OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs (Sarah Lyon, OTR/L)
Explorez tous les épisodes de OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 2019 | OT after the ICU | 00:12:59 | |
In the first ever OT Potential Podcast, we review the journal article "Increased hospital-based physical rehabilitation and information provision after intensive care unit discharge: The RECOVER randomized clinical trial", which was published in JAMA in 2015. | |||
| 07 Mar 2022 | #27: Mindfulness, Chronic Pain, and OT with Patricia Motus | 00:57:53 | |
It can feel like everyone is discussing the benefits of mindfulness. Yet, with all this fanfare, we must ask: does the evidence justify incorporating mindfulness into occupational therapy? The systematic review we will look at in this one hour course says, “YES!” (At least for specific chronic pain conditions.) The authors provide a great overview of the problem of pain—and they also discuss various mindfulness-based interventions for chronic pain, including the research behind them. After we review the article, it is our pleasure to welcome Patricia Motus, OTR/L, RYT-200 to join us on the OT Potential Podcast. Patricia uses yoga, meditation, grounding, and life & health coaching to help clients navigate life transitions. She and I will discuss this article, including some ways you can incorporate mindfulness into your traditional OT practice. | |||
| 29 Mar 2019 | OT, Stem Cells, and Stroke | 00:10:48 | |
In the 2nd episode of the OT Potential Podcast, I discuss how influential OT articles are chosen for review and the journal article Stem Cells as an Emerging Paradigm in Stroke 3: Enhancing the Development of Clinical Trials. | |||
| 20 Mar 2022 | #28: Payment Models in Post-Acute OT with Clarice Grote | 01:01:22 | |
Spending time in research can deliver the humbling, but needed, reminder that not all therapy leads to clear value for our clients. For example, in the United States, we can now see that in the 2010s therapy was being delivered in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs)—beyond what was helpful for clients. Part of the problem was the fee-for-service payment model that incentivized skilled nursing facilities to deliver high quantities of therapy minutes to as many patients as possible. (More therapy equaled more money.) The research article that we will explore in this one hour course, shows us the humbling data behind this problem. And, it reminds us of why the transition to value-based care continues to happen. The authors specifically look at data around post-acute hip fracture rehab, and compare fee-for-service Medicare versus Medicare Advantage (which is a value-based care program.) To help us make sense of the changing therapy landscape, we are thrilled to welcome Clarice Grote, MS, OTR/L, is an innovative advocate for occupational therapy and an expert on Medicare post-acute care policy. Clarice will help us understand how this research applies to your individual practice. | |||
| 07 Apr 2019 | Outpatient OT after Stroke | 00:10:11 | |
In episode three of the OT Potential Podcast, we review an article that looks at what kind and how much outpatient OT is most beneficial for stroke patients, who have UE impairment. The article reviewed article is Effect of a Task-Oriented Rehabilitation Program on Upper Extremity Recovery Following Motor Stroke: The ICARE Randomized Clinical Trial. | |||
| 04 Apr 2022 | #29: Pediatric OT Evidence Review with Michelle DeJesus | 01:01:24 | |
In this 1 hour course, we will be diving into an incredibly helpful journal article that summarizes the evidence behind pediatric OT interventions. The authors take 52 pediatric OT interventions for children with disabilities and rate the evidence behind them. They organize the evidence into a traffic light infographic—where green means “the evidence supports this intervention.” This alone makes the evidence ratings super easy to scan and more accessible for therapists (and families and policy makers)! Then, they even go so far as to draw out common principles between green light interventions. To discuss how this research applies to your occupational therapy practice, we are excited to welcome to the podcast, Michelle DeJesus, MS OTR/L. Michelle is a pediatric occupational therapist working specifically in pediatric outpatient rehabilitation and early intervention. Her and I will talk through what it looks like for busy therapists on the ground to leverage this evidence to improve their care. | |||
| 14 Apr 2019 | OT and an Interdisciplinary Approach to Breathlessness | 00:07:36 | |
In the fourth episode of the OT Potential Club, we discuss access to research along with a randomized control trial of an interdisciplinary approach to breathlessness. This is a great episode for OTs that work with clients during the advance stage of their diseases. | |||
| 18 Apr 2022 | #30: OT for Spinal Cord Injury with Simon Carson | 00:59:08 | |
Our spinal cord injury clients stay in our hearts and minds. After all, we help them and their families navigate tremendous life changes. This week’s article gives us a solid big-picture review of what we know (and don’t know) about spinal cord injury rehab. You’ll learn about commonly used assessments, as well as which treatments are gaining traction (and which ones aren’t.) And, most importantly, this article serves as a good reminder that there are simply no magical, straightforward answers in this area of rehab. Instead, these patients benefit most from your occupational therapy lens and your commitment to staying on top of evidence-based care. To help guide us through this article, and pull out actionable takeaways for your practice, we are excited to welcome Simon Carson, OT/L, MBA. Simon serves as the chief of occupational therapy at the University of Rochester Medical Center. | |||
| 22 Apr 2019 | OT Guidelines for Parkinson's | 00:10:19 | |
In episode #5 of the OT Potential Podcast we give an overview Efficacy of occupational therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease: A randomised controlled trial. We discuss the associated treatment guidelines for OT and Parkinson's. | |||
| 01 May 2022 | #31: The CORE Approach for Inclusive OT with Brock Cook | 01:00:07 | |
How we understand our role as occupational therapy practitioners makes a huge difference in how we show up for our clients. But, unfortunately, some theories of OT practice fail to aid us in practical clinical reasoning that focuses on occupation. Luckily, the theories of OT practice that are emerging are getting closer to capturing the care we aspire to deliver—and provide more useful frameworks to guide our clinical reasoning. Today we will dive into the CORE Approach. The approach is a mechanism for OTs to understand their practice from an inclusive, occupation-centric lens. It encourages OTs to ask reflexive questions related to the “core” areas of OT: capabilities, opportunities, resources and environments After reviewing an article on the CORE Approach, I am excited to explore this approach more fully, with Brock Cook—an OT from Australia, where this approach was born! Brock is a lecturer at James Cook University will help us understand how the approach can make a tangible difference in your OT practice. | |||
| 16 May 2022 | #32: Parkinson’s Disease Evidence Review with Brandy Archie | 01:02:13 | |
This prestigious guideline on Parkinson’s Disease (PD) treatment, that we’ll be covering in this podcast episode, recommends that rehab therapies are started at the time of diagnosis and continued throughout the disease course. This article will update you on key information about the PD disease process, the pervasiveness of non-motor symptoms, and the effectiveness of different treatments. The knowledge we are gaining about PD should definitely be impacting your sessions. (Hint: please be talking about exercise!) It should also be pushing us to consider new care models for our patients with chronic conditions. To discuss what this looks like in practice, it’s our honor to welcome back to the podcast Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP, CLVT. Brandy is an OT entrepreneur who serves older adults including PD clients. | |||
