Flip to Learn & Learn to Flip in Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review

Faculty seek methods that efficiently use their time, facilitate deep learning, and acquire competencies through the curriculum. The flipped classroom, a pedagogical approach, is proposed to be one solution to these issues. This study is a scoping review of how health care professional courses apply the flipped classroom model. The specific aims of this scoping review are: (a) determine the health care disciplines using and researching flipped classrooms, (b) identify and categorize instructional/course design and teaching and learning strategies used in flipped classroom literature, and (c) classify the levels of evidence-based education and trustworthiness in the studies as defined by Kirkpatrick\u27s hierarchy. Following the PRISMA guidelines for sectioning the study, twenty studies were included in this scoping review. This scoping review identified various health care professions that have implemented the flipped classroom model at multiple levels of courses and curriculum to enhance student learning experiences. The flipped classroom design model provides different ways of improving learning environments, which could benefit student learning outcomes in academic performance and satisfaction. Pre-class and in-class active learning is the most common teaching and learning strategies; although less common, there is value identified in the after-class learning activities. Research suggests that blended learning and flipped classrooms can be effective in health care professional education to learn, retain, apply, and think critically compared to traditional teaching. Occupational therapy educators can use various learning strategies discussed in this study as an alternative or supplement to enhance or replace the traditional lecture-based teaching style

Effect of an IPE Experience on Student Readiness towards NeuroRehabilitation Practice

With the rapid change in health care environments, academic institutions are called upon to align themselves with the needs of the health care system. Key to the achievement of positive outcomes is the ability of health professionals to work in teams. At the Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, we have informal opportunities to engage in interprofessional collaboration. However, we would like to see more formal integration, in our respective curricula, interprofessional collaboration and learning. Occupational and physical therapy professionals are natural partners in neurorehabilitation especially in the acute stages of recovery. To enhance student learning experiences from both disciplines, we have developed a pilot interprofessional learning unit that was embedded in neurorehabilitation tracks of each respective program. The primary goal of this project is to examine interprofessional attitudes and readiness for interprofessional learning. A secondary outcome that we hope to address is the development of critical thinking and reasoning. The unit required students to participate in a joint case analysis and collaboratively design an intervention plan following the ICF Model. Upon the conclusion of our final data collection in early Spring 2012, we will be able to highlight the IPE features of our learning unit and preliminary findings from our pre- and post-test data culled from our outcome measures (Interprofessional Attitudes Questionnaire and Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale) and focus group discussions. We are highly encouraged by the anecdotal we have received thus far. We plan to generate recommendations for future curricular adoptions. Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will: 1. Describe challenges and considerations in developing an IPE learning experience 2. Describe students’ perception of their readiness and attitudes towards engaging in interprofessional wor

Return to Work After Stroke: A Survey of Occupational Therapy Practice Patterns

This descriptive study, consisting of a survey followed by semi-structured interviews, sought to describe the practice patterns and perceived competencies of occupational therapy practitioners in the provision of return to work (RTW) services for stroke survivors. Respondents (n = 119) were mostly occupational therapists (95%) working in outpatient settings (61%); 47% reported a caseload of mostly stroke survivors; and most addressing RTW (60%). Respondents focused predominantly on remediation of cognitive and physical skills and less on actual work performance and supports. Respondents assert occupational therapy’s role in RTW for stroke survivors but generally reported limited competencies and low utilization of evidence-based approaches and theoretical models when addressing RTW. Systems, organizational support, and practitioner factors emerged as barriers and facilitators to RTW service provision. This study suggests there may be a critical gap in practitioners’ RTW competencies with profound implications for entry-level education, professional development, advocacy, and research

The Geriatric Hand

As we age, the musculoskeletal, vascular, integument, and nervous systems begin to show signs of degenerative changes that affect hand function-primarily strength, dexterity, and prehension. Bone demineralization, joint wear and tear, muscle atrophy, decreased sensation, and soft tissue changes combined with associated health conditions decrease a person\u27s functional abilities. As the aging population grows in the United States, with persons older than 65 years of age expected to increase to 19% of the total population by 2030, so will the need for occupational therapy services for adults as they age. For some older adults, whether retired, partially retired, or still working, deteriorating hand function is a part of the aging process. Shumway-Cook and Woollacott identified several features of decreased reach, grasp, and manipulation in older adults from a motor control perspective.3 These features include reduction in manual dexterity such as manipulating buttons and opening pill bottles, and decreased efficiency in grip-and-lift tasks such as carrying a laundry basket or grasping and lifting a milk carton off a refrigerator shelf. Fortunately, these age-related changes may be addressed through training. If unaddressed, older adults are at risk for decreased occupational performance. Incel and colleagues suggested that a loss of hand function is an important predictor of a reduction in activities of daily living (ADLs) performance and quality of life of older adult

Addressing Phantom Pain Through Occupational Participation: A Qualitative Study of Support Group Participants

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the adaptation process of support group participants who are survivors of lower limb amputation (LLA) experiencing phantom limb pain (PLP). The study followed a qualitative, descriptive phenomenological design. Ten adult participants with LLA met inclusion criteria and through semi-structured interviews shared their lived experience. A qualitative descriptive methodology was used to analyze the data collected from interview transcriptions. Analysis involved coding and theme development. Three themes emerged: PLP interrupted but does not prevent participation, adapting to PLP allowed for continued participation in meaningful occupations, and education to promote self-management of PLP. Themes identified highlight the importance of social support and early education on PLP to facilitate the adaption process and promote occupational participation. The finding underscores the value of empowering survivors to self-manage pain through their own personal and unique ways

Physical Therapist Management of Glenohumeral Joint Osteoarthritis: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American Physical Therapy Association.

A clinical practice guideline on glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis was developed by an American Physical Therapy Association volunteer guideline development group that consisted of physical therapists and a neurologist. The guideline was based on systematic reviews of current scientific and clinical information and accepted approaches for physical therapist management of glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis. This clinical practice guideline is available in Spanish; see Supplementary Appendix 8