Leisure participation is a primary occupation in childhood. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) have valuable knowledge to offer regarding sensory processing and environmental design to existing community establishments. S.P.A.C.E. (Sensory Processing and Autism Consultations for the Environment) is a community-based educational intervention intended to provide indoor ski programs in the Denver/Boulder region of Colorado with an environmental analysis of the sensory profile of their environment, suggestions for improvement, and provision of resources to better support autistic individuals within their community. The program is intended to increase inclusivity and access to Organized Extracurricular Social Activities (OESA) for autistic individuals, ultimately influencing overall health and quality of life. Following successful implementation of the pilot study, the author intends to advertise the design to other existing community recreation programs. Collaboration of OTPs and existing OESAs will lead to universal access for autistic children and their families, influencing health outcomes for the autistic population.

Vocational rehabilitation is one of the significant interventions that occupational therapists provide in South Africa. However numerous barriers to the delivery of these services have been reported at a grassroots level. This program intends to overcome these barriers by (a) developing a clinical reasoning model to inform vocational rehabilitation at a grassroots level in South Africa, (b) obtain consensus on the content of the model using a panel of experts, (c) Train novice therapists on the use of the model to deliver vocational rehabilitation services at a grassroots level and (d) Evaluate the effectiveness of the program to increase knowledge and skill of occupational therapists delivering vocational rehabilitation services as well as changes in their practice profiles in terms of frequency of vocational rehabilitation services provided. Results from a nominal group technique study indicated that the content of the program is perceived as acceptable by a panel of experts. The program can improve not only vocational rehabilitation service delivery, but also to increase the use of measurable outcomes during occupational therapy interventions. This could aid in supporting the distinct positive contribution and impact of occupational therapy in the South African context.

2025 / Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) serve as a rehabilitation center for the geriatric population by providing therapeutic and nursing services. Skilled services allow for the residents to transition from the SNF to home. Incorporating community-based activities into therapy sessions allow that transition to be eased by providing services in their natural environment in addition to improved quality of life by allowing individuals to return to their life roles and desired community occupations.Community-Based Activities in Skilled Nursing Facilities is an educational program designed by an occupational therapist to provide knowledge to rehabilitation therapy staff in SNFs on how to integrate community activities with residents, bill for their services under CPT code 97537, and to use empathy mapping to stay client-centered and understand their client’s goals for community re-entry. Being authored by an occupational therapist, this program provides a unique OT perspective to ensure a holistic approach. Discussions surrounding accessibility and how best to implement these activities into therapy sessions will allow therapists to use the local community such as grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, the post office, and more to enhance community mobility and overall participation. Paired with the educational program is an evaluation plan that will use surveys to illustrate the effectiveness of the program in regards to therapists’ increase of knowledge and implementation of community-based activities taking place in skilled nursing facilities. The funding plan outlines the proposed budget to recruit, implement, and disseminate results of the program including potential funding sources such as angel funding, federal and state grants, and corporate grants and gifts. The dissemination plan describes the utilization of state, national, and international conferences to present this program and results through posters, presentations, and short courses in addition to publication.

2025 / Burnout is a pervasive issue among occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), adversely affecting their well-being, job satisfaction, and the quality of care provided. This doctoral project explores the implementation of an 8-week Mindfulness Resilience Training (MRT) program aimed at mitigating burnout and enhancing resilience among OTPs. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory and the Kawa Model, the program emphasizes resource preservation, cultural sensitivity, and practical mindfulness techniques tailored to the unique challenges faced by OTPs in SNFs.Burnout, described as "a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress and overwhelming workload" (Maslach et al., 1981), is addressed through mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) practices. The program integrates guided meditation, reflective journaling, and group discussions to enhance stress management skills and promote resilience. The Kawa Model's focus on "harmonization between individuals and their environments" (Iwama et al., 2009) complements the COR Theory's emphasis on resource dynamics, ensuring a holistic intervention. Pre- and post-intervention assessments using validated tools, such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), measure changes in burnout and resilience. Preliminary findings demonstrate that mindfulness interventions can significantly reduce burnout, with participants reporting a marked reduction in emotional exhaustion and an increased ability to manage daily stressors. This research underscores the potential of integrating the Kawa Model and COR Theory into resource-focused interventions to create systemic changes in SNFs. By expanding occupational balance and professional resilience, the program not only enhances job satisfaction but also advocates for a healthier, more sustainable professional environment for OTPs, enabling them to deliver high-quality care while maintaining their own well-being.

