassionate communities' movement. However, education regarding the ethos of the compassionate communities' movement so as to facilitate a shift away from professionally oriented modes of practice may be needed to maximise success., (© 2024 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected over 700 million people globally, straining healthcare systems and highlighting the need for interprofessional collaboration. The aim of this study was to describe interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) experiences from the perspectives of occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) who were employed in a medical center both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study, conducted from July 2020-November 2021, delved into the lived experiences of occupational and physical therapists in an inpatient setting during the pandemic through analysis of semi-structured interviews and journal entries. The pandemic prompted fear, uncertainty, and ethical dilemmas among therapists, affecting patient-centered care. Roles expanded, and teamwork challenges emerged in defining boundaries, while communication dynamics were transformed by virtual technologies. The pandemic affected therapists' values and ethics, and evolving roles brought expanded tasks. The crisis showcased both collaboration potential and the need to address team disparities. This study highlights the significance of values, roles, teams, and communication for occupational and physical therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic providing valuable insights into interprofessional collaboration's effect on healthcare delivery in times of crisis and beyond.

Background: Many challenges exist in promoting inclusion in childcare settings. Adequate support from specialized professionals is necessary to create inclusive childcare settings. Understanding which services are being delivered by specialized professionals in childcare contexts is an important first step. The aim of this study was to (1) describe the services currently being delivered by specialized professionals in childcare settings in Quebec (Canada) and (2) seek childcare administrators' perspectives on their preferred services., Methods: An online province-wide descriptive survey was conducted with childcare administrators (n = 344). Questions focused on 11 service delivery dimensions (e.g. professionals involved, children served). Descriptive statistics were calculated., Results: Childcare settings received services from a median of two specialized professionals (IQR [1-4]). Most services were delivered by early childhood special educators (61.3%), speech-language pathologists (57.6%), psycho-educators (43.6%) and occupational therapists (43.3%). Childcare administrators identified these four services as being particularly supportive. Professionals delivered a median of 0.4 h of service per week in each childcare setting (IQR [0.1-3.0]). A high percentage (91.2%) of administrators reported unmet needs for professional support in at least one developmental domain, with a high percentage (57.3%) of administrators identifying needs in the socio-emotional domain. Most (63.3%) expressed a desire to prioritize services for children without an established diagnosis but identified by early childhood educators as having needs for professional support. Most administrators (71.4%) also preferred in-context services., Conclusions: Childcare administrators perceive an important role for specialized professionals in supporting inclusion in their settings. Recommendations emerging are based on the four main professional service needs identified: (1) increasing the intensity and stability of services; (2) providing services for undiagnosed children identified by early childhood educators as having unmet needs; (3) ensuring that services encompassing all developmental domains with a focus on the socio-emotional domain; and (4) prioritizing of in-context services., (© 2024 The Author(s). Child: Care, Health and Development published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The purpose of this scoping review was to provide further insight into the stress and the stressors experienced by pediatric occupational therapists in the work environment. Using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, the search was conducted in eight databases, nine electronic journals, and eight gray literature sources to identify articles related to stress and stressors of pediatric occupational therapists. Review selection and characterization were performed by two independent reviewers. Twelve articles published from 2011 to 2020 were identified and varied in terms of purpose, population, and results although the articles all shared similar methodologies and outcome measures. Only 25% of the articles (3/12) addressed pediatric occupational therapy stress and stressors directly while the remaining addressed occupational stress, but with varying levels of attention to pediatric occupational therapists. Stress and stressors experienced by pediatric occupational therapists have been studied to a limited extent. Occupational stress is associated with increased burnout, decreased health, and decreased job satisfaction and performance. Several knowledge gaps have been identified, as well as priorities for future research into pediatric occupational therapists and occupational stress.

The conditions of COVID-19 have caused moral distress in healthcare workers. Occupational therapists have had to adapt to these unknown times to best treat their clients. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of moral distress in occupational therapists during the time of COVID-19. Eighteen occupational therapists were included who worked in a variety of settings. Investigators conducted semi-structured interviews to explore experience with moral distress (distress felt when confronting an ethical problem) during the time of COVID-19. The data were analyzed using a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to generate themes regarding the experience of moral distress. Investigators identified themes of occupational therapists' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. These themes included: Experiences of moral distress , capturing participants' encounters with morally distressing issues; effects of moral distress , exploring the impact of COVID-19 experiences on participants' well-being and quality of life; and managing moral distress, addressing ways in which occupational therapists tried to mitigate moral distress throughout the pandemic. This study brings awareness to the experience of occupational therapists during the pandemic and explores implications for preparing occupational therapists for future occurrences of moral distress.

