The Emerging Story of Disability Associated with Lymphatic Filariasis: A Critical Review

Globally, 40 million people live with the chronic effects of lymphatic filariasis (LF), making it the second leading cause of disability in the world. Despite this, there is limited research into the experiences of people living with the disease. This review summarises the research on the experiences of people living with LF disability. The review highlights the widespread social stigma and oppressive psychological issues that face most people living with LF-related disability. Physical manifestations of LF make daily activities and participation in community life difficult. The findings confirm the need for the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) to support morbidity management activities that address the complex biopsychosocial issues that people living with LF-related disability face

Culture and occupational therapy: considerations for the future of the profession

The past ten years have seen a significant increase in research relating to culture and occupational therapy\ud practice and theory. Contributions from Asia and research into cross cultural practice have begun to\ud challenge the universality of occupational therapy theory and practice. This paper will discuss current themes\ud in the literature and identify what gaps still exist within occupational therapy discourse. In particular, the\ud cultural construction of occupational therapy as a profession and the challenges of educating culturally safe\ud professionals will be examined. Recommendations for future research areas relating to the cultural\ud construction of occupational therapy will be made

Occupational therapy service needs for Indigenous communities within the North Queensland region: an exploratory study

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The use of focus groups to develop a culturally relevant quality of life tool for lymphatic filariasis in Bangladesh

Purpose\ud The purpose of this study was to conduct focus groups to operationalise the construct of quality of life (QOL) for people living with lymphatic filariasis (LF) in Bangladesh to develop culturally valid items for a Bangladeshi LF QOL tool.\ud \ud Methods\ud Ten focus groups were conducted with a stratified purposeful sample (n = 60) of LF patients (3 focus groups, n = 17), doctors (1 focus group, n = 5), nurses (1 focus group, n = 6) and other hospital staff (1 focus group, n = 5), community leaders (2 focus groups, n = 14), community volunteer health workers (1 focus group, n = 5) and Bangladeshi LF researchers and planners (1 focus group, n = 8). Focus group methodology was informed by local culture in consultation with cultural mentors and local advisors, often going against standard focus group procedures. Data were collected through note taking, audio taping, transcripts, observational notes and a reflection diary. Open coding of transcript data was completed until data saturation was achieved.\ud \ud Results\ud Forty-three constructs were identified through the focus groups that had not previously been identified in the literature, including constructs relating to environmental supports and barriers, activities, participation and psychological impacts. There were marked differences between the impacts reported by different groups, highlighting the need for a comprehensive purposive sample. In particular, contributions from participants who would not traditionally be viewed as "experts" were vital.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud The use of focus groups strongly contributed to the operationalisation of the concept of QOL in Bangladesh for people living with LF. Use of literature review or expert opinion alone would have missed vital constructs