| 29 Apr 2019 | OT, Autism, and Sensory Integration | 00:11:36 | |
In episode 6, we review our first pediatric OT article, "An intervention for sensory difficulties in children with autism: A randomized trial." This is a great article for any OT practitioners that work with children with autism and sensory difficulties. | |||
| 06 Jun 2022 | #33: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Pain, & OT with Linda Crawford | 01:07:11 | |
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. | |||
| 19 Jun 2022 | #34: Beyond Cultural Competence in OT with Khalilah Johnson | 00:59:30 | |
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. | |||
| 06 May 2019 | OT, Geriatric Oncology, and Phoenix history | 00:13:30 | |
It this episode, I discuss the article "Geriatric assessment-guided care processes for older adults: A Delphi consensus of geriatric oncology experts" and the algorithm it puts forth fo oncologists to provide a geriatric assessment of their older cancer patients. I also share a little bit of OT history I've been investigating relating the Phoenix and the motto "beauty for ashes." | |||
| 04 Jul 2022 | #35 Cerebral Palsy and OT Evidence with Iona Novak | 01:03:43 | |
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. | |||
| 18 Jul 2022 | #36: The Value of Acute and Postacute OT with Jeffrey Kou | 00:55:14 | |
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. | |||
| 07 Aug 2022 | #37: School-based OT Workload Trends with Jayson Davies | 00:57:26 | |
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. | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | #38: CIMT and OT with Catherine Hoyt | 00:57:08 | |
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. | |||
| 13 May 2019 | OT and Cognitive Therapy in the ICU | 00:12:31 | |
Our 8th episode of the OT Potential Podcast is perfect for anyone who is interested in OT in the ICU and cognitive therapy. In this episode we review the journal article "Feasibility and safety of early combined cognitive and physical therapy for critically ill medical and surgical patients: The Activity and Cognitive Therapy in ICU (ACT-ICU) trial" and talk about its implications for practice and the opportunities it presents. | |||
| 04 Sep 2022 | #39: Lifestyle Medicine and OT with Ryan Osal | 00:56:00 | |
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. | |||
| 18 Sep 2022 | #40: OT for Hand Burns with Jody Sabel | 00:56:59 | |
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. | |||
| 03 Oct 2022 | #41: Trends in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal OT with Winnie Tsui | 01:04:56 | |
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. | |||
| 17 Oct 2022 | #42: Virtual Reality and OT with Christopher Gaskins | 01:01:38 | |
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. | |||
| 31 Oct 2022 | #43: OT Supports for Sensory Processing Differences with Bryden Giving | 00:56:49 | |
The use of sensory-based interventions (SBIs) and environmental modification are common OT treatments. But, what is the evidence behind these treatments? In this episode, we’ll look at an influential systematic review that explores that question. The authors lay out the evidence behind specific sensory techniques and environmental modifications for children with sensory integration (SI) differences. The authors explore and rate the levels of evidence of common treatments, like massage, weighted vests, sensory enrichment in preschools, and linear swinging. After we review the article, we’ll welcome to the podcast our guest, Bryden Giving, MAOT, OTR/L to talk about how the research has impacted his work in pediatrics, his doctoral studies, and most importantly, and what it all means for your OT practice. | |||
| 18 May 2019 | OT and Stroke: Best Practices for UE Rehab | 00:14:52 | |
In the 9th episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we review the article Rehabilitation of motor function after stroke: A multiple systematic review focused on techniques to stimulate upper extremity recovery. The article gives direction on which interventions have the most robust research backing them up, and which interventions work best at various stages of stroke. | |||
| 14 Nov 2022 | #44: Early Intervention for Motor Performance with Sarah Putt | 01:03:40 | |
From pregnancy to age 2 is arguably the most important developmental window of our lifetimes. This makes the work of OTs who work with this age incredibly important. And, for the rest of us, we should be using our professional knowledge to advocate for the proper support for families at this critically important window. In this one hour podcast course, we are looking at a broad systematic review about OT motor inventions for children ages 0-5. The importance of this paper cuts across multiple practice areas, but we are going to use this paper as a jumping off point to talk about early intervention. We will be joined by Sarah Putt, OTR/L to talk about her EI experience—and more broadly about the opportunities and challenges of early childhood support that we all need to be tuned into. | |||
| 27 Nov 2022 | #45: Telehealth, Parent Alliance, and OT with Adam Griffin | 01:00:46 | |
As OTs, we believe that creating a therapeutic alliance is one of the most powerful vehicles to change. But, we also know that there are many barriers that exist to building transformational relationships with our clients Telehealth can feel like another such barrier—but it doesn’t have to be! The article we are looking at in this 1 hour podcast-based CE course is a qualitative study exploring the parent engagement and therapeutic alliance in teletherapy programs. The author’s intent was to begin building a conceptual model to inform improved practice. After discussing the article, we are excited to welcome Adam Griffin to the podcast. Adam is an OT hailing from Dubai, who has vast experience using teletherapy and coaching fellow OTs in its use. | |||
| 26 May 2019 | The evidence behind the ALERT Program® | 00:17:45 | |
In the 10th Episode of the OT Potential Podcast, I teamed up with pediatric therapist, Katie Caspero, MS, OTR/L to discuss the journal article, A critical review of research on the ALERT Program®. | |||
| 12 Dec 2022 | #46: OT Hand Therapy Interventions with Hoang Tran | 00:58:34 | |
When we think of hand therapy, we tend to think of it as a practice area with an abundance of research. But, the mapping review of hand therapy interventions we examine this episode reminds us that there are also sizable gaps in the research—especially when it comes to more complex diagnoses. This means that when OTs are working with upper extremity conditions, we still need to pay careful attention to the other 2 pillars of evidence-based practice: the client values & developing our own skillset/clinical expertise. To talk about what this looks like in practice, we are excited to welcome Hoang Tran, OT/L CHT to the podcast. Hoang is the owner of Hands-on Therapy & Hand Therapy Secrets—and a vocal advocate for OTs working with the upper extremity. | |||
| 02 Jan 2023 | #47: OT and Falls Prevention with Pooja Patel | 01:04:54 | |
Falls are a complex problem. This makes preventing them a perfect target for our OT skillset. This week we are looking at an article that explores “the state of the science” on preventing falls in hospitalized patients. The authors walk us through:
While many of the interventions sound simple (like gripper socks and alarms), the article we review in this 1-hour course reminds us that nothing is simple in creating truly effective fall prevention initiatives. To discuss what this research looks like in practice, we are excited to welcome to the podcast Pooja A. Patel, DrOT, OTR/L, CDP, CFPS. In addition to being a certified fall prevention specialist, Pooja served as a fall champion at her hospital, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience about being involved in hospital wide quality initiative. Whether you are looking to up your game as an individual therapist or as part of a quality team at your facility, this is a great conversation for you! | |||
| 16 Jan 2023 | #48: Pediatric TBI and OT with Nelson Gonzalez | 01:00:16 | |
