Rural children and their families experience inequities related to health access and outcomes. Occupational deprivation occurs when children and their families are unable to participate in needed or desired occupations, such as health management or child rearing, due to limited access to health care services such as occupational therapy (OT). This doctoral project proposes the Carolina Mobile Clinic initiative to increase access to OT services for children and their families residing in rural Eastern North Carolina. This would in turn promote their occupational participation and justice as well as improved health and wellness.
This doctoral project involved examining the literature regarding contributors to the inequities in order to create an explanatory model of the problem; considering potential solutions for promoting the health access and outcomes of rural residents; proposing and describing how a mobile OT clinic could be used to address the identified issues; developing program evaluation plans; establishing a funding plan; developing a theory-informed dissemination plan; and creating supporting materials such as an executive summary, manuals, and brochures. It is the intention that these efforts will result in a comprehensive, evidence-informed plan for a mobile clinic that could be used wholly or in part with a variety of communities of interest when proposing, implementing, evaluating, or disseminating information about this type of innovative solution in the future. By increasing the ease and likelihood of this type of solution coming to fruition, this project aims to promote access to OT services, occupational justice, and positive health outcomes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/47907 |
| Date | 04 January 2024 |
| Creators | Biggs Ayers, Stephanie Nicole |
| Contributors | Doyle, Nancy W., Jacobs, Karen |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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