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Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva arbetsterapeuters erfarenheter av hur informations- och kommunikationsteknik kan främja aktivitet och delaktighet för personer med stroke. Metod: En kvalitativ metod med nio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med yrkesverksamma arbetsterapeuter för att samla in data. Den insamlade datan analyserades utifrån en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Deltagarna rekryterades utifrån ett strategiskt urval med ett senare komplement av snöbollsurval. Resultat: Resultatet beskrivs i tre kategorier. Den första kategorin individens mål och behov är det centrala i utredningsfasen beskriver att det finns många faktorer att ta hänsyn till för att öka aktivitet och delaktighet för personer med stroke. Den andra kategorin, interventioner underlättar och kompenserar nedsättningar, beskriver att IKT är ett naturligt och värdefullt redskap som kan kompensera och underlätta för personer med stroke, dock framkommer det att IKT inte är lösningen på allt. Den tredje kategorin, möjligheter och utmaningar i verksamheterna, beskriver att kunskap om IKT grundar sig i ett kliniskt resonemang och ett kollegialt stöd med kunskapsutbyte. Det finns ett önskat behov av en ökad kompetens inom IKT-området då den snabba utvecklingen inom teknologin, tidsbrist och brist på rutin skapar utmaningar i arbetet. Slutsats: Resultatet utifrån studien visar att arbetsterapeuter har ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt där individens behov av att använda informations- och kommunikationsteknik styr vilka vidare interventioner som tillämpas. Arbetsterapeuterna använder ett strukturerat arbetssätt men ser ett behov av att använda bedömningsinstrument som inkluderar IKT vid utredandet av vardagsaktiviteter. Studien visar även att arbetsterapeuterna önskar mer grundkunskap inom IKT för att kunna stödja aktivitet och delaktighet för personer med stroke. / Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe occupational therapists' experiences of how information and communication technology can promote occupation and participation for people with stroke. Method: A qualitative method with nine semi-structured interviews was conducted with professional occupational therapists to collect data. The collected data was analyzed based on a qualitative content analysis. The participants were recruited based on a strategic selection with a later complement of snowball sampling. Results: The result is described in three categories. The first category, the individual's goals and needs are central to the investigation phase, describes that there are many factors to take into account in order to increase activity and participation for people with stroke. The second category, interventions facilitate and compensate impairments, describes that ICT is a natural and valuable tool that can compensate and facilitate people with stroke, however it appears that ICT is not the solution to everything. The third category, Opportunities and challenges in the operations, describes that knowledge of ICT is based on clinical reasoning and collegial support with knowledge exchange. Conclusion: The results from the study show that occupational therapists have a person-centred approach where the individual's need to use information and communication technology controls which further interventions are applied.The occupational therapists use a structured way of working but see a need to use assessment instruments that include ICT when investigating everyday activities. The study also shows that occupational therapists wish for more basic competence in ICT to be able to support occupation and participation for people with stroke.

Thesis (O.T.D.)--Boston University / Over recent years, there has been documented growth in sustainability efforts (O*NET, 2011; USDOE, 2011; USGBC, 2011) including sustainable development such as green building practices and jobs in the green industry. The United Nations (n.d.) defines sustainable development as development that meets the environmental, economic, and social needs of the current population while taking into account the needs of future generations. While there are known positive benefits of sustainable development to the environment (USGBC, 2011; USEPA, 2012c) and to the people involved with the practices such as green building occupants (National Academy of Sciences, 2007; Heerwagen & Zagreus, 2005; Singh et al., 2010), concerns have also been raised. Studies suggest that if the specific needs of the people directly involved with sustainable development (i.e. occupants of green buildings and schools and workers in green industry jobs) are overlooked, there can be negative consequences related to health, productivity, and satisfaction (Institute of Medicine, 2011; National Academy of Sciences, 2007; Lee and Guerin, 2009; Gambatese, 2011; Kenrick, 2011; Turner, 2006). These issues have given rise to an emerging practice area for occupational therapists (OTs) called "green ergonomics", defined as integration of ergonomics into sustainable development to enhance human performance, productivity, health and well-being, thereby promoting sustainability at both the individual and systems level (Heerwagen & Zagreus, 2005; Miller, 2010; Smahe1, 2010). The goals of occupational therapy, sustainability, and ergonomics intersect in that they all strive to address the overall well-being of a population. Despite the natural fit between these three practice areas and between OT and green ergonomics, there is a void in the occupational therapy literature regarding this intersection and resultant emerging practice area of green ergonomics. It is suspected that this has led to minimal resources to prepare OTs to enter the field, and limited awareness within and outside the profession of the role of OT in green ergonomics. To address this issue, an online continuing education (CE) course has been designed for practicing OTs with both educational and marketing components. The course was developed using best practices in online education and Social Marketing principles (Andreasen, 1994). Careful integration of the evidence to create an effective online learning environment will contribute to a positive learning experience for the students and facilitate the development of knowledge and skills in green ergonomics.

