What are the potentials of group occupations for adult asylum seekers?

The article uses the scoping studies approach to explore the current literature on group occupation with adult asylum seekers. Two research questions related to this topic are addressed: whether group occupation has the potential to promote occupational engagement, and whether it is meaningful for adult asylum seekers. In order to answer these questions, we referred to the Canadian model of occupational performance and engagement (CMOP-E) and its description of the interaction between environment, group occupations and asylum seekers. We conclude that group occupation both promotes occupational engagement and is meaningful for the participants, as the group is a regular occupation which provides relevant activities, a place to learn, create social bonds, experience happiness and a sense of being understood

Formidling av hjelpemiddel i kommunen. Korleis resonnerer ergoterapeuten i kartleggingssituasjonen?

Formidling av tekniske hjelpemiddel er ei stor og viktig arbeidsoppgåve for ergoterapeutar som arbeider i kommunehelsetenesta, men til trass for dette er temaet etter måten lite diskutert i ergoterapifagkrinsar. Forsking på temaet har retta seg mot brukaren si oppleving av å ha og å få eit tekniske hjelpemiddel og utfordringar som fagutøvarane møter ved formidling av tekniske hjelpemidel. Ut i frå denne forskinga vert ergoterapeutar sitt arbeid med hjelpemiddelformidling kritisert for å vere tilfeldig og prega av for lite brukarmedverknad. Denne kritikken vert supplert med røyster innan fagmiljøet som tek til orde for å i større grad implementere evidensbasert praksis. Korleis hjelpemiddelformidling ved kommuneergoterapeut går føre seg i praksis, har ikkje vore fokus for forskinga. Dette til trass for at forskinga som er gjort strekar under at møtet med brukaren og måten hjelpemiddelet vert formidla på, er avgjerande for om formidlinga vert vellukka. Utgangspunktet i dette prosjektet er å rette merksemd mot dei kunnskapane og dugleikane som kommuneergoterapeutane nyttar seg av i det konkrete kartleggingsmøtet med brukaren ved formidling av hjelpemiddel. For å kunne gjere dette, er det naudsynt å ta utgangspunkt i eit anna syn på kunnskap enn det tradisjonelt vestlege vitskapsidealet. I denne oppgåva er det nytta teori om klinisk resonnering og praksiskunnskap som teoretisk perspektiv. For å finne ut kva kunnskapar kommuneergoterapeutane nyttar seg av når dei skal formidle hjelpemiddel, har eg gjennomført ei kvalitativ undersøking med observasjonar av tre kartleggingssituasjonar og etterfølgjande intervju av kommuneergoterapeutane. Ut i frå dette materialet viser det seg at ergoterapeutane rettar seg mot å forstå brukaren sin situasjon, der situasjonsomgrepet er overskridande i høve til fokuset på sjukdom, funksjon og brukaren sine næraste omgjevnadar. Samhandlinga med brukaren vert nytta medvitent for å bygge opp tillit og tryggleik for å leggje til rette for at han skal kunne kome fram med si problemstilling

What Makes Dependency on Homecare Bearable? A Phenomenological Study

Becoming dependent on homecare in old age is a radical life change that requires complex adaption. The purpose of this study was to explore the existential dimension of being dependent on homecare with a particular focus on what makes dependency bearable. In total, 15 older people living in Denmark or Norway were interviewed using a phenomenological approach. The material was analyzed employing Max van Manen’s meaning-giving approach coined “Phenomenology of practice.” During the analysis, four themes emerged: pure acceptance of an inevitable situation, acting independently as much as possible, negotiating to receive good care, and gratitude toward caring caregivers. The results point to a need for respectful and individualized homecare leveling out the subordinate position in which dependency on homecare tends to place older people

Rehabilitation models that support transitions from hospital to home for people with acquired brain injury (ABI): a scoping review

Background - Research shows a lack of continuity in service provision during the transition from hospital to home for people with acquired brain injuries (ABI). There is a need to gather and synthesize knowledge about services that can support strategies for more standardized referral and services supporting this critical transition phase for patients with ABI. We aimed to identify how rehabilitation models that support the transition phase from hospital to home for these patients are described in the research literature and to discuss the content of these models. Methods - We based our review on the “Arksey and O`Malley framework” for scoping reviews. The review considered all study designs, including qualitative and quantitative methodologies. We extracted data of service model descriptions and presented the results in a narrative summary. Results - A total of 3975 studies were reviewed, and 73 were included. Five categories were identified: (1) multidisciplinary home-based teams, (2) key coordinators, (3) trained family caregivers or lay health workers, (4) predischarge planning, and (5) self-management programs. In general, the studies lack in-depth professional and contextual descriptions. Conclusions - There is a wide variety of rehabilitation models that support the transition phase from hospital to home for people with ABI. The variety may indicate a lack of consensus of best practices. However, it may also reflect contextual adaptations. This study indicates that health care service research lacks robust and thorough descriptions of contextual features, which may limit the feasibility and transferability to diverse contexts

Costs and Benefits of the EU Enlargement: The Impact on the EU and SEE Countries

The south-eastern enlargement of the European Union will be the sixth enlargement since the establishment of the European Community in 1957. This research uses the gravity model to analyze the factors that have an influence on trade flows between the EU and South-east European Countries. The Gravity model explains patterns of trade with GDP, geographical distance and several dummy variables. Using the data from 2010, the gravity model analyzes trade flows between 23 countries from both the EU and South-eastern European Countries. Taking into consideration the costs of enlargement, this paper examines the possible effects of enlargement on trade flows, and its impact on the development of SEEC’s. Moreover, it offers a solution for the South-east European Countries which is the possibility to create the Balkan Union.

