British Journal of Occupational Therapy

This study determined whether the multicomponent rehabilitation programme of a memory clinic had positive outcomes on ameliorating everyday functioning, quality of life, mood and behavioural disturbances of persons with dementia and reducing distress and burden of caregivers.

A retrospective pre-test–post-test study without control group was conducted on the first cohort of persons with dementia (n = 30) and their caregivers (n = 30), who participated in a programme lasting for a maximum of 1 year with 25 1-hour counselling sessions. The assessment contained an evaluation of everyday functioning in basic, instrumental and advanced activities of daily living, cognition, mood, emotional and behavioural disturbances, quality of life and caregiver burden.

Eight participants dropped out prematurely. For persons with dementia (n = 22), participating in the programme did not improve everyday functioning and cognition but ameliorated quality of life significantly (Z = –2.7, p = 0.006, 95% CI (.003–.005)) and stabilized mood, emotional and behavioural disturbances for 60% or more of them. For caregivers (n = 22), the mild to moderate burden of care remained stable or got better for 63.6% of the caregivers.

This programme appears to be promising and valuable, and might reduce institutionalization rates. Future explorations are recommended to research how participants evolve and to investigate which participants responded in a positive way.

Research suggests that older people on acute physical hospital wards are at increased risk of physical and mental health decline due to inactivity during their stay. Whilst studies have highlighted potential causes of such inactivity, there exists a paucity of occupational therapy research that explores engagement in meaningful occupation from patients’ perspectives in hospital settings.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to gain a deeper understanding of how 18 older people spent their time on hospital wards and the impact this had on their feelings of wellbeing. Interviews were carried out and analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis guidelines.

Patients experienced a lack of meaningful activity on the wards which resulted in feelings of passivity, boredom and a sense of alienation from their normal roles, routines and sense of self. Despite a willingness to engage in activity, barriers were suggested as limited resources, hospital routines and personal limitations. Suggestions of potential meaningful activities were made.

Occupational therapy services need to review service provision and provide an occupation-focused service, ensuring that patients’ engagement in meaningful activities is seen as an integral part of their role in order to maintain patients’ mental and physical wellbeing. Recommendations for further research are highlighted.

The Effect of Pain Scale is a new tool to evaluate the effect of pain on function during functional capacity evaluations. The aim was to test the clinicometric properties of the scale with clinicians familiar with the tool and workers with musculoskeletal injuries.

The study was conducted in two stages. Stage 1 assessed clinical utility and content validity of the scale using a questionnaire for clinicians using the tool during functional capacity evaluations. In stage 2, data were collected from clients and clinicians during functional capacity evaluations and were used to assess criterion validity, inter-rater reliability, and responsiveness.

Twelve clinicians responded to the survey on clinical utility and content validity, and data were recorded from 30 clients during their functional capacity evaluations. The tool demonstrated good clinical utility, content validity, inter-rater reliability, and criterion validity, and was responsive to the effects of pain on function as rated by both clients and clinicians.

Findings show its credibility as a tool with sound clinicometrics and establish its value for functional capacity evaluations with clients who have musculoskeletal injuries. Further testing in other clinical settings and client populations is needed to further establish the clinical value of this tool.

High quality guidance in home strategies is needed to enable older people to measure their home environment and become involved in the provision of assistive devices and to promote consistency among professionals. This study aims to investigate the reliability of such guidance and its ability to promote accuracy of results when measurements are taken by both older people and professionals.

Twenty-five health professionals and 26 older people participated in a within-group design to test the accuracy of measurements taken (that is, person’s popliteal height, baths, toilets, beds, stairs and chairs). Data were analysed with descriptive analysis and the Wilcoxon test. The intra-rater reliability was assessed by correlating measurements taken at two different times with guidance use.

The intra-rater reliability analysis revealed statistical significance (P < 0.05) for all measurements except for the bath internal width. The guidance enabled participants to take 90% of measurements that they were not able to complete otherwise, 80.55% of which lay within the acceptable suggested margin of variation. Accuracy was supported by the significant reduction in the standard deviation of the actual measurements and accuracy scores.

This evidence-based guidance can be used in its current format by older people and professionals to facilitate appropriate measurements. Yet, some users might need help from carers or specialists depending on their impairments.

Play is viewed as an important occupation in childhood and consequently in children's occupational therapy. However, few studies have explored the place of play in therapy practice. This study aimed to contribute to this knowledge gap by exploring play in occupational therapy in three European countries.

A cross-sectional survey of occupational therapists in Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland was conducted to examine the use of play with children under 12 years old. A web-based survey was distributed to 935 occupational therapists, resulting in 338 returned surveys (36%). Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Results were organised into three themes: (1) demographics and practice context; (2) play education and (3) use of play in practice. Respondents reported that although they valued play as an occupation, their primary focus was on play as a means to achieving other goals. Lack of education on play (research, theory and interventions) and pressures in the workplace were identified as barriers to play-centred practice.

Findings indicate that there is a mismatch between therapists valuing play as an occupation and how play is utilised in therapy practice. There is a need to strengthen education and research on play occupation to strengthen play-centred practice.

Occupational therapy education programmes need to graduate students who can confidently and safely deliver child and youth services. This study explores whether a simulation clinic could increase student perceived knowledge and confidence and decrease student anxiety to better prepare them for professional child and youth practice.

This study used a pre–post quasi-experimental design. Second-year undergraduate and first-year graduate entry master's level occupational therapy students participated in the simulation clinic as a component of an occupational therapy child and youth course. Students completed pre- and post-simulation questionnaires to measure perceived knowledge, confidence, and anxiety related to infant and parent interactions.

A sample of 100 students reported significant improvements for perceived knowledge (all p < 0.001) and confidence (all p < 0.001) across all four skills targeted for development in this simulation: Communication, Information Gathering, Information Sharing, and Clinical Intervention Skills. Students reported a significant decrease in anxiety for parental (p < 0.001) and infant (p < 0.001) interaction, and felt the experience to have been highly valuable and realistic.

Findings indicate that simulation is a valuable tool for preparing occupational therapy students to work with infant and parent interaction. Further research investigating the effect of simulation on student competence is recommended.