#30: OT for Spinal Cord Injury with Simon Carson

It takes an average of 17 years for evidence to make its way into practice. 

The fields of knowledge translation and implementation science are seeking to change this. And, today we are looking at a scoping review of knowledge translation research in rehab. 

To be frank, I think the article is pretty convoluted. (Which is funny since it comes from researchers interested in knowledge translation.🤔)  But, it certainly gives us a good jumping off point to talk about the challenges around knowledge translation, and the need for innovation in this field. 

Next week, we’ll welcome Tim Dionne, PhD, OTR/L to the podcast. His research emphasis is on supporting therapists providing quality care, through knowledge dissemination and dissemination and implementation research methods.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/knowledge-translation-and-ot

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/tim-dionne

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Knowledge translation research to promote behavior changes in rehabilitation: Use of theoretical frameworks and tailored interventions: A scoping review.

The art and science of digital prosthetics is rapidly advancing. 

Yet, many people with amputated fingers do not wear a prosthetic. 

Part of the problem may be our own fault as health providers. We may be stuck in old stereotypes of poor outcomes and limited options related to digital prosthetics. 

In this one-hour podcast-base course, we’ll look at a research article that explores the experiences of people who wear digital prosthetics. Our goal is to develop your skills in listening closely to your own clients and their needs in this area. 

Next week on the podcast, we’ll welcome Haley Van Escobar. Haley has her own hand therapy private practice and works for a digital prosthetic company. You’ll learn how she landed this job, and what the average OT needs to know about this rapidly advancing space.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/finger-prosthetics-and-ot

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/haley-van-escobar

Learn more about OT and hand therapy:
https://otpotential.com/blog/hand-therapy

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
User experiences of digital prostheses in daily functioning in people with an amputation of thumb or finger

In previous courses, we’ve discussed that one of the primary ways we can improve our care, as OT professionals, is to increase the diversity of our workforce—with the ultimate goal of having our workforce’s diversity mirror the diversity of the populations we are seeing.  This goal will ensure we have the multiple perspectives needed to respond to the needs of our clients. 

But, until now, we’ve mostly talked about this theoretically. 

So, what do the actual numbers have to say about the current diversity of our workforce? 

It’s a mixed bag. 

In today’s 1 hour CEU course, we’ll look at a report from JAMA that estimates racial/ethnic representation in 10 U.S. healthcare professions.

To give you a taste of the positive news: the percentage of Black OTs is better than in PT and SLP. But startlingly, the authors specifically call out OT for having a smaller percentage of Black OTs students than is in our workforce. In other words this measure of diversity showed shrinkage. 

There is so much to unpack from this data, and we are excited to welcome back to the podcast a guest from one of our most popular episodes: Arameh Anvarizadeh OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/diversity-in-ot

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/arameh-anvarizadeh

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Estimation and Comparison of Current and Future Racial/Ethnic Representation in the US Health Care Workforce.

Through OT Potential, we’ve released over 70 episodes all exploring new influential OT research. As we enter 2024, it’s time to reflect on the research and ask: 

What trends are we seeing in OT? How is new research enriching how we think about our practice? 

In this 1 hour-episode, we’ll talk about new trends, with a particular focus on what commonalities we see leaders in our field doing in their occupational therapy process. We’ll culminate our discussion by exploring how people describe OT. This will be informed by our OT practice framework, but with a special focus on how we communicate about OT to the public. 

For this exploration, we’ll welcome back to the podcast two of our podcast hosts from 2024, Carlin Reaume OTD, OTR/L, DipACLM, PMH-C, PCES and Ryan Lavalley PhD, OTR/L. Together we’ll unpack what all of these trends mean for your OT practice.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/ot-in-2024

Read OT Potential's guide to What is OT?
https://otpotential.com/what-is-ot

Learn more about our guests:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/ryan-lavalley
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/carlin-reaume

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process—Fourth edition

Since this keynote address from the World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress was published in 2019, it has been cited so many times that it made our list of the 100 most-cited OT journal articles. 

It’s easy to see why this has become such a popular read. The article stitches occupational therapy together with global trends, in particular growing inequality. 

