The OT\u27s Role in an Interprofessional Research Team

Why Interprofessional Research? The research field receives contributions from multiple disciplines and is inclusive by nature. •Feels natural in our day to day work practices to collaborate with other professions. •A plan to build research capacity includes establishing a research culture, environment, and infrastructure as well as partnership with other disciplines (Frontera et al., 2006)

Cross-Cultural and Inter-Professional Knowledge Translation of Developmentally Supportive Care in an Indian NICU

Synopsis: A cross-cultural, and inter-professional NICU Team, including an American OT, used knowledge translation (KT) frameworks to apply current global evidence in developmentally supportive care in ways that were useful, cost effective, and meaningful to the families and staff in their tertiary care NICU setting in Gurgaon, India. The team used Pre & Post videotaping of routine care and procedures to measure the change in practice. Objectives 1. Increase NICU nurses’ use of DSC during routine care and procedures 2. Decrease the use of non-supportive behavior

Enhancing Services for Homeless Populations: Impact of a Virtual-Reality Training Tool on Health Professional Students’ Self-Efficacy in Working with Homeless Populations

INTRODUCTION Despite the rising prevalence and unmet healthcare needs of homeless populations, most healthcare providers do not receive specific training on working with this population. The growth of simulation-based technology in the medical classroom offers new opportunities for such training. Virtual-reality tools have been shown to facilitate learning and minimize restraints such as time and travel. The Enhancing Service to Homeless Populations (ESHP) program was designed to provide health professions students at Thomas Jefferson University with training on how to interact with homeless populations using an interprofessional virtual-reality setting, with the ultimate goal of improving students’ self-efficacy. METHODS Participants (n=15) were students recruited from Thomas Jefferson University from the nursing, medicine, occupational therapy and public health schools. Participants were placed into groups in which they simulated visits with homeless clients on the virtual world platform Second Life. Confidence levels and knowledge of the participants were elicited in surveys and structured interviews before and after participation in the simulations. Survey results were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Interviews were transcribed and qualitative analysis was done using NVivo software. RESULTS Preliminary analysis of survey data demonstrates an increase in self-efficacy after participation. Codebook development for the qualitative analysis is underway but results remain incomplete. CONCLUSION The ESHP program was found to increase students’ self-efficacy in interacting with homeless populations but more data must be analyzed before we can elaborate upon these findings

Exploring the Depths of Health Literacy Are We Teaching This and Why Does It Matter?

Background: Why does Health Literacy Matter? Healthcare practitioners often work with older persons with low health literacy without realizing that this issues limiting the success of their interventions. They may also lack awareness of the serious impact that low health literacy can have, since it is associated with lower reported health status, increased hospitalizations, and increased morbidity (Levasseur & Carrier, 2011). The current US healthcare system places increase demands on consumers to manage their own health (Smith & Gutman, 2011). Educators in the health professions must instill a sense of responsibility in future practitioners to understand the important role they play in promoting health literacy. Students in the health professions must acquire the tools necessary to empower their older adult and other clients using health literacy principles. Poster presented at the 65th annual scientific meeting of Gerontological Society of America in San Diego, California

Strategies for Integrating Health Literacy into Entry-level OT Curricula: A Comprehensive Approach

Synopsis: Health literacy is a significant factor impacting the efficacy of healthcare services. Initiatives related to health literacy demonstrate that OTs have unique opportunities to promote health literacy and facilitate its integration into practice. It is therefore critical to explore ways in which health literacy content can be incorporated into entry-­‐level OT curricula. Doing so will help ensure that future practitioners are prepared to meet key standards related to health literacy, including those established by ACOTE. This session will highlight strategies and methods to incorporate health literacy into entry-­‐level OT curricula

Introduction to IPE: A School-Wide Orientation Initiative

Session Objectives: Present an innovative approach to orienting new students from various healthcare disciplines on Interprofessional Educa(on (IPE). Discuss strategies to shape incoming students’ attitudes toward working in teams. Discuss challenges and opportunities in coordinating a large-­‐scale IPE event. Synopsis Interprofessional experiences are a vital part of healthcare education, and early introduction can positively impact students’ attitudes and knowledge about their team members’ roles. While students at academic health centers (AHC’s) have opportunites to engage in IPE, such opportunites can be overwhelming given significant challenges to coordination and implementation. Addressing these challenges, an interprofessional team at Jefferson School of Health Professions in Philadelphia developed a large-­‐scale event where students could meet other healthcare students and be oriented to IPE as a community. This session discusses the pragmatic and conceptual challenges of the two month planning process of the orientation event, its implementation, and outcomes

Promoting Health Literacy through Leading Edge Occupational Therapy Education

Synopsis: Health literacy has become a vital focus of U.S. healthcare. By incorporating health literacy knowledge, attitudes, and skills into entry-­‐level education, occupational therapy professionals can enact a leading role in health and human services teams to address our national healthcare goals. Poster presentation at the American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2013

Teaching Cultural Humility and Competence: A Multi-disciplinary Course for Public Health and Health Services Students

Poster on the interdisciplinary Cultural Humility and Competence course taught at the Jefferson School of Population Health for the past several years. Overall Course Aim: Why a multi-disciplinary cultural humility competence course? An in-depth and advanced understanding of cultural diversity, health inequities and cultural competence in inter-professional health and human service delivery and administration. Facilitate development of cultural competence and humility in one\u27s self, colleagues and the work environment and its application to practice

Promoting occupational therapy in virtual environments: Project-based learning in Second Life®

Description of project Occupational therapy students from Jefferson School of Health Professions in Philadelphia planned and implemented interactive exhibits within the virtual world of Second Life®. The educational exhibits were provided through an ongoing project designed to promote occupational therapy, provide immersive experiences on health and wellness for persons in Second Life® and promote collaboration between project personnel and others with an interest in health and wellness. Exhibits focused on home and playground adaptations, mental health and productive aging and were based on current research evidence and best practices. Students also participated in events in which they promoted occupational therapy and discussed their projects