Background: There is increasing demand for professional practice placement opportunities, supported by health professional educators, to enable future health workforce development. Early career health professionals performing the educator role is one strategy that can help meet this demand. However, there is a need to consider how best to prepare and support early career health professionals to become educators. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perspectives of early career occupational therapy clinical educators including their preparation and support needs., Methods: Semi-structured interviews were completed with ten early career occupational therapists who had supervised their first or second student on a professional practice placement. The participants worked within an Australian tertiary hospital and health service in various clinical settings. Interviews were completed within six weeks of placement completion and lasted approximately one hour. They were recorded and transcribed verbatim and reflexive inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key themes., Results: Ten occupational therapists, who had been working for an average of two years and two months, consented to participate. Initially, participants expressed mixed emotions about taking on the clinical educator role. They then described their adjustment to the role responsibilities, challenges encountered, and the development of the educator-student relationship. Participants found that the experience of supervising a student enhanced their educator, clinical, and professional skills and confidence. The important support elements of tailored educator preparation, placement design, and timely access to relevant resources and experienced staff were identified., Conclusions: This study demonstrated how early career health professionals can possess desirable educator attributes, such as enthusiasm for taking on the role and cultivating collaborative learning relationships with their students. The experience of being an educator also presents a professional development opportunity for early career health professionals. Insights gained about the specific preparation and support needs of early career clinical educators warrant consideration by organisations and staff involved in the provision of student professional practice placements. Overall, this study's findings signify the importance of engaging and investing in early career health professionals to support student clinical education and to develop our current and future healthcare workforce., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background. Public safety personnel (PSP) are frequently exposed to psychological trauma through their work. Evidence shows that worker's compensation claims for work-related psychological injuries are on the rise for PSP. Occupational therapists increasingly provide return to work (RTW) services for this population. Purpose. To explore the therapeutic practices and personal experiences of occupational therapists working with PSP who have work-related psychological injuries. Method. This mixed methods descriptive study included a chart review of available occupational therapy client records from 2016 to 2020 for PSP with work-related psychological injuries from two Ontario companies. Additionally, a web-based self-report survey for Ontario occupational therapists providing RTW services to this same population was available from November 1, 2021 to June 1, 2022. Findings. The chart review included 31 client records and the online survey was completed by 49 Ontario occupational therapists. Therapists commonly provided services in clients' homes, workplaces, and communities, and focused on functional activities. The evidence base drawn on by therapists was not always occupation-based. Barriers to RTW included challenges with interprofessional collaboration, stigma, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications. Occupational therapists are commonly working with PSP with work-related psychological injuries and have the opportunity to contribute to the evidence base for occupational approaches to RTW.

Background. Many occupational therapists make home modification recommendations; however, it is unknown if sustainability considerations (i.e., economic, social, and environmental) are contemplated during this process. Purpose. To understand occupational therapists' perceptions regarding the sustainability of home modifications. Method. This study adopted a qualitative description approach. Researchers utilized semistructured interviews as the primary means of data collection. Findings. The ten female occupational therapists interviewed had three or more years of experience working with home modifications. The analysis identified three themes: It's not easy being green: environmental sustainability, stretching a dollar: financial inequities, and barriers and benefits in the home modification process. Implications. Findings suggest OTs have a varied and a general understanding of how to implement sustainability concepts in their practice. There is also a need to make access to home modifications more equitable. Further research is needed to build a more robust understanding of how OT recommended home modifications can contribute to sustainability.

Cette étude a sondé 46 médecins de famille québécois quant à leurs pratiques pour l'évaluation et le dépistage des conducteurs à risque afin 1) de mieux comprendre leur niveau de compétence perçu; 2) de recenser les difficultés rencontrées dans le processus de prise de décision et 3) de documenter leurs besoins et attitudes quant à une collaboration plus étroite avec les ergothérapeutes. Les participants (femmes : 84,8 %; moyenne d'expérience : 15,7 (±12,1) ans) ont répondu à un sondage en ligne de 30 questions. Les résultats de cette étude démontrent que malgré un certain confort à effectuer l'évaluation et le dépistage des conducteurs à risque, les médecins ne se considèrent pas comme les professionnels les mieux qualifiés pour ce faire. Ils reconnaissent également le rôle que jouent les ergothérapeutes dans le dépistage de cette clientèle et l'intervention auprès d'elle. Ils voient ainsi la pertinence d'avoir accès aux services de ces professionnels en soins de première ligne.