2025 / Social participation is a fundamental occupation, playing a critical role in fostering development, building relationships, and promoting overall well-being. Children recovering from acquired brain injury (ABI) are at risk for decreased social participation with long-term consequences. Despite the critical importance of social participation and the prevalence of challenges in this area among children with ABI, these social difficulties often remain insufficiently addressed within this population. This doctoral project identifies factors responsible for this gap, and suggests SPARK as a solution. SPARK: Social Participation and Reintegration for Kids with ABI, is an occupational therapy program designed to enhance the ability of children recovering from ABI to build and maintain meaningful social relationships. The SPARK program, grounded in social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), is a 12-week group intervention for outpatient clinics. The program features weekly group meetings, individual online sessions, and a parent education group. This doctoral project describes the theoretical and evidence-based foundations of the problem, current approaches, a detailed program proposal, a research plan for evaluation, and strategies for funding and dissemination.

2025 / Disorders of consciousness (DoC) or impaired wakefulness or awareness can result from damage to the brain from various causes, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke. When administered by family members, multimodal sensory stimulation is a proven intervention method for early rehabilitation, significantly improving levels of consciousness (LOC), cognitive and functional outcomes, and rehabilitation potential among patients with DoC in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Despite these benefits, family-led multimodal sensory stimulation early after an acute injury in the ICU remains limited, reflecting global gaps in knowledge translation (KT) and barriers to implementing evidence-informed best practice guidelines and family-centered care (FCC) for DoC in the ICU. The Together in Recovery program aims to elevate care standards for patients with TBI and stroke-induced DoC in the ICU by integrating evidence-based clinical multidisciplinary guidelines with an FCC approach to address these gaps. Central to this approach is family education, facilitated through comprehensive communication and collaboration among healthcare providers, key stakeholders, and family members. Recognizing the complex nature of DoC, Together in Recovery will evaluate the effectiveness of a combined FCC model designed to optimize patient outcomes, include families early in the care process, and streamline care protocols. Using the Knowledge to Action (KTA) implementation science framework and a mixed-methods approach, this project will assess the impact of these strategies on patient recovery trajectories, family-centered education, family implementation of sensory stimulation interventions, and healthcare provider adherence to best practices. Anticipated outcomes of Together in Recovery include improved patient care standards and outcomes, such as increased LOC, collaborative care, enhanced family engagement, and the establishment of a replicable FCC model for other ICUs managing TBI and stroke patients with DoC.

