A Scoping Review Exploring the Use of Art-Making-as-Therapy in Adult Mental Health Occupational Therapy Practice

Background: Art-making-as-therapy has been used by occupational therapists in mental health since the inception of the profession. It aims to enable people to gain mastery and produce art. This review synthesizes the research on the use of art-making as therapy by occupational therapists in adult mental health practice. Method: Arksey and O’Malley’s 5-stage framework was used. A search of four databases was conducted with the inclusion criteria of papers from 1980 – 2020 using the keywords of occupational therapy, mental health or illness, and art. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Of the 847 articles initially identified, 21 were included in the review. Three themes were identified: (a) the benefits of occupational participation in arts-making-as-therapy for consumers, (b) the environmental context of the art-making-as-therapy experience, and (c) using artmaking-as-therapy to inform professional reasoning, including assessing and enhancing therapeutic relationships. The paucity of literature (n = 21) means that results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion: There is evidence for the benefits of art-making-as-therapy for consumers and occupational therapists in mental health settings. Further research is necessary into the efficacy of using art-making-as-therapy in practice from the perspective of people who live with mental illness

Supervision in Practice Education and Transition to Practice: Student and New Graduate Perceptions

Purpose: Transitioning into occupational therapy practice is a complex process in which new graduates develop their skills and professional identity. Evidence suggests this process requires guidance and support through supervision. This study investigated final year students’ and newly graduated occupational therapists’ perceptions and expectations of the role and efficacy of supervision as they transition into practice. Methods: A cross sectional online survey was sent to final year students and newly graduated occupational therapists within Australia and New Zealand, to explore experiences, perceptions, and the content of supervision received in practice. Results: Of 151 participants, 96% received supervision from an experienced occupational therapist and reported it facilitated skill development and enhanced quality of service to clients; however 4% reported they do not receive supervision in practice. The frequency of supervision decreased between students (63% weekly) and new graduates (41% monthly) and perceptions of supervision effectiveness changed over time. Conclusions: The transition to occupational therapy practice is complex and perceptions of the effectiveness of supervision change. Provision of education regarding supervision within undergraduate curriculum, and training for supervisors may alleviate associated stressors. Increasing the frequency of supervision and understanding the supervisory role may support transitioning into practice

Clinical Educator and Student Perceptions of iPad™ Technology to Enhance Clinical Supervision: The Electronically-Facilitated Feedback Initiative (EFFI)

Purpose: Growing demands placed upon healthcare systems require more health professionals to be trained. Clinical placement education is an integral component of health professional training, however accommodating increasing numbers of student placements is a challenge for health services. Personal digital assistants such as iPads™ may assist in delivery of clinical education, by facilitating transfer of knowledge and skills from clinical educators to health professional students, however such an initiative has not been formally investigated. The present study sought to explore perceptions of clinical educators and allied health students regarding the impact of an iPad™-based feedback delivery system on student reflection and learning. Methods: A pilot study was performed using iPads™ with specialised software to deliver electronic formative feedback to physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology students during clinical placements. Students and clinical educators completed a questionnaire exploring advantages and disadvantages of the technology. Results: Nine clinical educators and 14 students participated and completed the survey. Clinical educators largely (n=7, 78%) reported the electronic feedback system was easy to use and 67% (n=6) reported it improved the quality of feedback provided to students. Five (56%) clinical educators thought electronic feedback improved student performance. Most students (n=10, 71%) reported electronic feedback facilitated reflection upon performance, and 64% (n=9) reported improved performance as a result. Disadvantages included poor wireless internet access and software inefficiencies (n=7 [78%] clinical educators, n=7 [50%] students), and difficulties using iPads™ in settings requiring infection control (n=2 [22%] clinical educators). Conclusions: Clinical educators and students perceived electronic feedback as a positive adjunct to student learning on clinical placement, however technological and software interface factors need to be considered for implementation in some settings

Could Intelligent Speed Adaptation make overtaking unsafe?

This driving simulator study investigated how mandatory and voluntary ISA might affect a driver's overtaking decisions on rural roads, by presenting drivers with a variety of overtaking scenarios designed to evaluate both the frequency and safety of the manoeuvres. In half the overtaking scenarios, ISA was active and in the remainder ISA was switched off. A rural road was modelled with a number of 2 + 1 road sections, thus allowing drivers a protected overtaking opportunity. The results indicate that drivers became less inclined to initiate an overtaking manoeuvre when the mandatory ISA was active and this was particularly so when the overtaking opportunity was short. In addition to this, when ISA was activated drivers were more likely to have to abandon an overtaking, presumably due to running out of road. They also spent more time in the critical hatched area - a potentially unsafe behaviour. The quality of the overtaking manoeuvre was also affected when mandatory ISA was active, with drivers pulling out and cutting back in more sharply. In contrast, when driving with a voluntary ISA, overtaking behaviour remained mostly unchanged: drivers disengaged the function in approximately 70% of overtaking scenarios. The results of this study suggest that mandatory ISA could affect the safety of overtaking manoeuvres unless coupled with an adaptation period or other driver support functions that support safe overtaking