Children are not little adults. Their brains are actively developing. Because of this neuroplasticity, one might assume they would more quickly and fully recover from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This is not the case. A brain injury can have a more devastating impact on a child than a similar injury in a mature adult. (Brain Injury Association of America) This is what makes comprehensive, ongoing rehab for pediatric TBI so important. But, unfortunately, as we will see in our primary research, many children who experience TBI have substantial unmet rehab needs. After reviewing the research, we are thankful to welcome to the podcast, Nelson Gonzalez OTR/L, RFS, CHHC, CCT, CPMT, CORE, CLT to discuss OT and TBI assessment, treatment, and what’s on the horizon in this practice area. | |||
| 30 Jan 2023 | #49: Participation-focused Knowledge Translation in Pediatric OT with Satvika Garg | 01:02:57 | |
Both participation-focused OT and knowledge translation are hot topics in OT right now. And, in this one-hour course we will explore a research article that puts forth a knowledge translation roadmap to accelerate the uptake of participation-focused OT assessments and intervention. These are both big topics in their own right, and when you mesh them together it feels like more than one therapist can handle. Honestly, that’s the point: Both knowledge translation and participation-focused OT are a team sport. It’s going to take all of us to be both thinking differently as individuals and collaborating in new ways to solve problems for our clients. To help us unpack this journal article, and the practical implications for your OT practice, we are excited to welcome to the podcast our guest, Satvika Garg, PhD, OTR/L, Scientific Officer at the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. | |||
| 12 Feb 2023 | #50: OT and Social Determinants of Health with Joy Doll | 01:06:54 | |
It’s no secret that our healthcare systems are built to react to sickness and health events—not to keep people healthy in the first place. If we want to get serious about producing health for our patients, we have to start shifting our healthcare system to address social determinants of health. But, how is such a seismic shift even possible—and what’s your role as an occupational therapy practitioner in this new era? In this one hour course, we will look at a journal article with a proposal for mobilizing our hospital systems to address social determinants of health. Then, I am thrilled to be joined by Joy Doll, an OT who has been working on the front lines of addressing SDOH. She will share her insights into the movement that is already happening, and how occupational therapists can be involved. | |||
| 02 Jun 2019 | OT and Congenital CMV | 00:10:32 | |
The 11th episode of the OT Potential Podcast features a review of the article, Universal newborn screening for congenital CMV infection: What is the evidence of potential benefit? This is an important topic not only for NICU and pediatric OTs, but CMV infection is important for all practicing occupational therapy practitioners to have on their radar. | |||
| 27 Feb 2023 | #51: Racism and Occupation with Ryan Lavalley and Khalilah R. Johnson | 01:02:45 | |
The article we are looking at today challenges us to look critically at occupation—and how it can be used as a tool for justice or injustice. The reality is that many of us have narrowed our view of occupation into the medicalized and individualized categories of ADLs. But, we know from research (and lived experience!) that occupation is much more complex, interconnected, and powerful. The authors outline for us how occupation has played a role in systemic racism in the US. This history and present must be understood and confronted if we are to live our shared value of justice within occupational therapy, and move toward antiracist transformation. After a brief review of this article, we will be joined by the authors Ryan Lavalley, PhD, MOT, OTR/L and Khalilah R. Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L to discuss the practical implications for your occupational therapy practice. | |||
| 13 Mar 2023 | #52: Anti-racist OT Praxis with Khalilah R. Johnson and Ryan Lavalley | 01:13:00 | |
As occupational therapy providers, we have a duty to truly understand the word “occupation.” This means acknowledging the role occupation has played in shaping societal policies and norms, many of which are fundamentally unjust. We also need to admit that our professional knowledge base, itself, is skewed. The foundations of OT have evolved from an exclusionary context that privileged White skin, as well as other false social hierarchies. So much of what we learn, teach, and practice as OTs comes from a lens of being able to accumulate social, economic, and political power. The article we are focusing on in this 1-hour course is a commentary that calls us to confront occupation’s role in injustice. It also provides concrete strategies for moving toward anti-racist action. We DO have the power to transform society by introducing the concept of anti-racism into our classrooms, policies, and daily practice. After we review the article, we will be joined by its authors Khalilah R. Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L and Ryan Lavalley, PhD, MOT, OTR/L to discuss ways you can create meaningful change. | |||
| 26 Mar 2023 | #53: OT & Smart Home Tech Adoption with Carol Chiang | 01:02:42 | |
The research we’ve explored on the podcast, seems to be pointing to a new reality: The future of healthcare will be in the home. But, how will we get there? How will our homes ever be ready to age in place? The transition is going to be a complex story of the right technologies, the right funding, and the right narratives. All of which will ultimately lead to the end goal of tech adoption. The article we will explore in this 1-hour course focuses on smart home technology adoption. It showcases just how complex tech adoption is. But, it also gives a glimpse of the factors occupational therapy professionals should be considering when introducing new technology to your client. After breaking down the article we will be joined by Carol Chiang OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM, CHAMP will join us to discuss what this all means for your occupational therapy practice, and our profession. | |||
| 09 Jun 2019 | Pain, Virtual Reality and OT | 00:11:45 | |
In the 12th episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we review the article Feasibility of articulated arm mounted oculus rift virtual reality goggles for adjunctive pain control during OT in pediatric burn patients. This is a great listen for any occupational therapy practitioners who are interested in pain management and/or rehab technology. | |||
| 10 Apr 2023 | #54: Cancer Rehab for Older Adults with Mackenzi Pergolotti | 01:05:02 | |
About half of cancer survivors report difficulty with ADLs and a third difficulty with iADLs. But, unfortunately, only around 1 in 10 older adults with cancer who have a known functional limitation receive a referral to OT or PT. | |||
| 01 May 2023 | #55: OT, Plagiocephaly, and Cognitive Outcomes with Amirra Condelee | 01:01:21 | |
Plagiocephaly has historically been thought of as a benign, cosmetic issue. But, the seminal study we are looking at during this 1-hour course indicates that severe to moderate skull deformity may be best understood as a biomarker for developmental vulnerability. As we’ll see, moderate to severe skull deformity was linked with lower cognitive and academic outcomes, when the children reached school age. It is critical to understand that this does not mean that plagiocephaly causes developmental delay. But, given the results of this study, developmental assessment, monitoring, and intervention is recommended for children moderate to severe plagiocephaly. After we break down this article for you, we’ll be joined by Amirra Condelee, OTD, OTR/L to discuss the implications for OTs who work with infants—and our role in our communities and families now that we understand the importance of this biomarker. | |||
| 12 May 2023 | #56: Depression in Neurodegenerative Diseases with Rachel Wiley | 01:05:40 | |