Thesis (MOccTher)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The rights of people with disabilities to equal opportunities for employment is acknowledged on a national and international level. A key area whereby this can be addressed is through effective vocational rehabilitation programmes in occupational therapy. The delivery of high quality health care services is an important issue for the consumer and government within the health arena. This implies that standards have to be developed for the various services. The standards will serve the purpose of activating quality assurance and quality improvement processes in all health care services. Vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilities and the emphasis that is placed on good quality care, resulted in the question: "How can occupational therapists ensure that they will deliver a good quality service in a vocational assessment area?". The question is posed specifically in terms of the assessment of a person's work abilities, as this step is viewed as most important in the vocational rehabilitation process. The step(s) that follow will be determined by the results obtained from the assessment. The purpose of the study is to identify a standard statement and generic measurement criteria that will be used to set the standards for Structure, Process and Outcome for vocational assessment areas. The establishment of measurement criteria is viewed as a starting point in the quality assurance cycle. The results of the study will initiate quality assurance and quality improvement in vocational assessment areas. Although the role of the occupational therapist is clearly delineated regarding vocational rehabilitation and the importance of the occupational therapy contribution recognised in this regard, could no information pertaining to standards and measurement criteria for work assessment areas be identified through a literature study. It was therefore decided to develop a standard statement and measurement criteria according to the Donabedian Model of Structure, Process and Outcome for vocational assessment areas in South Africa. Occupational therapists with at least one year experience of vocational rehabilitation of patients were requested to rate the proposed standard statements and measurement criteria. A survey method (adapted Delphi method) was used whereby the participants had to rate the proposed standard statements and measurement criteria on a four-point scale. The results obtained were used to draw up a standard statement and measurement criteria to ensure that quality assurance and quality improvement will become a reality in vocational assessment areas in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die regte van persone met gestremdhede tot gelyke indiensneming word op nasionale en internasionale vlak erken. Die aanbieding van effektiewe werkrehabilitasieprogramme deur arbeidsterapeute is een van die belangrikste wyses waarop die situasie aangespreek kan word. Die lewering van hoë gehalte gesondheidsdienste word toenemend deur die verbruikers en die staat vereis. Dit impliseer dat standaarde vir die dienste vasgestel moet word om gehalteverbetering en gehalteversekering in gesondheidsdienste te vestig. Werkrehabilitasie van persone met gestremdhede en die kwessie van hoë gehalte dienste het die volgende vraag laat ontstaan: "Hoe kan die arbeidsterapeut verseker dat 'n hoë gehalte diens in 'n werkbepalingsarea gelewer word?". Die vraag handel spesifiek oor die bepaling van 'n persoon se werkvermoëns aangesien dié stap as baie belangrik binne die werkrehabilitasieprogram beskou word. Die stap(pe) wat hierna sal volg, salop besluit word na aanleiding van die resultate van die bepaling. Die doel van die studie is om 'n standaardstelling en generiese metingskriteria volgens Donabedian se model te identifiseer om die standaarde vir die Struktuur, Proses en Uitkoms van werkbepalingsareas in Suid-Afrika daar te stel. Die bogenoemde metingskriteria sal dit moontlik maak om die gehalteversekeringsiklus te inisieër. Gehalteversekering en gehalteverbeteringsaksies sal as gevolg hiervan in werkbepalingsareas kan plaasvind. Ten spyte van die feit dat die rol van die arbeidsterapeut in werkrehabilitasie duidelik uiteengesit is en die belang daarvan erken word, kon geen inligting oor 'n standaardstelling en metingskriteria vir werkbepalingsareas in die literatuur gevind word nie. Arbeidsterapeute met minstens een jaar ondervinding van werkrehabilitasie van pasiënte het hulle menings ten opsigte van 'n standaardstelling en metingskriteria uitgespreek. 'n Opname metode (gewysigde Delphi metode) is gebruik en deelnemers het op 'n vierpuntskaal hul voorkeure ten opsigte van 'n standaardstelling en metingskriteria aangedui. Die resultate wat op dié wyse bekom is, is gebruik om 'n finale standaardstelling en voorkeur metingskriteria voor te stel. Die gebruik hiervan in werkbepalingsareas sal daartoe lei dat gehalteversekering en gehalteverbetering in dié areas in Suid-Afrika tot uitvoer gebring sal word.

