OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs

Whether or not you are personally a fan of virtually reality—all OTs should be following the developing research on this technology. In this episode, we’ll discuss an article where the authors explore the use of virtual reality (VR) systems that are built specifically for rehab versus general-use VR, like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox. The authors really focus on the active ingredients that seem to make VR-based rehab effective. And, they put forth the principles of neurorehab that underlie successful rehab. (They also specifically look at UE motor recovery after stroke, so this all feels so relevant to OT.)After we review the article, we’ll welcome to the podcast our guest, Christopher Gaskins, MS, OTR/L, CSRS (and Neuroscience and Cognitive Science PhD Candidate) to talk about the research—and what it all means for your OT practice.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/ot-virtual-realitySee rehab-specific VR options here:https://otpotential.com/blog/new-occupational-therapy-tech-toolsHere's the primary research we are discussing:Maier, M., Rubio Ballester, B., Duff, A., Duarte Oller, E., & Verschure, P. (2019). Effect of Specific Over Nonspecific VR-Based Rehabilitation on Poststroke Motor Recovery: A Systematic Meta-analysis. Neurorehabilitation and neural repair, 33(2), 112–129.Support the show

It is so easy to get caught in the minutiae of our daily work. And, sometimes it is incredibly helpful to zoom out and take a big picture look at the incredible changes we have seen in healthcare over the past decades. The journal article we are looking at this week gives us a bird’s-eye view of the past, present, and future of managing rheumatic and musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases. In the article you’ll find the same trends that we see in occupational therapy-specific research: a focus on self-management, patient reported outcome measures and patient centeredness. In looking to the future, technology is going to further enable all of these trends. After the articles orients us to the advances in MSK care, we will be joined by Winnie Tsui, OTL, CHT, MBA, who works as a product manager on the frontiers of technology in this area.  Winnie will help us understand the exciting technology that is ushering the future of care—and the role OT has the potential to play in this exciting new reality.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/rheumatic-musculoskeletal-occupational-therapyHere's the primary research we are discussing:Burmester, G., Bijlsma, J., Cutolo, M. et al. Managing rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases — past, present and future. Nat Rev Rheumatol 13, 443–448 (2017). Support the show

We need some of our OTs with the biggest hearts and brightest minds to consider specializing in burn therapy.But, no matter what setting you work in, you will likely have someone with a burn patient on your caseload at some point. Burns are the 4th most common type of trauma worldwide (behind traffic accidents, falls, and interpersonal violence.) 90% of burns occur in low- to middle-income countries.While OTs have worked in burn units for decades, the research behind OT-specific contributions to burn care is still in its infancy. We’ll see this at the beginning of the podcast as we look at some early-stage research from Iran on occupational therapy for hand burns. Then, we’ll be joined by burn-rehab clinical specialist, Jody Sabel, OT/L. Jody will share about her work in acute and outpatient burn care. And, she will speak with us about the challenges and opportunities is in this incredibly important practice area.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/occupational-therapy-for-hand-burnsHere's the primary research we are discussing:Aghajanzade, M., Momeni, M., Niazi, M., Ghorbani, H., Saberi, M., Kheirkhah, R., Rahbar, H., & Karimi, H. (2019). Effectiveness of incorporating occupational therapy in rehabilitation of hand burn patients. Annals of burns and fire disasters, 32(2), 147–152.Support the show

Helping people change their habits to change their health is one of the main mechanisms that makes OT effective. But, I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about how HARD it is to change our habits. The article we are looking at today focuses on changing lifestyle habits for adults at high risk of a cardiovascular incident, like a stroke. The author’s aim is to conceptualize how engaging occupations can be used to facilitate health promoting habits.We’ll use this article as a jumping off point to discuss both habit formation and Lifestyle Medicine with Ryan Balats Osal OTD, MS, OTR/L, NZROT, CEAS, CHC.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/lifestyle-medicine-otHere's the primary research we are discussing:Mälstam, E., Asaba, E., Åkesson, E., Guidetti, S., &; Patomella, A.-H. (2021). ‘Weaving lifestyle habits’: Complex pathways to health for persons at risk for stroke. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 29(2), 152–164.  Support the show

Constraint-induced Movement Therapy has the reputation for being an intervention that is only for specialized OTs in some far-away speciality clinic. But, trust me: no matter what population you work with, OTs should be following this research. Today, on the podcast we are looking at a Cochrane review of all the evidence that undergirds this treatment. CIMT is perhaps the most-studied OT intervention—and it has lessons to teach us all  about: neuroplasticity, intensity, and the future of OT 🙂 After reviewing the article, we are excited to welcome to the podcast Catherine Hoyt, PhD, OTD, OTR/L to discuss how you can be leveraging the principles behind the intervention in your OT practice.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/cimt-occupational-therapyHere's the primary research we are discussing:Hoare, B. J., Wallen, M. A., Thorley, M. N., Jackman, M. L., Carey, L. M., & Imms, C. (2019). Constraint-induced movement therapy in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 4(4), CD004149.Support the show