The research we are discussing on this 1-hour episode really drives home the complex connection between depression and 3 neurodegenerative diseases:
Even though depression has a high comorbidity with all of these diseases, you’ll learn why it should not be an assumed part of the disease process. Instead, depression should be recognized as distinct and treated. But, here’ where it gets super complex: In some cases the medications traditionally used to help treat depression do not work for this population—and can be actively harmful. So, OT approaches like environmental enrichment and physical exercise could actually be the front line defense for helping these patients manage their depression. To unpack all of this, I am so thankful to be joined on the podcast next week with dementia care expert, Rachel Wiley, MS, OTR/L, CDP. | |||
| 17 Jun 2019 | OT and Early Arthritis | 00:14:05 | |
In the 13th episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we look at the 2016 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis. | |||
| 05 Jun 2023 | #57: OT for Spasticity in Adults with Scott Thompson | 01:05:29 | |
Spasticity can be present in many of the conditions we treat as occupational therapy professionals. And, it can add significant cost and burden for our patients. The article we are discussing in this 1-hour course gives you a big picture overview of the science behind what we know (and don’t know!) about spasticity. You’ll find certain approaches (that I’ve personally used!) that have NOT been supported by the research—but also which modalities have a growing body of evidence behind them. After reviewing the research, we’ll be joined on the podcast by neuro OT, Scott Thompson, OTD, MOT, OTR/L, CRSR, LSVT-BIG to discuss implications for your practice! | |||
| 19 Jun 2023 | #58: OT and AI with Sarah Brzeszkiewicz | 01:02:45 | |
Is AI going to replace occupational therapy? There’s no doubt that this technology will transform healthcare. It will surely accelerate the existing move toward healthcare taking place at home. To help us wrap our minds around this transformation, we review an article that explores three technologies:
The article explores how the above technologies are being used in chronic disease management. The authors also introduce a patient-centered management framework based on AI. They close out the article by discussing the potential shortcomings of this new paradigm. After we review the article, we’ll host a guest whose career demonstrates OTs’ involvement in this transformation of healthcare. Sarah Brzeszkiewicz, OTR/L is the clinical advisor at Sensi.ai, where she’s helping to pioneer AI’s role in home care. She and I will discuss the implications of this research, including how AI is best seen as a tool and an opportunity…rather than a threat. | |||
| 23 Jun 2019 | OT and Autism Screening | 00:12:56 | |
In this episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we look at the article Screening for autism spectrum disorder in young children: US preventive services task force recommendation statement. | |||
| 10 Jul 2023 | #59: OT Education for Planetary Health with Moses Ikiugu | 01:04:26 | |
What does planetary health have to do with occupational therapy? The author’s of this week’s article argue that engagement with environmental sustainability is foundational for our profession. The authors aim to help OT students and professionals translate environmental awareness to practical action. They theorize 3 skills to do so:
To help us unpack this, we are excited to welcome to the podcast Moses Ikiugu, PhD, OTR/L, FAOT. Dr. Ikiugu has been a pioneer in connecting OT practice to global health. He’ll share how his own query into the area has influenced his own work as an OT educator—and the practical implications for your own OT practice. | |||
| 24 Jul 2023 | #60: OT and Psoriatic Arthritis with Duana Russell-Thomas | 01:04:25 | |
Where does OT fit in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) care? In this one hour course we’ll dive into a comprehensive guideline for psoriatic arthritis treatment, which recommends patients utilize a mix of non-pharmacological tools, like occupational therapy. This article will help you brush up on psoriatic arthritis, see OT within a holistic approach to care, and appreciate the importance of individualized care (which we are so skilled in providing). After we review the article, we’ll be joined by Duana Russell-Thomas, OTD, OTR/L, to discuss her innovative approach to arthritis care through a self-management program—and the funding that makes this possible. Her story—and this guideline—will leave you with practical takeaways for improving your care of PsA. | |||
| 07 Aug 2023 | #61: Strengths-based OT for Autistic People with Kavitha Murthi | 01:05:58 | |
If you are an occupational therapy professional working with autistic people, you’ve likely heard of strengths-based practice (SBP). But, does this approach work? And, what are the benefits of it? In this one hour OT CEU course we will discuss a scoping review that explores these questions. As we’ll see, strengths-based interventions were related to:
After reviewing the article, we’re delighted to welcome to the podcast the article’s lead author, Kavitha Murthi, MS (OT), OTR, FHEA (UK). Her and I will discuss the practical implications of this research for your OT practice.
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| 01 Jul 2019 | Virtual Reality, Stroke, and OT | 00:15:32 | |
In this episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we review the article A task-specific interactive game-based virtual reality rehabilitation system for patients with stroke: A usability test and two clinical experiments. | |||
| 21 Aug 2023 | #62: Self-Determination for Autistic Students with Dora Onwumere | 01:00:05 | |
Self-determination interventions are linked to positive academic and functional attainment results—and, most compellingly, can improve post-secondary outcomes. But what does it look like for OT professionals to foster self-determination in the school setting? In this one hour course, we’ll breakdown a scoping review that examines the Independence Curriculum, which is designed to enhance middle-school-aged autistic students’ self-determination. The results are improvement in:
After we break down the article, we’re delighted to welcome the article’s lead author, Dora Onwumere. She and I will discuss the practical implications of this research for OTs. | |||
| 05 Sep 2023 | #63: OT and ADHD with Bryden Carlson-Giving | 00:59:00 | |
The number of children diagnosed with ADHD has been steadily increasing. Now it is estimated that 1/10 children will be diagnosed with ADHD at some point. Even though about half of these children receive some type of behavioral treatment, there has been a lack of studies around OT-specific support for ADHDer children. In this one hour OT CEU course, we will look at a study of an OT program for ADHD that features:
This program led to significant improvement in performance and satisfaction! After we review the article, we’re excited to discuss this research with ADHDer and pediatric OT, Bryden Carlson-Giving, OTD, OTR/L. He and I will discuss the practical implications of this research for OTs. | |||
| 20 Sep 2023 | #64: CO-OP Approach and Cerebral Palsy with Helene Polatajko | 00:58:44 | |
The OT treatment approaches that are gaining support from evidence, seem to have one common thread between them: The clients set their own goals. Today, we look at a pioneer of this client-centered process, The CO-OP Approach™. We’ll dive into a new research article where, yet again, we see CO-OP outperforming conventional therapy—this time for children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida. After we review the article, we’re honored to welcome to the podcast the founder of this approach, Helene J. Polatajko, PhD, OT Reg(Ont). Her and I will discuss the implications of her work for all OTs, when it comes to goal setting and focusing on performance in our treatments. | |||
| 05 Oct 2023 | #65: OT & Perinatal Pelvic Health with Kyrsten Spurrier and Carlin Reaume | 00:59:37 | |
