Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Employer-Sponsored Evidence-Based Practice Activities

Background: Evidence-based practice is an expectation for the practice of occupational therapy, however, practitioners are not engaging regularly in it. Employers have started to offer activities, such as journal clubs and case studies, or access to research articles and continuing education activities, to help increase evidence-based practice use. Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive open-ended survey study was to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of employer-sponsored evidence-based practice activities by occupational therapy practitioners. It was the goal of the research to answer the question: what are occupational therapists’ perceptions regarding employer-sponsored evidence-based activities? Theoretical Framework. The Model of Human Occupation provides the theoretical framework by looking at how the practitioner’s clinical skills and practice (output) are perceived to be influenced by employer-sponsored activities (input). Methods. This study was a descriptive study design utilizing a combination of open and closed-ended survey questions on an online platform to gather the perceived opinions of employer-sponsored evidence-based practice activities. The researcher aimed to gather information from the participants based on their reality and knowledge in relation to themselves and their time. Results. A total of thirty-six participants responded, demonstrating an overall approval of employer-sponsored activities and cited their perceived effectiveness in increasing evidence-based practice. Participants who did not report having activities sponsored by their employer voiced an interest in such activities to improve their practice of occupational therapy. Collaborative learning opportunities such as journal clubs were viewed similarly as access to databases and continuing education opportunities. Conclusions: Employers have an opportunity to sponsor activities to influence the use of evidence-based practice. Additional research is needed to confirm and generalize the results, but overall, use of employer-sponsored activities is a step in the right direction for evidence-based practice us

Building Relationship-Rich Opportunities Online

Mentoring is an important process in building rich relationships in learning. The use of e-mentoring as an innovative strategy to promote a relationship rich experience for faculty and students is described. Data collected reinforces learner-centered professional value in the promotion of student engagement