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Year One Outcome Evaluation Report for the Southern Nevada Health District

In the fall of 2010 the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) was awarded funding from the Federal Office of Adolescent Health to implement an evidence based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. They have partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice Services and the Clark County Department of Family Services to offer this curriculum to the youth in juvenile detention, probation, and life skills classes for youth aging out of the foster care system. The Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) has been contracted to complete the outcome evaluation for this program and is collecting data to help measure the program’s progress toward meeting its goals. The program will be implemented over a five year period with the goal of reducing teen pregnancy and birth rates, as well as the rate of sexually transmitted infections among adolescents in Southern Nevada. To achieve these goals, the SNHD selected two evidence based curriculums: Be Proud! Be Responsible! and ¡Cuidate!. Both are designed to educate youth about protecting themselves from sexual health risks. Adolescents who participated in the program also completed surveys to allow for an evaluation of the program’s impact on their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sexual health. There were 752 youth who participated in Year Two of the program and of those, 593 (78.9%) completed the course and the pre- and post-surveys required for the current evaluation. Youth from juvenile detention, probation, and foster care centers between the ages of 12 and 18 participated in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. To date, 387 Year Two participants have become eligible for the 3-month follow-up survey and 175 have been completed for a 3-month follow-up survey response rate of 45.2%. There are 226 Year Two participants that have become eligible for a 6-month follow-up survey of which 98 have been completed, for a 6-month follow-up survey response rate of 43.4%. Year One of this project was considered a “pilot” year to allow for adjustments in curriculum implementation, venues, and survey instruments. During Year One there were several iterations of the surveys used and therefore, the Year One Pilot data will not be included cumulatively with the Year Two dataset or with future project data. In the current report, comparisons are made to the Year One Pilot, when available and appropriate. Some comparisons are not available because the question used to measure a particular goal has been changed completely from Year One and some comparisons are not appropriate because the response options for a question were changed from Year One to Year Two. Going forward, it is expected that few, if any, adjustments to program implementation and survey instrumentation will be made. Therefore, future reporting on program outcomes will rely on a cumulative dataset beginning with Year Two

Late Iron Age Whaling in Scandinavia

The use of bone from marine mammals as raw material in the manufacturing of gaming pieces in the Scandinavian late Iron Age have been observed and discussed during the last few years. New empirical studies have created a chronology as well as a typology showing how the design of the gaming pieces is tightly connected to different choices of raw material from antler in the roman and migration period, to whalebone in the 6 th century and walrus in the 10th century. The ocular examination of the whalebone can, however, rarely go beyond a determination of bone from cetaceans. The following article presents the results from 68 samples of whalebone gaming pieces that have been species determined using ZooMSms. The results show a consistent use of bones from North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and is thus a strong argument for there being an active and largescale hunt for this type of whale starting inthe 6 h century. However, the manufacturing of gaming pieces was most likely not the reason for hunting whales, but merely a by-product that has survived in the archaeological record. Of greater importance was probably baleen, meat and the blubber that could be rendered into oil. The oil might have been an additional trading product on the far-reaching trade networks developing during the period

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with epilepsy: Findings from the US arm of the COV-E study

Objectives: As part of the COVID-19 and Epilepsy (COV-E) global study, we aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the medical care and well-being of people with epilepsy (PWE) in the United States, based on their perspectives and those of their caregivers. Methods: Separate surveys designed for PWE and their caregivers were circulated from April 2020 to July 2021; modifications in March 2021 included a question about COVID-19 vaccination status. Results: We received 788 responses, 71% from PWE (n = 559) and 29% (n = 229) from caregivers of persons with epilepsy. A third (n = 308) of respondents reported a change in their health or in the health of the person they care for. Twenty-seven percent (n = 210) reported issues related to worsening mental health. Of respondents taking ASMs (n = 769), 10% (n = 78) reported difficulty taking medications on time, mostly due to stress causing forgetfulness. Less than half of respondents received counseling on mental health and stress. Less than half of the PWE reported having discussions with their healthcare providers about sleep, ASMs, and potential side effects, while a larger proportion of caregivers (81%) reported having had discussions with their healthcare providers on the same topics. More PWE and caregivers reported that COVID-19-related measures caused adverse impact on their health in the post-vaccine period than during the pre-vaccine period, citing mental health issues as the primary reason. Significance: Our findings indicate that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US on PWE is multifaceted. Apart from the increased risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes, the pandemic has also had negative effects on mental health and self-management. Healthcare providers must be vigilant for increased emotional distress in PWE during the pandemic and consider the importance of effective counseling to diminish risks related to exacerbated treatment gaps