The number of OT’s providing perinatal care is on the rise. Which is exciting…and necessary. There remain so many gaps in the care of new and expecting moms, among which is treating incontinence. As we’ll see in our featured journal article, a staggering percentage of women experience incontinence postnatally, despite the known effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training as a treatment. The article specifically explores the cost effectiveness of different models of pelvic floor therapy. The main takeaway? It is more efficient to offer services to prevent incontinence during pregnancy than to provide treatment services to manage incontinence postnatally—and that group-based treatment can be a cost-effective way to do it. | |||
| 07 Jul 2019 | The Pillars of Parkinson's Rehab | 00:24:28 | |
If your caseload contains patients with Parkinson's Disease, you'll definitely want to listen in to this episode, which summarizes the article "Rehabilitation for Parkinson's disease: Current outlook and future challenges." | |||
| 19 Oct 2023 | #66: Early Intervention Timing and Intensity with Sarah Putt | 01:02:45 | |
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. | |||
| 02 Nov 2023 | #67: Pain and OT with Irvin Eisenberg | 01:03:16 | |
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. | |||
| 16 Nov 2023 | #68: Acute Care OT and PT After Birth with Jenna and Rebeca Segraves | 01:18:38 | |
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. | |||
| 30 Nov 2023 | #69: OT for Adults with Intellectual Disability with Meghan Blaskowitz and Wanda Mahoney | 01:10:38 | |
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. | |||
| 15 Jul 2019 | OT and Biomarkers | 00:17:05 | |
Is my OT care helping my patients? That is one of the primary questions we all want answers to in our work. And, biomarkers represent a new frontier in helping us answer this question. In this week's OT Potential Potential article review, we will look at how biomarkers can be used in stroke rehab and take a high-level look at this medical trend that we should all be following. | |||
| 15 Dec 2023 | #70: OT and Dyslexia with Penny Stack | 01:02:03 | |
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. | |||
| 11 Jan 2024 | #71: Building a Global OT Profession with Vikram Pagpatan | 01:05:46 | |
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. | |||
| 25 Jan 2024 | #72: What is OT in 2024? with Ryan Lavalley and Carlin Reaume | 01:10:13 | |
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. | |||
| 21 Jul 2019 | OT and Cost Analysis | 00:15:28 | |
This week's article is technically about analyzing the cost of different lumbar fusion techniques. But, in actuality, it is about so much more than that. At the end of the day, this article illuminates the problems of the fee-per-service and of the lack of transparency regarding healthcare costs. And, these are issues that we are facing in almost all OT settings. | |||
| 08 Feb 2024 | #73: Diversity in OT with Arameh Anvarizadeh | 00:56:35 | |
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. | |||
| 22 Feb 2024 | #74: Finger Prosthetics and OT with Haley Van Escobar | 01:10:30 | |
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. | |||
| 07 Mar 2024 | #75: Knowledge Translation and OT with Tim Dionne | 01:04:48 | |
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. | |||
| 29 Jul 2019 | OT and CRPS | 00:20:27 | |
This week on the OT Potential Podcast, we are looking at a very timely and important issue: OT's role in pain management, specifically with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. As the article itself states, OT's role is ESSENTIAL in providing treatment and functional recovery for these patients. I hope this review makes you feel confident in the care you can provide to CRPS patients. | |||
| 21 Mar 2024 | #76: OT and Pediatric Constipation with Quiara Smith | 01:04:55 | |
I’ve been surprised as my own kids enter elementary school to anecdotally find that constipation is a common reason to miss activities. But, this aligns perfectly with the research we look at today, and the growing concern that constipation has become a public health concern. As many as 32% of kids (0-18) experience constipation. And, a growing number of occupational therapy professionals are seeing these kids on their caseload. Today we’ll look at an article that examines what an interdisciplinary approach to pediatric constipation can look like. Then, we are excited to welcome to the podcast, Quiara Smith, an OT who owns a pediatric pelvic health practice. Her and I will discuss the practical implications from this article for your OT practice. | |||
| 04 Apr 2024 | #77: OT and Making the OTD Capstone Matter with Daniel Rortvedt & Alana Woolley | 01:04:02 | |
The number of OT entry-level doctoral (OTD) programs has been expanding rapidly. In 2017 there were 7 programs. As of 2023, there are 95, with an additional 76 in development. The article we'll cover in this course presents early stage research on the doctoral capstone experience and employment opportunities. It backs up what I have now personally observed through mentoring a student: that doctoral students are uniquely prepared for more diverse job opportunities, and sometimes jobs are even created due to the clear value of the capstone experience. There seems to be a benefit for the profession as a whole, in terms of increased awareness. (Our Achilles heel!) After reviewing the article, I’ll welcome our own student, Alana Woolley, and her capstone coordinator, Daniel Rortvedt. Our goal will be to help you decide if you should be a capstone mentor, and shed light on the experience from 3 perspectives. | |||
| 18 Apr 2024 | #78: OT and Habits with Zipporah Brown | 01:05:34 | |
There is a growing public consciousness around the power (and difficulty) of habit change, especially as the impact of chronic conditions soars. And, as we’ll see in the featured scoping review on OT and habit change/health promotion, we’ve been addressing habits since 1912, it is a core part of our 2020 practice framework, and is increasingly embedded in OT research. On this OT Potential Podcast episode, we’ll welcome Dr. Zipporah Brown, and her and I will discuss ways you can embed best practices around habit change in your practice. | |||
| 01 Aug 2019 | OT and Osteogenesis Imperfecta | 00:17:44 | |
When patients with rare conditions come through our doors, it can be a little nerve-racking. We want to feel confident that we are giving them the OT interventions possible—and that means having a foundational knowledge and understanding of their diagnoses. That's why I'm thankful to have spent time reviewing this week's article on osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). | |||
| 25 Apr 2024 | #79: OT Hopes and Fears for AI with Alyson Stover and Karen Jacobs | 01:02:07 | |
The idea of AI transforming occupational therapy stirs both hopes and fears. Will it help us revolutionize our broken systems? Will it augment the best of our care? Or will it bolster inequality and threaten our jobs? This is a story we are actively writing—and have the power to shape. In this one hour course, we’ll talk to two leading voices on the adoption of AI and OT, Alyson Stover MOT, JD, OTR/L, BCP and Karen Jacobs OT, EdD, OTR, CPE, FAOTA. We’ll discuss how they are currently using AI, what they are learning—and the opportunities for OT in what is shaping up to be the revolution of our lifetime. | |||
| 02 May 2024 | #80: Advocacy in Pelvic Health with Lindsey Vestal, Carlin Reaume, and Alyson Stover | 01:05:04 | |
In a rapidly changing world, we as OT professionals need collective mobilization like never before. But, it feels like our systems of advocacy are all underfunded and difficult to navigate. Against this backdrop, which can feel discouraging, I think it is critical to shine the light on what I consider one of the greatest OT triumphs of the past decade: The breakthrough of OTs into pelvic health. This is a story of grassroots organization, individual thought-leadership, Facebook groups, podcasts, phone calls, and ultimately collaboration on the individual, state and national level. We are thrilled to have 3 leaders from this movement, Alyson Stover, Carlin Reaume and Lindsey Vestal. Each has played a unique role in this movement and are here to share what they’ve learned from the wins and fails along the way. Ultimately, we hope this story and conversation helps you reflect on your role in advocacy in this new era. | |||