The change from “caseload” to “workload” may not seem that dramatic, but make no mistake it is a quiet revolution that is happening in school-based OT. It fundamentally shifts how we deliver care. The article we are discussing on the podcast encourages a  shifting away from an individualist, medical model “caseload” based approach. And, encourages us to embrace a “workload” approach, which hypothetically yields opportunities to focus more on population health. This shift has been underway for a while now, and the research we are looking at gives us an update on how this change is playing out on the front lines. After our article review, I’m so excited to talk about this with Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L of the OT School House! Jayson has experienced this shift in his own practice, and has a wealth of experience supporting school-based OTs. In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/school-based-ot-trendsHere's the primary research we are discussing:Seruya, F. M., &; Garfinkel, M. (2020). Caseload and workload: Current trends in school-based practice across the United States. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(5).Support the show

Many of us were not taught about the economics of OT in occupational therapy school. And, part of that reason is that the research base on the economic value of our work is just emerging. In this episode we will look at an article on the economic effects of OT in the acute and subacute setting. The good news in this article is that there is a growing amount of research about the economic value of OT—and the initial research is promising. The problem is that the existing research is widely varied and there simply is not enough of it. This means we have to be carefully measuring our outcomes at the individual level. To talk about what this means for our individual practices, I’m excited to welcome to the podcast Jeffrey Kou, OTR/L. Having worked in acute rehabilitation, Jeff is passionate about helping fellow OTs provide high value care in these areas.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/economics-acute-care-otHere's the primary research we are discussing:Wales, K., Lang, D., Rahja, M., Somerville, L., Laver, K., &; Lannin, N. A. (2022). Economic effects of occupational therapy services for adults in acute and Subacute Care Settings: A systematic review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(1).Support the show

The research we are reviewing in this course showcases how far we’ve come in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cerebral palsy (CP) in children. The authors also explore the strength of the evidence behind 182 interventions for CP, organizing them into an “evidence traffic light.”This is an important paper for all OTs to read—not just because CP is one of the most common physical disabilities we see on our caseloads, but because the paper is so well written. The authors do a fantastic job of highlighting the general trends behind what works, what doesn’t work, and the progress that still needs to be made.After reviewing the articleI am thrilled to welcome Dr. Iona Novak, OT, PhD., one of the article’s authors. Her and I will discuss the implications for your occupational therapy practice.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/cerebral-palsy-and-otHere's the primary research we are discussing:Novak, I., Morgan, C., Fahey, M., Finch-Edmondson, M., Galea, C., Hines, A., Langdon, K., Namara, M. M., Paton, M. C., Popat, H., Shore, B., Khamis, A., Stanton, E., Finemore, O. P., Tricks, A., Te Velde, A., Dark, L., Morton, N., & Badawi, N. (2020). State of the Evidence Traffic Lights 2019: Systematic Review of Interventions for Preventing and Treating Children with Cerebral Palsy. Current neurology and neuroscience reports, 20(2), 3.Support the show

The term cultural competence can feel too soft and narrow to really push our profession towards equity and justice. But, the article we are reviewing today from the top 100 OT-related articles, brings up several essential points for discussion. The mention of OT in the article is grim. The article highlights “culturally blind” attitudes of OTs that failed to change after cultural competence training. This is a stark reminder of the need for change—and the multi-layered work needed to make change happen. Ultimately, the article attempts to put forth an understanding of cultural competence that is both expansive and dynamic, but also able to be operationalized into practice. After we review the article, we are honored to welcome Khalilah R. Johnson, PHD, MS, OTR/L to discuss what this research means for your OT practice and for our profession. In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/cultural-competence-otHere's the primary research we are discussing:Henderson, S., Horne, M., Hills, R., & Kendall, E. (2018). Cultural competence in healthcare in the community: A concept analysis. Health & social care in the community, 26(4), 590–603.Support the show

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) weaves together multiple concepts that OTs are already familiar with and often use in practice. On a personal level, it provides helpful tools we can utilize as we navigate complex situations in our work. But, not only is it personally helpful, the research we’re looking at today shows us why we need to be aware of it as a therapy professional: Research supports the use of ACT in addressing chronic pain. In the research study we’ll explore in this podcast episode, you’ll find that OTs were part of an interdisciplinary team that provided intensive pain management treatment built around ACT. (And, that the program led to positive functional outcomes.)To help us unpack how this information can be integrated into your practice, it is our honor to bring on Linda Crawford, OTR/L, CDWF. Linda has been an occupational therapist for over 30 years and has specialized in working with people with complex pain conditions for the last eight years. She is a contributing author to the newly updated AOTA position paper on the role of occupational therapy in pain management.In order to earn credit for this course, you must take the test within the OT Potential Club.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/acceptance-commitment-therapy-otHere's the primary research we are discussing:Yu, L., Norton, S., & McCracken, L. M. (2017). Change in “Self-as-Context” (“Perspective-Taking”) Occurs in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for People With Chronic Pain and Is Associated With Improved Functioning. The journal of pain, 18(6), 664–672.Support the show