The author challenges us to see this problem clearly. And, calls us upon us to build globally relevant occupational therapy from the strength of our diversity.
In this one hour CE course, we’ll review this article, then to talk about practical implications of creating change in occupational therapy we are excited to welcome Vikram Pagpatan EdD, OTR/L, ATP, CLA, BCP, FAOTA to the podcast.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/building-a-global-ot-profession

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/vikram-pagpatan

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Building globally relevant occupational therapy from the strength of our diversity

Dyslexia is the most common form of neurodivergence. 

It affects around 20% of the population, meaning that people with dyslexia are on almost every occupational therapy professional’s caseload. And yet, not enough OT-specific research and resources have been devoted to how we can help this population. 

Today, we look at a leading theory of dyslexia that basically reads like a call to action for OT’s to re-examine how needed our skills are. 

As you’ll see it pushes us to take a strengths-based approach to treating dyslexia, and to regard the condition as rooted in a sensory processing difference (hello, OT!) 

To help us unpack what this means for your practice, next week we will welcome to the podcast Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L. She is the founder of DyslexiaRx.

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-dyslexia

See all of our pediatric OT courses here:
https://otpotential.com/ot-pediatric-courses

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/penny-stack

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Theories about Developmental Dyslexia

For OT professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities it can feel like there is a  lack of resources around best practices for working with this population. 

Today’s article flips that long-held narrative on its head. The authors set out to find evidence to inform OT for adults with intellectual disability—and to their own surprise they found so much it has become 3 papers. 

We’ll review the evidence they found to support intervention. Then we’ll welcome to the podcast two of the article authors, Meghan Blaskowitz and Wanda Mahoney. Together, we’ll unpack the practical implications related to intervention and assessments.

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-adults-intellectual-disability

Learn more about our guests:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/meghan-blaskowitz
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/wanda-mahoney

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Evidence to Inform Occupational Therapy Intervention With Adults With Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review

Maternal deaths are on the rise, here in the United States. 

And, we have a postpartum mental health crisis. 

In OT 90% of us are women, and many of us have personally experienced the inadequate support given to birthing individuals. 

But, not enough of us have stepped back to ask: why aren’t we (with our training in mental health & daily participation) helping women in the hospital after birth?

Luckily, there is a growing number of OTs asking this question and doing something about it. And, my favorite part of this movement is that it is multidisciplinary—our PT colleagues are advocating for our services. 

At the center of this movement are physical therapists, Drs. Jenna and Rebeca Segraves. They both worked on the commentary we are exploring today, and then will join us on the podcast to discuss the practical implications 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/acute-care-ot-after-birth
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/jenna-segraves
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/rebeca-segraves

See our acute care OT guide:
https://otpotential.com/blog/acute-care-occupational-therapy

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Initiating Occupational and Physical Therapy in the Hospital After Birth: Access, Reimbursement, and Outcomes

I once heard a neuroscientist say: 

Many of our frameworks end up being wrong—because the body is more complicated than we ever imagined. 

Pain science perfectly illustrates this. We are living in an era where new frameworks are being written—because classical understandings of pain have not only been inadequate, they have led to ineffective and even harmful treatment. 

Today, we look at a new framework for understanding pain. 

And, there’s good news for OT in it. 

The authors argue that such a complex condition needs holistic treatment like OT and PT can provide.
To help us unpack what this all can mean for your daily OT practice, we are excited to welcome to the podcast Irvin Eisenberg, who owns Resilience Occupational Therapy, where he helps members of his community manage their pain.

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/pain-and-occupational-therapy

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/irvin-eisenberg

Find more outpatient OTs on our Outpatient OT Guide:
https://otpotential.com/blog/your-outpatient-ot-guide

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
The Distributed Nociceptive System: A Framework for Understanding Pain

The main finding of this important research from JAMA is extremely promising for early intervention OT professionals.

In the study, greater early intervention service intensity was associated with better functional gains. 

But, there’s a problem. 

Federal spending per child on early intervention services has declined over the past decade. And, in this climate of tightening budgets: 

Most children in the study had delayed care. 

And, low service intensity. 

After we review this article, we are so thankful to welcome to the podcast pediatric private practice owner, Sarah Putt, OTR/L. Her and I will unpack what this all means for the OT community—and 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-early-intervention

Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/sarah-putt

Learn more about early intervention OT:
https://otpotential.com/blog/early-intervention-occupational-therapy
https://otpotential.com/ot-early-intervention-courses

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Timing and intensity of early intervention service use and outcomes among a safety-net population of children