| 16 May 2024 | #81: OT and CRPS with Megan Doyle | 01:10:01 | |
In a massive 53 page treatment guideline on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), the authors state: “Occupational therapists are the ideal therapeutic leaders in the functional restoration process…” And, go on to devote 2 pages to what this OT care can entail. In this one hour course, we’ll pull out important implications for OT practice from the entire guideline. As you’ll see, when it comes to treating chronic pain, like CRPS there are a lot of best practices to draw on—but also a lot of unknowns that necessitates close attention to the individual in front of you. To help us flesh out what this means for OT practice, we’ll welcome to the podcast Megan Doyle, a program manager at an outpatient pain program and a leading voice on OT’s role in pain management. | |||
| 06 Jun 2024 | #82: OT and Leadership with Victoria Garcia Wilburn | 00:56:04 | |
The world desperately needs OT leaders. It needs leaders that can think holistically. It needs leaders that understand both individual level change and systems level change. It needs storytellers, collaborators, and compassionate thinkers. And, these are the qualities of an occupational therapy professional. Today, we’ll explore a paper on best practices in OT leadership curriculum development. This will help us understand the practical steps involved in leadership development. Both as an individual, and for preparing our profession to be one of leaders. After we review the article, we are thrilled to welcome to the podcast, Dr. Victoria Wilburn, State Representative for Indiana House District 32. Her and I will discuss the hard-won lessons she has learned about leadership. And, the advice she has for OTs to step into leadership, in whatever role they occupy. | |||
| 20 Jun 2024 | #83: OT and Functional Neurological Disorder with Naoya Ogura | 01:01:20 | |
Functional neurological disorder (FND) has been called a “silent epidemic,” a “crisis” in neurology, and psychiatry’s “blind spot.” And, I have to admit it has been a huge personal blind spot for me. Luckily, others in the OT community have been hard at work standardizing care for these patients. Multidisciplinary treatment, including referral to OT is a best practice for these patients. And, today we will look at expert recommendations for OT assessment and treatment. After we review the OT recommendations for FND, we will welcome Naoya Ogura, OTD, OTR/L, he is the West Los Angeles Clinic Director at re-active and specializes in neurological conditions like POTS, EDS, MCAS, and FND. | |||
| 11 Aug 2019 | Why Timing Matters for OT | 00:20:25 | |
There is a growing body of research studying how timing impacts the quality of medical interventions. This week's article examines how the time of day (and day of the week) that a patient is admitted to the hospital can impact the quality of care (including OT care) that he or she will receive. You'll be intrigued by the findings, and I am sure you will walk away eager to learn more about your facility's staffing processes! | |||
| 11 Jul 2024 | #84: Swim Safety in Autistic Children with Erika Kemp | 00:57:07 | |
If you have not been paying attention to recent statistics on drowning, you need to be. After decades of decline, deaths by drowning are on the rise. Groups already at higher risk have seen the greatest increases in drowning deaths. This includes adults ages 65 years and older of all races and ethnicities, as well as Black people of all ages. But today, we’ll focus on an especially high-risk group: children (and particularly, children with autism). Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and children with autism spectrum disorder are 160 times more likely to experience nonfatal and fatal drowning than their typically developing peers. Whatever setting you work in, I hope these sobering numbers convince you to pay close attention to water safety. Here, we’ll look at an aquatic OT swim safety program that you could consider implementing in your community. Next week on the OT Potential Podcast, we will welcome the article’s lead author, Erika Kemp, for a discussion on the logistics of launching a swim safety program. We’ll also tackle big picture questions—like how to go about mobilizing the entire OT community to prevent drownings in our communities. | |||
| 25 Jul 2024 | #85: OT and Interoception with Kelly Mahler | 01:04:56 | |
Interoception is having a moment. The popularity of the 8th sense is likely due to the fact that it gives words to sensations that we all experience, like: hunger, fatigue, heart rate, and pain. But, even though these sensations seem universal the reality is that there are vast differences in how and to what degree we experience the components of interoception. We are beginning to be able to correlate brain-level differences with different experiences of interoception. And, what’s really interesting is how these differences impact emotional regulation. And, what’s really, really interesting is that research is showing that interoception can be improved. And, there seems to be a correlation improvement with emotional regulation….(without ever working explicitly on emotional regulation.) In this 1 hour CEU course, we’ll look at a school based program that does just that: improves interoception and emotional regulation. After we review the article, we’ll welcome to the podcast Kelly Mahler, the lead author of the paper and one of the pioneers of researching the practical implication of interoception for OTs and other health professionals. | |||
| 08 Aug 2024 | #86: Emotional Disability and OT with Michelle Flemen-Tung | 01:07:02 | |
Children with emotional disability (also known as emotional disturbance) are significantly more likely than children with other disabilities to:
Over the years, multiple social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions have been developed to support children with emotional disabilities. But, New York City Public Schools found that one-size-fits all programs were not sufficient for their student population. So, the district created—and began studying—an educational pilot called the Path Program. At the heart of this program are OT professionals and occupational therapy concepts. The journal article we are reviewing in this 1-hour CE course describes the research-practice partnership that supported this program’s development—and the role of trauma-informed care in social-emotional learning interventions. After we review the article, we will welcome Michelle Flemen-Tung, MSEd, the program director for the Path Program. She will share concrete ways we can all improve the support we provide to kids with emotional disabilities. | |||
| 22 Aug 2024 | #87: Community-based OT with Ryan Lavalley | 01:04:06 | |
In our OT work with individuals, there can be a feeling of futility. As there is a growing collective consciousness around what we, as OT professionals, experience day in and day out: The communities in which we live have such a profound impact on our health. And, we can fail individuals by focusing only on their individual choices—and not the larger driving forces of their lives. I think this expanding view of health is why we see so much interest in community practice from students, new grads, and tired clinicians. Community practice does have a long history in occupational therapy, but currently very few clinicians find full-time work in this practice area. The authors of this course’s featured article, believe this may be in part to a lack of frameworks for community-based OT. So, today we’ll explore the framework they put forth and their call to “reimagine occupational therapy clients as communities.” Next week on the podcast, we will welcome Ryan Lavalley, PhD, OTR/L. Dr. Lavalley is the founder and primary lead of the Community Practice Lab at UNC School of Medicine. | |||
| 18 Aug 2019 | OT and Parkinson's Disease Research Priorities | 00:19:15 | |