Thesis (M.B.A.)—Boston University

Recreation is one of the most significant childhood occupations and participation in meaningful inclusive recreational activities is the right of all children. However, children with disabilities report not participating in their preferred activities, such as team sports, individual physical activities, and athletics (Shields & Synnot, 2016). This limitation is further complicated by caregivers, most often parents, not having the time and resources to support their child’s meaningful participation in community-based inclusive programs and address the environmental and social barriers they encounter. To date, there is limited research literature specific to children with disabilities who reside in rural areas and the reported barriers are relative to all children in this context, with or without an identified disability (Robinson, Wakely, Marquez, & Rae, 2018; Wakely, Langham, Johnston, & Rae, 2017). Geographical distance of programs and facilities, financial barriers and resources, as well as the designed infrastructure, such as sidewalks and playgrounds for physical activity, are more problematic and limited in rural areas compared to urban communities (Robinson et al., 2018; Wakely et al., 2017). Often, living in a rural community limits the number of available recreational choices and makes it challenging to find a program that is suitable for a child with a disability. On a positive note, the literature highlights a number of malleable environmental factors, suggesting that a shift from targeting specific skill deficits of the child to intervention approaches that focus on modifying the activity and/or the environment would promote greater meaningful participation. This project draws on the existing literature to propose the evidence-based program, EQUIP for Recreation. The overall aim of EQUIP for Recreation is to increase inclusive participation of children with disabilities in community-based organized recreation programs, specifically in rural communities. The program design includes a 5-hour day caregiver education course and training consultation, utilizing evidence-based elements of a participation and environment adaptation approach (Imms et al., 2016; Kramer, Helfrich, et al., 2018; Law, Anaby, Imms, Teplicky, & Turner, 2015). The long-term goal of this project is to contribute an evidence-based health and wellness community population program for occupational therapy practitioners working in rural communities.

While family-centered care is the desired model for pediatric care in hospitals worldwide, it is not always used to guide practice in inpatient pediatric hospital settings due to three main barriers. These barriers include decreased communication and collaboration between families and healthcare professionals, decreased understanding of parents’ needs and expectations for involvement in care, and a lack of clinical guidelines for how to best incorporate families in care. In effort to bridge the communication gap between parents and healthcare professionals and gain an understanding of ways to effectively carry out a family-centered care model, a quality improvement project was conducted at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital on the Pediatrics unit in collaboration with the occupational therapy department. The project involved four components: interviewing parents regarding their preference for involvement in their child’s care, communicating these preferences to occupational therapists, administering a survey to parents to assess parent satisfaction with their involvement in care, and providing recommendations to Spaulding. Results indicated that parents at Spaulding are very satisfied with their communication with therapists and with their involvement in care. Results also indicated that all parents report a desire to be involved in their child’s care, however, that preference for type of involvement varies by family. This demonstrated the importance of asking families about their preference for involvement at the beginning of their hospital stay and communicating their preferences to the team. Recommendations include mechanisms that can be incorporated into occupational therapists’ daily workflow to operationalize a family-centered care model.

Islamophobia, a form of discrimination targeting Muslims and individuals perceived to be Muslim, has been found to adversely affect health by disrupting various personal, social, and institutional systems within an individual and their environment (Samari, 2016). With reports of anti-muslim sentiments rising globally (Samari, 2016), Islamophobia deserves attention as a source of negative health outcomes and health disparities, yet little is known regarding the implications of Islamophobia for occupational therapy assessments and practice. This study aims to explore how Islamophobia impacts the participation of Muslim Americans in education, work, social activities, and other areas of occupation. A survey was conducted with 108 Muslim Americans, who shared their experiences and perceived effects of Islamophobia on their daily lives. Survey results indicated a significant correlation between experiences of Islamophobia and mental and emotional well-being, social connections, and self-expression and identity. Data collected also provided information regarding Islamophobia in different occupational settings. The study's findings shed light on research gaps within occupational therapy, particularly regarding the role of occupational therapists in addressing the impact of Islamophobia and racial and religious discrimination. This study proposes next steps to enhance the profession's understanding and capacity to effectively address the consequences of Islamophobia through various facets of occupational therapy, including assessment, intervention, education, and advocacy. / Temple University. College of Public Health / Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

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