End-of-Life in Prison Symposium Report

In 2016, the Canadian Parliament passed “An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying)” (S.C. 2016, c. 3). This statute decriminalized providing medical assistance to the dying in a defined set of circumstances. The Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) was also amended: section 19 now reads “(1.1) Subsection (1) does not apply to a death that results from an inmate receiving medical assistance in dying, as defined in section 241.1 that Act.” Pursuant to these amendments, this meeting focused on issues that may arise in implementing MAiD in the carceral context, asking “How can MAiD be implemented for Canadian prisoners responsibly?” or, in other words, “What obligations does the new MAiD legislation place on the Correctional Service of Canada and how can these be fulfilled”

Teaching Critical Reflection in Occupational Therapy: A Quantitative Pre/Post Evaluation of Student Learning

This study was designed to answer the question, “Does student recognition of the assumptions underlying occupational therapy practice increase after participation in guided exercises of critical reflection?” The project is grounded in critical occupational therapy (as first named by Whiteford and Townsend) to promote students to reflect actively on dominant disciplinary ideologies and self-reflect on how one’s social positionality impacts understandings of occupational participation. The concept of non-sanctioned occupations was drawn on as a means to facilitate changes in student recognition. A one group, quantitative pre/post design with six open-ended responses was undertaken with master’s-level students (N = 53) at two private universities. A learning module involving an interactive 90-min lecture with a pre-assigned reading and associated reflection guide was used to facilitate questioning of disciplinary ideologies. Even when introduced in small amounts, the use of critical occupational therapy in education shows benefits. Wilcoxon signed rank tests indicated the learning model increased student recognition of underlying personal assumptions. Thematic qualitative analysis confirmed these results and described patterns of change between pre/post surveys. This study demonstrates the potential for occupational therapy curricula to embed methods that instill critical self-reflection in emerging practitioners, with the promise of transforming clinical assessment and practice

Recovery-oriented practices within the Dartmouth Wellness Court: The Wall of Hope

This paper describes the Wall of Hope art installation as a product of recovery-oriented practices within the Dartmouth Wellness Court that contributes to a culture and language of hope within the courtroom environment

Investigating the purpose of an online discussion group for health professionals: a case example from forensic occupational therapy

Background: Thousands of health-related online discussion groups are active world-wide however, very little is known about the purpose and usefulness of such groups. In 2003 an online discussion group called ‘forensic occupational therapy' was established in the United Kingdom. This group was examined to gain an understanding of the purpose and use of online discussion groups for health professionals who may be practically and geographically isolated from others in similar areas of practice. Methods: Following a case study design, descriptive characteristics on members' locations and number of posts were collected from the forensic occupational therapy online discussion group. Eight years of posts (2003-2011) were examined using a theoretical thematic analysis process to identify and describe the purposes for which members were using the group. Results: Members from 20 countries contributed to the discussion group; the vast majority of posts being from members in the United Kingdom. Activity within the group was consistently high for the first five years however, activity within the group declined in the final three years. Six purposes for which members use the online discussion group were identified: seeking and giving advice, networking, requesting and sharing material resources, service development, defining the role of occupational therapists, and student learning. Conclusions: Findings suggest that health professionals in specialized and often isolated areas of practice are keen to connect with colleagues and learn from each other's experiences. The main purposes for which the online discussion group was used could be summarized as communication, information sharing and networking; though activity within the group declined significantly during the last three years of the data collection period. This raises questions about the sustainability of online discussion groups within the rapidly developing social media environment

End-of-Life in Prison Symposium Report

In 2016, the Canadian Parliament passed “An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying)” (S.C. 2016, c. 3). This statute decriminalized providing medical assistance to the dying in a defined set of circumstances. The Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) was also amended: section 19 now reads “(1.1) Subsection (1) does not apply to a death that results from an inmate receiving medical assistance in dying, as defined in section 241.1 that Act.” Pursuant to these amendments, this meeting focused on issues that may arise in implementing MAiD in the carceral context, asking “How can MAiD be implemented for Canadian prisoners responsibly?” or, in other words, “What obligations does the new MAiD legislation place on the Correctional Service of Canada and how can these be fulfilled”