Occupational Therapists BlogsThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory.

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Friday funniesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Preparing for the weekend is serious business IMHO. After a busy week full of challenges, the last thing we need is to go into a weekend without forethought. Friday funnies is, therefore, a service brought to you in the interests of effective outcomes and an adequate systems view. A procedure manual is under development, but in its absence, I hereby provide you with a flowchart for ready reference. Oh darn, that’s the work one… Oh no! That’s my default one… Ooops! That’s the one for when you’re playing XBox or some other video roleplaying game… That one came from my son&#...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 18, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Humour Resilience health flowcharts Friday funnies laugh weekend Source Type: blogs

Sometimes it’s not the therapy that doesn’t workEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A couple of people commented on my post about setbacks saying that they wished the people they saw were like Allan – instead of quickly going back to ‘old habits’, Allan chose to stay with self management even when he enountered a painful flare-up and it was suggested that he have another scan and go back onto medications. You’re right – not everyone ‘gets it’ the way Allan did, so I thought I’d discuss a not-so-good situation to illustrate some of the things that can interfere with self management. Julie is a woman with a four year history of neck, upper thoracic and shoul...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 17, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs

SetbacksEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A couple of days ago I mentioned the satisfaction I feel when a person I’ve been working with faces a setback and manages it successfully on their own for the first time. Someone replied saying that we all face pain setbacks alone, so what did I mean really – and I thought today I’d quickly expand on what I did mean! Chronic pain persists (goes without saying) but its pattern is to fluctuate from time to time and often without clear provocation – so it’s not very helpful to try and look at what ’caused’ the pain to change. Yet this is so often what we as clinicians ask about, ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 16, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Motivation Resilience Return to Work cognitive behavioural therapy health acceptance coping strategies function healthcare pain management relapse prevention relapses setbacks Source Type: blogs

How to Make Instant Grits in 40 MinutesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Working in occupational therapy in field of Vocational Rehabilitation is an interesting job....we do a lot of basic kitchen work - minimal ingredients/directions, to try and prepare students for more independence as desired by them [said so anti-rehab people don't jump on me!]. I think of making instant grits as an easy thing of course - but I take so much for granted, being (more or less) physically and cognitively intact. Making grits could be difficult physically, or difficult cognitively, and especially difficult with both physical and cognitive difficulties. In cases such as below, as the therapist I try to give t...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - March 15, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Maintaining changeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study by Christiansen, Oettingen, Dahme and Klinger, shows an extension of the motivational approaches based on Motivational Interviewing, integrates it with traditional problem solving, drags in a bit of goal achievement theory and ties it all together in two half hour sessions – and produces a significant change in functional outcome. How so? Importance and confidence The two important drivers of action seem to be how important an activity is and how confident a person is to achieve it. In this study, a group of patients was asked to rate the importance and confidence to ‘improve physical capacity...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 14, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Motivation cognitive behavioural therapy health research activity coping strategies function goal-setting goals importance self management Source Type: blogs

Some days I'm an awesome OT, some days not so much...but it's all in my headEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I think I was meant to do talk-OT and not hands-on OT! Once I start touching them I'm so scared! Yesterday I had hands-on session: stressed out. Today I had talk session about energy conservation, joint protection, chronic pain management, basic adaptive equipment: AWESOME session with patient saying things like 'This is EXACTLY what I've been needing!" So yesterday's feelings of "I'm so incompetent" were replaced with "I'm so awesomely competent". Until next time when it may flip flop again. Ah the joys and fears of new practitioner-hood!! Tommorow is an all day meeting for...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - March 11, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Pre-CI JittersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I'm getting my first Level 1 student and trying to beat a case of the pre-CI jitters.I'm growing out of the "new practitioner" label. I'm on my second job, practiced in multiple settings (sometimes daily) and I'm pretty sure that I pay "big girl" OT prices for AOTA membership now. But of course there are still "firsts," and I am now, finally, getting my first real OT student. I've played hostess to several job-shadow candidates before, but those were usually just for a couple hours. Most of those also came from the local high school and had to rotate through multiple healthcare jobs and were not particularly interested in ...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - March 11, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: personal acute care Source Type: blogs

