OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is one of those topics that we need to be keeping up with as OT practitioners, in part because there are some very compelling stories about its use that our patients may be encountering. This week's article gives us a helpful update on what we know (and don't know) about FES, and its use in a comprehensive stroke program. To join the conversation, please sign up for the OT Potential Club! Howlett, O. A., Lannin, N. A., Ada, L., & McKinstry, C. (2015). Functional electrical stimulation improves activity after stroke: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96(5), 934-943. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2015.01.013(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

This week, the podcast tackles a topic that can be confusing: sensory processing interventions for kids with autism.We look at a systematic review that tries to categorize different types of these interventions, then examine the evidence around each category.To join in the conversation, join the OT Potential Club! Case-Smith, J., Weaver, L. L., & Fristad, M. A. (2014). A systematic review of sensory processing interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 19(2), 133–148. doi: 10.1177/1362361313517762(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

I’m sure most of us have experienced aspects of healthcare delivery that seem, shall we say, less than ideal. Maybe you’ve found yourself wondering just how, on earth, we managed to get where we are. How can our sophisticated healthcare systems, sometimes lead to such poor care? This week’s article is truly unique because it is a narrative review telling the story of one such healthcare failure: the opioid crisis. Even if you feel your work doesn't directly relate to the opioid crisis, I hope you consider spending some time with this article. It helps us understand the current state of healthcare, and perhaps you will find some ideas for how we can move forward. Tompkins, D. A., Hobelmann, J. G., & Compton, P. (2017). Providing chronic pain management in the “Fifth Vital Sign” Era: Historical and treatment perspectives on a modern-day medical dilemma. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 173. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.12.002(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

I was reaching the end of this week’s article when my eyes suddenly flooded with tears.That’s because I encountered something we had not yet seen in the OT Potential Podcast: strengths-based recommendations. And I don't mean strength training. I mean focusing on our patients' strengths (rather than their impairments) and leveraging them so patients get the absolute most out of their care.This concept is especially important when you consider the patient population we examine this week: those with ataxia telangiectasia (A-T).We could easily focus on the disabilities of patients with this rare disease. However, the authors of this week's article did a fantastic job of looking at the innate strengths of patients with A-T, and how we might consider them when creating care plans. I will be eager to hear from anyone who has worked with this population and/or has experience with strengths-based approaches.Rothblum-Oviatt, C., Wright, J., Lefton-Greif, M.A. et al. Ataxia telangiectasia: a review. Orphanet J Rare Dis 11, 159 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-016-0543-7(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

MELAS Syndrome is a rare and complex condition—but it is also statistically likely that someone in your community is living with it.This week's article provides a helpful overview of what we know (and don't know) about this syndrome, as well as considerations for our OT care.El-Hattab, A. W., Adesina, A. M., Jones, J., & Scaglia, F. (2015). MELAS syndrome: Clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, and treatment options. Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, 116(1-2), 4–12. doi: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2015.06.004(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) npsgdUQ6RMTzRirDM3fnSupport the show

I'm sure we all have people in our lives (or, at least on our caseloads) who suffer from chronic pain.This week's article explores chronic low back pain (LBP) and the biopsychosocial approach. You might feel a bit of deja vu, as we're finding again that a multi-faceted approach seems to work best to get results in healthcare—and, in my opinion, a multidisciplinary approach for LBP should likely include occupational therapy.To discuss this research further, please sign up for The OT Potential Club. Kamper, S. J., Apeldoorn, A. T., Chiarotto, A., Smeets, R. J. E. M., Ostelo, R. W. J. G., Guzman, J., & Tulder, M. W. V. (2015). Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for chronic low back pain: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. Bmj , 350 (feb18 5). doi: 10.1136/bmj.h444(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Soft neurological signs are a hot topic in the OT community right now. And I can see why: soft signs give us a window into all the happening at a biological level in many common conditions. And, they may be impacting more patients your caseload than you may realize. This week's article on a specific soft neurological sign in ADHD gives you a window into where the research is at with soft neurological signs—as well as their potential future clinical applications.To discuss this article with fellow OT practitioners please consider joining the OT Potential Club. Kaneko, M., Yamashita, Y., & Iramina, K. (2016). Quantitative evaluation system of soft neurological signs for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Sensors, 16(1), 116.(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Dementia is poised to present the most profound global health challenge of the 21st century. The incidence of dementia is skyrocketing, and I believe OTs have a vital role to play in caring for these patients.This week's article is an extremely comprehensive summary of dementia care—and it covers all sorts of evidence about prevention, screening, and intervention.This article is an important read for anyone who works with adults and/or has a loved one impacted by this disease.To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club.Livingston, G., Sommerlad, A., Orgeta, V., Costafreda, S. G., Huntley, J., Ames, D., . . . Mukadam, N. (2017). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. Lancet (London, England), 390(10113), 2673-2734.(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself that million-dollar question: How do we incorporate all this cool new research into our OT practice?This week's discussion is all about knowledge translation, and it will present a somewhat sad reality: we're not exactly sure of the best ways to translate knowledge into practice.But, there are some great gems in here about active versus passive learning. This is a very important topic to explore if we want to keep our profession evidence-based and relevant.To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club.Jones, C. A., Roop, S. C., Pohar, S. L., Albrecht, L., & Scott, S. D. (2014). Translating Knowledge in Rehabilitation: Systematic Review. Physical Therapy, 95(4), 663–677. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20130512(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Anytime we compare the outcomes of patients receiving OT vs. no therapy, we have a vested interest—we clearly want to see that the OT group has better outcomes.But, the harsh reality is that this is not always the case.When we run into examples where OT doesn't seem to be effective, we all need to all step into a growth mindset and confront this failure head-on.There is a lot to learn from this article, which looks at OT vs no therapy for mild to moderate Parkinson's Disease, and I think it might be one of the most important articles for us to take in this year.To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club.Also, as mentioned in the podcast, here is our blog post with the ongoing best price on MedBridge. Clarke, C., Walker, M., Sackley, C., Patel, S., Ives, N., Dowling, F. and Woolley, R. (2016). Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy and Mild to Moderate Parkinson Disease.. JAMA Neurology, 73(7), p.894.Support the show