Long-term care facilities for older adults (LTCFs) were directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to discuss the perceptions of occupational therapists about deaths and other losses in LTCFs during the pandemic. This qualitative study is anchored in social phenomenology, and conducted in-depth interviews with eight occupational therapists who worked in LTCFs. Thus, two themes were generated after the Thematic Analyses: "The proximity of death" and "Losses associated with living and dying in a LTCF." In the first theme, the interviewees addressed the feeling of imminent death in the daily life of the LTCF, and feelings related to their own death, that of their family members and other older adults. In the second, the professionals highlighted three groups of losses: social, functional, and psychological/cognitive. These results highlighted the challenges faced by occupational therapists and can contribute to improve behavior and care for institutionalized older adults during the pandemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) refers to the clinical decision-making process incorporating the best available evidence from research, therapists' clinical experience, and patient values. The current study aimed to examine the experience of Jordanian occupational therapy practitioners (OTs) in using EBP and to identify the perceived barriers to implementing EBP among OTs in Jordan. The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive study design. A questionnaire was emailed to OTs who have been working in Jordan for the last six months of their practice in a clinical setting. The majority of the participants had a positive attitude toward EBP. However, they reported several barriers to implementing EBP, including a lack of tools and equipment in clinical settings as a major barrier (65.8%). National collaborative actions are needed to develop strategies to improve the utilization of EBP in occupational therapy (OT) practice and to overcome the barriers therapists experience with implementing EBP., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Alwawi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: To analyze the perceptions of professionals, caregivers, children, and adolescents with disabilities regarding the implementation of the My Abilities First (MAF) tool in Specialized Child Rehabilitation Centers (CERs)., Method: This is a qualitative research based on Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The study involved twenty-seven intentionally selected individuals, comprising 12 physiotherapists, 4 occupational therapists, 11 caregivers, 9 children and 2 adolescents. Participants completed sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires and took part in semi-structured online interviews, focusing on two themes: Positive health approaches and the MAF tool. The study was approved by the local ethics committee (opinion 4.779.175)., Results: Reflexive Thematic Analysis of the interviews resulted in two themes: (1) Perceptions regarding the MAF tool as an educational and contributory process to enhance the inclusion and participation of children and adolescents with disabilities, and (2) Barriers and facilitators for the implementation process of the MAF tool. The implementation of MAF was identified as a driving factor in promoting equity and increased participation of children and adolescents with disabilities in various settings, including health, education, and leisure. Interviewees highlighted the need to confront attitudinal, communication, and social barriers that may hinder the implementation of the tool., Conclusion: The implementation of the MAF tool was perceived as an innovation due to its focus on the abilities of individuals with disabilities. However, there is a need to restructure it to broaden its scope and access to different contexts in order to confront barriers and enhance the inclusion and participation of children and adolescents with disabilities., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Alencar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Occupational and physical therapists who routinely provide potentially painful and distressing rehabilitation to burn survivors are at risk for developing compassion fatigue. Burn therapists may also experience compassion satisfaction based on the successes their patients accomplish. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the literature related to compassion fatigue and satisfaction in therapists who work with burn survivors, explore previously reported predictors and mediators of (and responses to) these constructs, and identify gaps in the literature. Original, peer-reviewed papers published from journal inception to May 2023 were obtained from 5 electronic bibliographic databases: CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies were eligible if they (1) reported compassion fatigue or its related concepts and (2) focused on occupational or physical therapists who work with burn survivors directly or as a member of a multidisciplinary burn treatment team. The initial search revealed 284 articles, 2 of which met inclusion criteria and are summarized in this scoping review. Neither article focused solely on burn therapists but examined the experiences of multidisciplinary burn team members working in single burn centers in North America. Both studies used a cross-sectional survey-based design to assess concepts related to compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. This scoping review uncovered important gaps in the literature related to compassion fatigue or satisfaction in burn therapists. More research is needed to better understand the interplay between concepts as well as their relationship to burn therapists' outcomes., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Burn Association. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an important component of clinical practice in public health. Its implementation involves interpreting scientific studies and then applying this knowledge to clinical decision-making. In Germany, the therapy professions are often trained in non-academic medical schools, and only a small number of therapists are university graduates., Aims: This study assessed the current status of EBP among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists and to determine whether academization influences the implementation of EBP in Germany., Methods: To assess the EBP implementation level and therapists' attitudes toward EBP, a cross-sectional study was conducted using the German version of the Evidence-Based Practice Inventory (EBPI), which consists of five dimensions: attitude; subjective norm; perceived behavioral control; decision-making; and intention and behavior. The structural validity and internal consistency of the EBPI survey were also tested., Results: Of the 2,412 responses, only 557 were eligible. There were statistically significant differences between academically educated vs. non-academically educated therapists in four of the five EBPI dimensions. Furthermore, four of the five dimensions had sufficient unidimensionality and internal consistency., Conclusion: There are differences between academically educated and non-academically educated therapists regarding EBP knowledge, attitudes, and implementation. Academically educated therapists are more likely to use EBP than non-academically educated therapists. There are still barriers to clinical application that need to be addressed., Spanish Abstract: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A195., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 JBI. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.)