This week’s podcast, looks at 10 priorities that have been set for future Parkinson’s Disease (PD) research. Whether or not you work with PD patients, I encourage to check the article out, because we discuss some interesting points on how research agendas are set. To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club, your online occupational therapy journal club. | |||
| 05 Sep 2024 | #88: OT and Driving with Ganesh M. Babulal | 01:05:30 | |
The population of the United States is older than it has ever been. And, by 2050 the older adult population (>65 years) is projected to increase another 47% (from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050). This will transform many aspects of our society—and one change we need to prepare for is: The safety of older drivers. Because by 2050 the older adult population (>65 years) will make up 25% of all drivers. You may be aware that our youngest, newly licensed drivers are the most likely to be in a crash— but it is older drivers who are more likely to be in a fatal crash. In our featured article from JAMA gives a high-level overview of the complex driving needs of an older population—and tucked inside you’ll see OT’s role in helping to address these needs. After we review the article, we’ll welcome one of the article’s authors Ganesh M. Babulal, PhD, OTD, MSCI, MOT, who leads the DRIVES Project at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Through this project he is working to understand how preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) impacts driving behavior. | |||
| 26 Sep 2024 | #89: AI in Documentation with Dennis Morrison | 01:16:22 | |
In 50 years, you will look back on your occupational therapy practice and see a clear line in the sand between pre-AI augmented documentation and today. Ambient AI augmented documentation is going to: ✅Make documenting QUICKER And, if we harness this technology correctly, it will improve👏 client 👏outcomes. 👏 Today, we’ll look at an example of the research that is already being published about how an ambient artificial intelligence tool can improve clinical documentation. Then next week we will welcome to the podcast, Dennis Morrison, PhD, a clinician who has specialized in consulting with AI documentation startups. Together we’ll walk through the state of AI-augmented documentation and the questions of the MANY tools that are coming to the market for OT. | |||
| 10 Oct 2024 | #90: OT and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome with Emily Rich | 01:13:43 | |
Unfortunately, research on the lived-experience for those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome shows us that we as a profession need to be doing a better job. People with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome report:
As occupational therapy professionals, there is much we can contribute to supporting this population. And, today we’ll look at a self-management program that is grounded in behavior change theory and we co-designed with people with lived experience of EDS. Next week we will welcome to the podcast, an occupational therapist who has EDS and also treats EDS clients in her clinical practice, Emily Rich, PhD, OTR/L. Emily and I will discuss self-management, along with assessment and treatment of EDS. | |||
| 24 Oct 2024 | #91: Motor Learning in Neuro Rehab with Katie Riccio | 01:02:48 | |
As occupational therapists, many of us have witnessed the wonder of motor learning in neuro rehab. Yet despite years of research attempting to identify the most effective post-stroke interventions, the reality is that our understanding of how to improve recovery of function remains incomplete. The article we are reviewing today serves as an update on the state of the science in how new theories of motor control and learning can be incorporated into practice. The authors put particular emphasis on how new technologies may be needed to truly meet the many principles of neuroplasticity, and in particular they point to virtual, augment, and mixed reality technologies. After we review the research, we are excited to welcome to the podcast an OT who works for one such virtual rehab solution as their Manager of Clinical Services, Katie Riccio, MS, OTR/L. Katie will share what she has learned about neurorehab in her role. And orient us to the stroke rehab tech tools on the market, how they can intersect with you in-person practice—and what to expect on the horizon. | |||
| 26 Aug 2019 | OT and The PLAY Project | 00:21:29 | |
This week in the OT Potential Club, we look at a randomized control trial of the PLAY Project, which is an early-intervention program that treats young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While this sounds very specific, I think it's applicable to all OTs, since some broad themes and questions arise from the research. One of the biggest questions, which applies to all patients, involves both time and money: How in the world can we get patients enough treatment time to actually see meaningful outcomes—and how can we do this in a cost-effective way? | |||
| 07 Nov 2024 | #92: OT and Multiple Sclerosis with USA Paralympian Sarah Adam | 00:59:17 | |
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of non-traumatic disability in people aged 18-65 years. As rehab professionals, we know that exercise is one of the mainstays of treatment for these clients. Though not definitively established, exercise has the most potential promise to be disease modifying if started early in the course of disease. But, alongside exercise there are other important interventions to consider like fatigue management and education. In today’s article review, we will look at a massive overview of reviews (72 articles were included!). The article outlines the strength of the evidence being multiple types of rehab interventions. Then, next week we are excited to welcome to the podcast Sarah Adam, OTD, an occupational therapist with MS who has taken her pursuit of adaptive sports to an elite level—and recently earned Silver in wheelchair rugby at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Sarah was the first woman to ever play on Team USA’s wheelchair rugby team, also made history as the first woman to score a point during an Olympic wheelchair rugby game. We clearly have so much to learn from Sarah that I know will inspire your OT practice. | |||
| 21 Nov 2024 | #93: OT and BPPV with Jeff Walter | 01:01:56 | |
The Epley maneuver is a 💎 rare gem 💎 in the OT toolkit. A patient can walk into our treatment room, and they can walk out cured. (Yes, there is nuance to this. Sometimes the maneuver needs to be repeated. Sometimes it simply doesn’t work. There are important contraindications.) But, the other thing that makes this a GEM is that more so than any other condition we treat there are clear clinical guidelines for treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). But, despite the amazing power of this treatment, and the swath of research behind it. Many people fail to have their BPPV identified and treated in a timely manner. In today’s article, we get to learn about a trauma center that trained their therapists in managing BPPV after TBI, and were able to reduce their referrals to neurology. You are going to have so many questions after reading this article, and that’s why I am so thankful to welcome to the podcast, Jeff Walter, a PT who has devoted much of his career to treating and teaching on this condition. | |||
| 05 Dec 2024 | #94: OT and Clinical Decision Support with Brad Willingham | 01:10:19 | |