Perceptions of Assessment in Norwegian Occupational Therapy Students

In addition to securing minimum standards of learning among students, assessment is increasingly used as a tool to improve students’ learning. Assessment quality is measured as part of the Course Experience Questionnaire; however, the original ‘appropriate assessment’ scale has demonstrated ambiguous psychometric properties. The current study aimed to gain knowledge about occupational therapy students’ perceptions of assessment, and this was achieved by examining the factor structure and internal consistency of the six items on the ‘appropriate assessment’ scale. Students from six Norwegian universities (n = 187, response rate 61.3 %) completed the scale and reported demographic information. The factor structure of the scale was assessed with Principal Components Analysis and Parallel Analysis, and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s α and mean inter-item correlations. Three factors were extracted from the data: Factor 1 (three items, α = 0.51) is concerned with the content of assessment. Factor 2 (two items, α = 0.62) is concerned with the context of assessment. Finally, Factor 3 (one item) is concerned with the feedback to students following assessment. In view of the item mean scores, feedback in particular appears to be an area of improvement for the occupational therapy programs, as well as a venue for further research

Perceptions of assessment in Norwegian occupational therapy students

In addition to securing minimum standards of learning among students, assessment is increasingly used as a tool to improve students’ learning. Assessment quality is measured as part of the Course Experience Questionnaire; however, the original ‘appropriate assessment’ scale has demonstrated ambiguous psychometric properties. The current study aimed to gain knowledge about occupational therapy students’ perceptions of assessment, and this was achieved by examining the factor structure and internal consistency of the six items on the ‘appropriate assessment’ scale. Students from six Norwegian universities (n= 187, response rate 61.3 %) completed the scale and reported demographic information. The factor structure of the scale was assessed with Principal Components Analysis and Parallel Analysis, and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’sαand mean inter-item correlations. Three factors were extracted from the data: Factor 1 (three items,α= 0.51) is concerned with the content of assessment. Factor 2 (two items,α= 0.62) is concerned with the context of assessment. Finally, Factor 3 (one item) is concerned with the feedback to students following assessment. In view of the item mean scores, feedback in particular appears to be an area of improvement for the occupational therapy programs, as well as a venue for further research.publishedVersio

Physiotherapy as part of collaborative and person-centered rehabilitation services: the social systems constraining an innovative practice

Background: A person-centered and collaborative practice is considered crucial in contemporary physiotherapy. These ideals are often embraced in theory but are difficult to put into practice. As problems and solutions are related, understanding and refining theory on practical problems can close the knowing-doing gap and link the problem to the development of possible solutions. Objective: To explore the challenges with providing physiotherapy as part of collaborative and person-centered rehabilitation services. Methods: This article reports on an all-day interactive workshop with eight focus group discussions where physiotherapists from six different professional settings participated. We draw on theories of institutional logics to interpret the results. Results: Challenges were linked to: 1) Professional level: Services being based on what the profession can offer – not on users’ needs; 2) Organizational level: Rewarding efficiency instead of user outcomes; and 3) System level: Not knowing the other service providers involved or what they are doing. Conclusion: An innovative practice was constrained by multilevel social systems: the professional logic shaping the perceived professional scope, the organizational logic shaping the understanding of what was expected in the organizational context, and a system logic within a biomedical paradigm. Transforming and transcending these social systems is needed to realize collaborative and person-centered practice

Approaches to Studying: A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Occupational Therapy Students in Six Education Programs in Norway

Students’ approaches to studying have been associated with their academic performance. Although previous research suggests that the cultural and educational context may influence approaches to studying, few studies have investigated differences in study approaches across education programs. The aim of this study was to examine whether approaches to studying differed among occupational therapy students enrolled in six different educational programs in Norway. From a population of 308 students, 187 first-year occupational therapy students in six educational programs in Norway were recruited. The students provided their sociodemographic information and completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), and group differences were analyzed with Chi-square tests and one-way analyses of variance. Scores on the deep and surface approach scales did not differ significantly among the students in the six educational programs, while there was an overall difference in scores on the strategic approach scale. Group differences regarding the subscales were minor, and only a few of the pairwise differences reached statistical significance. Differences at the education program level appear not to be important for the interpretation of differences in study approaches among students