Purpose: While research into mindfulness practices is on the rise across populations, there is evidence to suggest that clinical practice has outpaced the literature with regard to mindfulness in pediatric rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of occupational therapists who opt to incorporate mindfulness into their clinical practices with children and youth., Methods: Hermeneutic phenomenology was the methodology of the study. The theoretical framework employed a Heideggerian-informed phenomenology of practice. Eight occupational therapists practicing in Canada and the United States participated in 90-120 min semi-structured interviews that elicited first-hand accounts of mindfulness in pediatric occupational therapy practice. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Finlay's four-step approach., Results: Six salient themes were identified in the data: drawing from personal practice, enhancing participation, fostering healthy habits, adapting for children, keeping it playful, and doing with., Conclusion: The findings of this study offer insights for therapists who are considering incorporating mindfulness into their practices with children and youth. Further, this research highlights a number of research priorities that require further inquiry.

Background. Developing strong therapeutic relationships with families is a crucial aspect of pediatric occupational therapy. However, building such relationships is complex as they involve multiple directions of interaction. Purpose. To provide a thorough interpretation of children's, caregivers', and occupational therapists' experience of the therapeutic relationship. Method. A meta-ethnography was realized to synthesize qualitative studies. A systematic search was carried out using five databases from 2005 to 2022. The CAPS checklist was used to appraise included studies' quality. The analysis was completed using a constant comparison of findings. Findings. Three themes emerged from the 14 studies synthesized. The first theme illustrates that the therapeutic relationship can have different meanings depending on the perspective of children, caregivers, or occupational therapists. The second theme explores the components impacting the experience of the relationship. These include the power dynamics, the communication, and respect for diversity. Finally, the third theme illustrates how the relationship can empower positive change. Implications. Children, caregivers, and occupational therapists each have a perspective that ought to be heard. Occupational therapists should actively ask for children's and caregivers' perspectives to encourage power sharing and effective communication. By doing so, occupational therapists can strengthen the therapeutic relationship, which, in turn, promotes positive change.

Introduction: Self-determination is a core component of mental health recovery and a predictor of positive outcomes. The literature calls for occupational therapists to lead practice change to greater recovery-orientation, including facilitating people's self-determination. However, systemic challenges thwart translation of policy into practice and therapists report a lack of confidence in implementing recovery-oriented principles. This study aimed to understand the strategies that mental health occupational therapists employ to support people's self-determination., Methods: Data were collected through an international on-line questionnaire principally comprising two open-ended questions designed to elicit deep reflective personal accounts. Participants were asked about an experience in which they supported a person's self-determination and the factors that either facilitated or hindered this experience. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, guided by constant comparative methods., Findings: Thirty-four therapists, predominantly from Australia (n = 30), participated. Therapists described supporting self-determination as a multifaceted process that involved: (1) working on myself, (2) working with the person, and (3) working with others. They emphasised that the combined use of various strategies across these three areas of work was important to support people's self-determination. Further, awareness of and addressing issues of power in their practice was key., Conclusion: This study supports the translation of recovery-oriented principles into practice by revealing the nuanced strategies implemented by occupational therapists striving to support self-determination. Participants employed diverse strategies to empower people to take the 'driver's seat' in their mental health recovery journey. Insights from this study will support other occupational therapists to actualise recovery-oriented principles and better support self-determination in their practice. To effectively implement self-determination strategies, therapists must reflect on and address existing power differentials within mental health services, particularly between themselves and the people they support., (© 2023 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Background: Creative activities as intervention (CaI) in mental health promotes recovery and is an important part of occupational therapy practice. Yet few studies have explored occupational therapists' reasoning about using CaI to trace tacit knowledge., Aims/objectives: The aim of this study was to explore occupational therapists' reasoning on rationale and motives in co-creating a model (the CreActivity model) for CaI as a resource in mental health rehabilitation., Material and Methods: Co-operative inquiry and narrative theory provided the methodology for exploring eight occupational therapists' narrative reasoning in the process of co-creating a model. Data were generated via ethnographic methods from seven co-operative inquiry group meetings and analysed through narrative analysis., Results: The occupational therapists' reasoning in using creative activities comprised building relationships and opportunity for activity. Motivating and engagement by finding 'cracks' and stories bridging action with the past and future using creative activities were used to create reflection, development, and empowerment., Conclusions and Significance: Identifying the narrative layers of occupational therapists' reasoning on achieving core dimensions of occupational therapy may enable and support occupational therapists in the use of creative activities as intervention.