Tragedies in pain managementEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I thought about putting a warning at the start of this post, because if you’re enthusiastic, passionate, committed to good pain management, what I’m about to write may make you weep! It’s about systems and missed opportunities and the effect this has on patients. NB: this post is my personal opinion, does not reflect the opinions of my employers, children, partner, dog or cat. I am not referring to any specific centre or service, and nothing in this post should be construed as anything other than opinion (although I’ll happily provide facts on request). Did you know that in New Zealand, one in...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 8, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain health therapy Clinical reasoning coping disability healthcare pain management Resources science self management treatment Source Type: blogs

Financial Aid Options for Future Occupational TherapistsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
an invaluable (literally) article with a list of financial aid options for those hoping to enter the field of occupational therapy, compiled by an awesome dude named Richard. :)http://blog.onlinecollegeguru.com/health-care/financial-aid-for-occupational-therapists/ (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - March 6, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Post Polio SyndromeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Interesting article on Post Polio Syndrome, too bad Roosevelt Warm Springs wasn't mentioned!! I've treated two people with it now and it's pretty interesting. Of course I have at least one PT friend who doesn't believe it exists. :) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/health/03polio.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - March 6, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Pediatric occupational therapists: Please check your outrage at the doorEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I received a lot of email regarding this recent article in the NY Times about occupational therapy. The email I received and online conversations I have scanned included comments like "I can't believe they would say that OT is only for rich people!" or "We need to let people know that this article does not represent what we do!" Although the article got a lot of occupational therapists upset I would like to suggest that we need to perform a reality check on this outrage.The article comments about how occupational therapy is being used by some more affluent people to promote children's development and how this can be contra...
Source: ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog - March 4, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: Disability rights health insurance OT practice Source Type: blogs

Protected: A snappy tagline for occupational therapyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: (Source: HealthSkills Weblog)
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 4, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: occupational therapy marketing passion sizzle slogans taglines Source Type: blogs

Temporary interruption to your usual programme!Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I’m going to take a short break for a couple of days, after a tough time recently as I came back to work after 8 weeks off! It’s a good chance for you to stroll through some of my back catalogue – I’m sure there will be something there to keep you occupied for a day or so. (Source: HealthSkills Weblog)
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 2, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs

Metacognitive Analysis- How I Approach PuzzlesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I have been spending more time on a recently semi-neglected occupation of mine- puzzles. I enjoy all sorts of puzzles- jigsaw, crossword, sudoku, logic, and plenty of variants. I got an awesome daily calendar this year of MENSA puzzles, bought myself a subscription to GAMES magazine after discovering an issue at an airport, and have been making more time for some jigsaw puzzles in an effort to minimize computer time. Because these are quiet pursuits and I am an introspective person by nature, I have been spending some time thinking about my thinking as it relates to these different puzzles. (As a disclaimer, this is not me...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 28, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: personal Source Type: blogs

Thank youEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
cam balkon küpe?te korkuluk (Source: meta-ot blogs)
Source: meta-ot blogs - February 26, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: camlama Tags: cam balkon korkuluk k üpe?te Source Type: blogs

Acute Care Courses at AOTA ConferenceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I feel that it's difficult to find OT courses on acute care topics. It's also hard to apply evidence from those courses to the everyday fast paced world. Here are some parts of the AOTA conference especially for Acute Care OTs (places where you're almost guaranteed to find me!)Links go to full course description on the Create Itinerary page for conference. PosterPO 623. The Role of Occupational Therapy With Pediatric Oncologic Patients Who Undergo Complex Orthopedic Procedures in the Acute Care SettingSat, May 1, 12:30 - 2:30 PM PosterPO 408. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Acute Care Using Standardi...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 26, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: Conference2010 acute care NICU Source Type: blogs

lol therapists in bikinis, I think not....Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I have a patient who is active on some Internet boards who gave me enough information to find him! He's talked about Karen the therapist and how he likes her, blah blah blah, and allllll of his friends are suggesting that he get a picture of me - in a bikini. For anyone who knows me, yes it's okay if that made you throw up a little. Me too. But there are like PAGES of them suggesting the therapist/nurse (because we all know that is the same thing ::heavy sarcasm::) in the bikini with all sorts of ideas on how to make it happen! Of course they are all just dreaming men who know better but it CRACKS ME UP! Men! (Sour...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - February 26, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Friday Funnies – and special places on the netEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Things I wish were real…and some that actually are. Yes, that’s a USB pet rock. It simply sits. Being a rock. - if you get the munchies? An occupational therapists ‘extreme solution’ (please, don’t!) And special people and places I’ve seen… Marianna Paulson, aka AuntieStress (on Twitter) – a warm, caring person who shares readily and writes about life as it is – go here for a taste Research Blogging, edited by Dave Munger, tireless, indefatigable man with humour and passion for getting real research ‘out there’ – go here for the latest research po...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 25, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Humour Resilience health Friday funnies humor links passion special wellbeing Source Type: blogs