Artificial intelligence is ushering a new era of healthcare tools. These range from ambient listening to streamlined practice management. But, the AI-supported that I believe will truly transform occupational therapy is: Clinical Decision Support. To be honest, it often feels like we have more clinical decision barriers than we have support. Our EMRs currently give us a set number of checkboxes, which massively pigeonhole our services, and often DO NOT reflect the kinds of best practice we teach here at OT Potential. But, on the near horizon is dynamic point-of-service support that will help you choose the right assessments, set the right goals, and pursue the right treatment path for the patient in front of you. Oh, and it will also be watching for red flags. This is a lot to wrap our minds around. But, if we do it well, I think we will future proof our profession for changes to payment models and regulations, because it will so drastically increase our value. In this course, we’ll review a new journal that outlines clinical decision support across 6 domains. Then, to walk us through what’s here now and what’s coming soon, I’m so thankful to welcome Brad Willingham, PhD, a clinical research scientist at Shepherd Center who has been focused on how AI is going to support clinical decision support. | |||
| 19 Dec 2024 | #95: What is OT in 2025? with Sarah Brzeszkiewicz | 01:01:42 | |
Through OT Potential, we’ve released over 94 episodes all exploring new influential OT research. As we enter 2025, 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 a past guest, who is now working in new frontiers for OT: Sarah Brzeszkiewicz, OTR/L. Together we’ll unpack what all of these trends mean for your OT practice. | |||
| 31 Aug 2019 | OT and Cortical Changes from Therapy | 00:19:58 | |
I'm going to call it official. Research about biomarkers to assess the efficacy of occupational therapy is a trend in the OT Potential Podcast. This week on the Podcast we are discussing our second article about biomarkers for balance recovery after stroke. Even if you don't work with stroke patients, this is a topic that we all should be paying attention to, because my prediction is it is going to be impacting your practice in the next decade. | |||
| 02 Jan 2025 | #96: OT and Value-Based Care with Dana Strauss | 01:24:00 | |
We’ve all known for a while that the current fee-for-service models that most occupational therapists operate under are bad for patients and bad for healthcare. Why? Because it incentives volume of services over quality of services. If you’re like me, you may feel like you’ve been waiting for years for value based care to really take hold in the United States. But, this new future has felt like a distant reality. Our guest today, Dana Strauss, PT, DPT, sees things from a different vantage point. As she’ll share in this episode, the future is actually here, it is just not evenly distributed. Value-based programs have been piloted and they are on the cusp of rapid expansion in the United States. In our episode today, Dana will walk us through the value-based models that are currently out there, what ones are coming, and what you as an OT professional can do to prepare for this much-needed new reality. | |||
| 16 Jan 2025 | #97 Grip Strength as a Vital Sign with Gabriella Francis | 00:57:55 | |
However you think about group strength it probably is not broadly enough. Grip strength is NOT just about hand strength. It is NOT just an indicator of upper body strength. It is NOT just about overall strength. Grip strength is associated with:
The article we are reviewing today, is seeking to convince you that grip strength should be considered as a vital sign, as it is an overall indicator of well-being. And, I believe it is a metric that each therapist should be paying attention to basically with every patient. After we review this article, we will welcome to the podcast, Gabriella Francis OTR/L, ATC, CEO. Gabby is the CEO at Squegg, a grip strength pet health tech company. Through this role she has been immersed in the science of grip strength and today we are excited to discuss the practical implications of this new science for occupational therapy professionals and for our healthcare system. You can find more details on this course here: | |||
| 30 Jan 2025 | #98 Pediatric Feeding Therapy with Suzie Driscoll | 00:55:27 | |
Childhood feeding problems are one of the most common complaints raised during primary care visits. Unfortunately, many feeding problems are too often normalized, and parents are told to “wait and see” when in reality, feeding problems may be associated with poor sleep quality, toileting problems, increased likelihood of medical conditions or illness—ultimately leading to greater levels of caregiver stress and healthcare costs. The article we are looking at today is a broad scoping review of research on pediatric feeding disorder, which really highlights the broad multidisciplinary interest in this disorder. After we review the article, we will welcome to the podcast Suzie Driscoll, MOT, OTR/L, an occupational therapist who started her own pediatric feeding therapy business, Tiny and Mighty. Suzie and I will discuss this research and its implications of OT professionals. | |||
| 20 Feb 2025 | #99 Carpal Tunnel and OT with Rachel Egan | 00:55:07 | |
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome affects quality of life in 1-5% of people. The first step in treatment of carpal tunnel should be non-surgical treatment, which includes education, often a steroid injection, and therapy. But what should that therapy look like? In this live webinar, we will discuss carpal tunnel education, assessment and treatment with Rachel Egan, OTR/L, MS, CHT, COMT-UE. Rachel is a Certified Hand Therapist, a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist, and currently manages operations for 13 NovaCare clinics across Minnesota. Participants in this course will have access to our full clinical decision support page for carpal tunnel treatment that will be updated on an ongoing basis. You can find more details on this course here: | |||
| 06 Mar 2025 | #100 Starting an OT Private Practice with Carlin Reaume | 01:00:54 | |
Starting a side hustle private practice is one of the best ways to safeguard your career, pursue a niche interest, and meet some of the many unmet needs in your community. But, let’s be honest: the process of getting going can be daunting. In this Ask Me Anything (AMA), we are welcoming Carline Reaume, OTD, OTR/L, DipACLM, PMH-C, PCES back to the podcast. Carlin has steadily grown her private practice over the course of several years, and has experienced the ups and downs of private practice management. Also on our panel is Sarah Lyon, a business owner in her own right, Sarah has carefully watched the trends in private private practice for almost a decade now. And, is author of the ever-popular post “Start and Grow Your Therapy Practice.” You can find more details on this course here: | |||
| 08 Sep 2019 | OT and Belonging | 00:10:56 | |
Have you ever felt like our understanding of occupation doesn't fully capture what matters to people and motivates them? If so, you are not alone. In this week's article, we find an argument that our current models of occupation are missing one of the prime human motivators of activity: belonging. This is our first OT-specific article and our first theory-specific article, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it! | |||
| 20 Mar 2025 | #101 Sleep, Mental Health, and OT with Amanda Carroll | 01:06:02 | |
Nearly one third of people experience sleep disturbances. And, about 23% of adults experience mental health illness. These high percentages mean that both sleep and mental health are global, public health challenges in their own right. However, emerging research suggests we should not think of these challenges separately. They are more intertwined than we realize. Sleep difficulties aren’t just a sign of mental health challenges, sleep problems can contribute to mental health problems. But, then the inverse is also true: when we improve a person's sleep, we can improve their mental health. What this means for OT is profound: This means sleep interventions are one of the most powerful tools we have to impact mental health. Today, we will zoom in on one diagnosis: anxiety. We’ll get deep into the biology of how sleep and anxiety are intertwined. And, the interventions (that are in your OT-wheel house) to improve both. To help us make sense of how profound the impact of sleep is on health—and, how potentially profound it would be for OT to tackle this essential ADL— we will welcome to the podcast, Dr. Amanda Carroll, an OT sleep researcher, who also runs a sleep private practice in Montana. You can find more details on this course here: | |||