There is a need for Occupational Therapy (OT) entrepreneurship in OT practice, but few Occupational Therapists practitioners (OTPs) initiate entrepreneurship opportunities. The purpose of this study was to explore the major causes surrounding why so few OTPs venture into private practice (Coppard, 2018). The participants included OTPs and OT students who have or had a private practice and those who desire to have a private practice but have not yet started one. The study was an exploratory mix-method design, which utilized pre-and post-surveys, and a one-time, two-hour interactive live workshop. The survey questions detailed the psychological and performance components of entrepreneur readiness. Surveys were disseminated through email and social media with prior consent. Once the presurvey results were received and analyzed, a pilot program via an interactive workshop was developed and implemented to address psychological and performance barriers to increase readiness. Once participants completed the workshop, a post-survey was administered to determine if there was an increase in entrepreneur readiness (Adeniyi, Derera & Gamede, 2022). The results of the study showed an increase in the importance of psychological readiness and the realization that most participants did not realize they were not as ready as they had envisioned based on specific personality and character traits. The study also revealed that most participants did not realize that they had learned certain aspects of business management and health insurance fundamentals but were not taught the essentials for starting a business and getting paid through health insurance reimbursements. Results also indicated that the intervention, OT to OT Entrepreneur Workshop, made a positive impact on participants in the areas of self-efficacy, technical knowledge, and beliefs about entrepreneurship. The study was meant to serve as a starting point to discover what is needed to increase the percentages of OT practitioners becoming OT entrepreneurs (OTE) so that a variety of traditional and non-traditional OT services can be offered within the community to increase physical, emotional, and mental health and well-being. In addition, the study was meant to increase the OTPs’ ability to practice more comprehensively according to the OT Scope of Practice, to increase autonomy, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction and decrease burnout (AOTA, 2021; Adeniyi, Derera & Gamede, 2022; Anderson & Nelson, 2011; Park, 2021; Stoffel, 2017). The study outcomes will guide the researcher in developing a complete comprehensive readiness program to increase OT entrepreneurship. / Temple University. College of Public Health / Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2009. / Title from web page (viewed on Dec. 8, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt var att beskriva arbetsterapeutisk rehabilitering för vuxna med postcovid. För att besvara syftet undersöktes när i rehabiliteringsprocessen arbetsterapeuten blev involverad, vilken arbetsterapeutisk rehabilitering som utfördes vid postcovid samt effekten av den arbetsterapeutiska rehabiliteringen. Den metod som legat till grund för denna litteraturöversikt var analys av kvantitativ samt kvalitativ forskning. Tio artiklar valdes ut för att ingå i litteraturöversikten. Resultatet visade att tre av artiklarna presenterade att arbetsterapeuten blev involverad i rehabiliteringsprocessen i ett tidigt skede. Samtliga artiklar visade på att den arbetsterapeutiska rehabiliteringen innefattade utbildning för att hantera postcovid och dess symptom samt att tillhandahålla personerna strategier för att minska deras upplevelse av fatigue, förbättra deras energihantering och sömnhygien i syfte att underlätta vardagen med postcovid. Effekten av den arbetsterapeutiska rehabiliteringen presenterades i tre artiklar som visade på positiv effekt gällande vuxna med postcovid kopplat till symptombild, förmåga att utföra aktiviteter i dagliga livet samt hantering av tillståndet. Författarnas slutsatser utifrån det analyserade materialet är att arbetsterapi kan vara en värdefull del i rehabiliteringen vid postcovid, men att det saknas artiklar med högt bevisvärde och att det finns behov av vidare forskning som undersöker arbetsterapeutisk rehabilitering för vuxna med postcovid. / The aim of the literature review was to describe occupational therapy rehabilitation for adults with postcovid. When the occupational therapist became involved in the rehabilitation process, what kind of rehabilitation that was used and what effect the rehabilitation had was analyzed in order to answer the aim of the review. The method that was used for this literature review was analysis of quantitative and qualitative research. Ten articles were selected to be included in the literature review. The result showed that three articles presented that the occupational therapist became involved in the rehabilitation process at an early stage. All articles showed that occupational therapy rehabilitation included education to manage postcovid and its symptoms and to provide individuals with strategies to reduce their experience of fatigue, improve their energy management and sleep hygiene in order to facilitate everyday life with postcovid. The effect of occupational therapy rehabilitation was presented in three articles that showed a positive effect regarding adults with postcovid and their symptoms, ability to perform activities in daily life and management of the condition. The authors conclusions based on the analyzed material is that occupational therapy can be a valuable part in the rehabilitation of postcovid, but that there is a lack of articles with a high level of evidence and that there is a need for further research that examines occupational therapy rehabilitation for adults with postcovid.