Clothes irritating your wound? Nudist colonyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
So I posted on Twitter something along the lines of "If a patient complains of clothes irritating a wound and I suggest a nudist colony, is that a bad thing?" A few minutes later I get an e-mail that NudistClubhouse is now following me on Twitter, and then I get a response of "Sounds great to us!" from them. AHAHAHAHHAAHA (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - February 24, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Low back pain: unfit? just not doing much? or something elseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
For as long as I’ve been working in pain management (and probably well before), I’ve heard patients being described as ‘deconditioned’. From what we know about the effects of staying in bed because of illness or injury, it makes sense to think that if a person does very little they will become unfit. Common sense really. And from this assumption an industry of gym programmes and fitness initiatives have been instituted as an integral part of back pain rehabilitation. Now before my physiotherapy colleagues start to lynch me, I’m not saying that these programmes should be banished into outer dar...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 23, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Low back pain health research chronic low back pain deconditioning exercise FCE fitness function Source Type: blogs

“Process serving People”Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
RTW matters latest newsletter advises why they wish they hadn’t had that tattoo done last year – and I couldn’t agree more. <a href="Process SERVING People“>This brief excerpt from their update: Last year, RTWMatters’ New Year’s Resolution was to flex our collective bicep, bite the pain bullet and get a “People over Process” tattoo. A reader and soon-to-be blogger for RTW Matters wrote saying: “I’ve been struggling with one of your resolutions—People over Process. I do understand the sentiment that drives you to that tattoo but I’ve spent a working life focusing on...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 23, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Return to Work health outcomes people procedures processes purpose quality management RTW Matters Source Type: blogs

hmmm ot ot ot otEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I've learned more about burns in the past week than in many years combined. The key word of burn rehab as far as I can tell is officially ELONGATION. Want to do my patients right!I feel really guilty for being so um.....deliquent with updating. Honestly I am truly exhausted almost all the time. It's all I can do to handle work most days in terms of staying awake....I nap way too much or sit passively and read articles in downtime instead of being active and updating blogs etc. And my gmail box is up to about 700 mails I haven't dealt with yet (and 50 I havent even looked at)...so I'm just uh, yeah......well...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - February 23, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Bridging the self-management gapEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recently I ran an online survey on this blog asking the question ‘Should self management include:’ and then I listed a number of options such as ‘injection therapy’, ‘medications’, ‘intermittent hands-on therapy’, ‘intermittent hands-off therapy’ and so on. My thoughts were that while the term ’self-management’ is bandied about a lot, there isn’t really a consensus on what self-management should look like. I was right. The three most popular choices were: - having intermittent hands-on therapy as needed – 31% - nonmedical coping strategies ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 22, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills health therapy biopsychosocial coping strategies healthcare self management treatment Source Type: blogs

What a weekEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
What a long strange week it's been...It was a busy, and sometimes downright lousy week. I had 2 people that I was asked to see, cleared for home with family supervision, and then neither family would take them home. It is really sad to see someone who could be in an assisted living or adult day care go to a facility due to the lack of help at home. I hate being put in the middle of these family power plays where the caregiver child just doesn't want to do it anymore but won't say anything until the person is hospitalized. In a strangeness typical of this topsy-turvy week, I also had a lot of people insisting that they woul...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 22, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: practice issues AOTA acute care web Source Type: blogs

People with high risk factors for disability get more biomedical informationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
For a couple of years now, the focus of researchers on factors that identify ‘high risk’ of ongoing disability has turned from patients and onto providers. I’ve written before that health provider’s own beliefs about pain, particularly pain-related anxiety and avoidance, can change the advice they give. This can lead to less ‘reassurance’ about remaining active despite an episode of acute low back pain, and more advice to ‘use pain as a guide’. Occupational therapists with high levels of pain-related anxiety and avoidance beliefs can issue more equipment and advise patients t...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 21, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: health pain research therapy biopsychosocial Chronic pain Clinical reasoning coping Low back pain occupational therapy relaxation self management treatment Source Type: blogs

The Virtual Revolution – BBC goodnessEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Don’t tell me you’re far too sophisticated to capitulate to silly pseudo-psychological tests – I know you do you, you know you want to! So go ahead and enjoy this one from the BBC The Virtual Revolution and the Web Behaviour Test to find out which animal you are on the internet. I’m a hedgehog (prickly, slow but endearing!!) …and yes, there is some science to it, and also yes, I’m changing the way I work on the computer as a result. (Source: HealthSkills Weblog)
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 21, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Humour off topic internet use style quiz Source Type: blogs

Darkness and lightEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
My Dad doesn't know, but there are two defining childhood occupations that he introduced me to that were relatively critical for defining my own decision making and problem solving style. Oddly, both occupations happen in the dark.The first occupation occurred within the (dis)comfort of the confessional. Sacramental reconciliation was an opportunity for self-reflection and getting back 'into good grace.' There was a ritual to the process that happened in the darkness of a closed and tiny booth - each week you had to 'face' the priest who could not see you and all the while pray to God that he did not recognize your voice! ...
Source: ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog - February 21, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: Too much information Source Type: blogs

Why do I spend so much energy & time on chronic pain?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Someone said recently that they’d like a job where they come in, do the job, then go home and have a life. Later that day I spent an hour or so after work talking to another clinician who, like me, has occasionally been accused of ‘not having a life’ – oh and breaking a few rules to get a good outcome for someone. We both thought that in health care, at least in New Zealand, there are more people who live and breathe their passion for their work than those who don’t, and that our work is more enjoyable and more exciting than when we’ve ever been working in a job that needs less energ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 20, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Coping Skills Resilience health acceptance activity change mindfulness values Source Type: blogs

vickyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Can anyone help me to find an assessment to use with adults with asperger's and mental illnesss in a community setting/rehab to record and identify improvements in general ADL. I would be ost grateful for any advice. Thank-you (Source: meta-ot blogs)
Source: meta-ot blogs - February 19, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: wrekinvilla Tags: aspergers Source Type: blogs

Occupational therapists and pain assessmentEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Can you help with this important survey? Please take a look a this link and help out! Can you help WFOT in a study assessing pain in different cultures? http://bit.ly/crmrGg (Source: HealthSkills Weblog)
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 19, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Uncategorized assessments Delphi Study occupational therapists Source Type: blogs

hmmEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Today was such a weird day. The morning was filled with students learning new skills - vocational rehab - things as basic as mixing grits and water together in the microwave, putting on a sock, or making a bed independently, etc. Takes a LOT of patience and is very frustrating - but if I find it insanely frustrating I am sure its a million times harder for the students. The afternoon was evals. I read five different chapters on burns last night trying to figure out the blueprint for treating a pt with burns - unfortunately all the chapters give ideas but it's no blueprint or substitute for hands-on. I'll be talking...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - February 19, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Friday funniesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Have you had a hard week? Is Saturday taking too long to arrive? Read on and be prepared! Posts & tweets I liked this week: Health & disability – sociological musing by lilwatchergirl via Healinglesstravelled Arabic proverb: “He who doesn’t know how to dance says the ground is uneven.” via @shiradotnet on Twitter Growth needs sadness – a post on making meaning from loss and growing in a positive way from these experiences The ever-learning Diane Jacobs on Twitter @dfjpt Sharon Begley on neural correlates of culture on fMRI. (Maybe we could see the brain as being like a tree, a living...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 18, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Humour Resilience health cartoons Friday funnies funny health cartoons humor tightrope Source Type: blogs

Don't miss the early registration deadline for AOTA 2010!Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
March 3rd is the early registration deadline for the 2010 AOTA Conference! Save money and get in early. Still wavering on attending? Here are some considerations for a few common excuses..."But I would rather only take courses in my specialty"I think anyone would be hard pressed not to find some relevant topics in the conference program, despite their specialty. 3 hour workshops are offered in a wide range of topics and are quite detailed. While in-depth courses are good, seeking a variety of learning opportunities is a good change. Surely it is not anyone's goal to only learn more and more about less and less. Who knows w...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 18, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: Conference2010 Source Type: blogs

Occupational Balance: do we practise what we preach?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Walking into the hospital where I work this morning I noticed a sign telling anybody with respiratory tract infection symptoms to stay away, to avoid infecting patients. I walked past the sign with a small cough and then blew my nose at the first available discreet opportunity. It seemed like the sign did not apply to me; it only applied to the public. During my first hour at work today I noticed a physiotherapist with a cough and a healthcare assistant with a cold. The only person to bat an eyelid at my coughing for the last two weeks was a Sister. She rewarded me with a dirty look, but said nothing. Despite frequent hand...
Source: meta-ot blogs - February 18, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: Jivan Tags: infection control occupational balance sickness Source Type: blogs

I'm a bad OT bloggerEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I've started cross training in vocational rehab which is like, I dunno, the epitome of OT, it's SO OT it hurts. It's awesome. I also will be evaluating a burn victim soon and I am SCARED! Must. learn. asap. Am asking for advice and reading up etc, but wish I had some hands-on experience backing me up. Am definitely going to AOTA conference, any of you readers going?! Meet-up time!!!! I promise I'm the biggest akwardest dork ever but I'm nice at least. Unless I'm stressed out and then I look a little blank. So......um.......tommorrow will involve vocational rehab in morning, outpatient in afternoon.....
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - February 18, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Do patients take their medications?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I don’t often write about medications, not because I don’t believe in their use but because that’s not my focus. However, just to put the record straight: medications and medical management of chronic pain has a place in the model of pain management I use. After all, it is the ‘bio-psychosocial’ model, not the psychosocial one! I am interested in how often people follow the advice of their health providers, because if my aim is for people to manage their pain by themselves I really would like them to go away having tried something and knowing whether it is helpful or not. A treatment can...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 17, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain health psychology adherence biopsychosocial Clinical reasoning coping strategies healthcare medication pain management therapy treatment Source Type: blogs

Goals and satisfaction with pain managementEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study does all of this, and the language used and methods described mean it’s easy to see how they arrived at their conclusions. The findings from this study of 86 people who completed all measures showed that goal attainment scaling was a more sensitive measure of satisfaction than outcomes from any other questionnaires (using multiple regression analysis). Satisfaction with progress was more stronly related to personal functional goal achievement than to more traditional outcome measures including pain, disability, fear-avoidance, lifting, trunk flexibility and treadmill endurance. Why would we worry about...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 16, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning therapy acceptance assessment cognitive behavioural therapy disability goal-setting goals healthcare Motivation occupational therapy pain management physiotherapy psychology rehabilitation se Source Type: blogs

New Feature: AJOT ThotsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To help keep myself accountable to keep reading AJOT on my metro rides and have an easy way to track what I have read to prevent another NBCOT renewal panic attack, I have decided to do little write-ups on the articles I read. To best facilitate this, I've decided to create a feature! Having a feature makes me feel more like a "real author," like I wanted to be as a kid. This is only bimonthly, so hopefully I can keep up with it and also help schedule some posts. If this is a feature you'd like to see more of on the blog, comment or email and let me know. Read on for the overview of what I've been reading, be warned, it's ...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 15, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: CE AOTA research Source Type: blogs

Here’s looking at usEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study looks at the use of the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale with GP’s, or primary care providers. The PABS was originally developed for physiotherapists, and aimed to identify whether a primarily biomedical view was held, or a biopsychosocial model. The aim of the study was to firstly evaluate the test-retest reliability of the tool, then in a second study, to establish whether it measured change after the practitioners were given a two-hour presentation on the ‘modern management of acute low back pain’, including material about the biopsychosocial approaches. The presentation on managing acut...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 15, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Low back pain health research therapy assessment biopsychosocial Education healthcare pain management rehabilitation science treatment Source Type: blogs

How to judge a treatmentEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Last week I discussed an interview with F Sommer Anderson and also discussed aspects of central sensitisation syndromes, and Will Baum from where the client is kindly forwarded me a response by Dr Anderson. I am going to muse on one or two aspects of her response because they raise issues that I think are relevant to anyone working in health – and more importantly, anyone working in pain management. For Dr Anderson’s website, go here, and for a copy of Dr Anderson’s response to my post, click here (when I learn how to link word docs!) Pain, like many other conditions, is complicated by the fact that it&...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 14, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning health research therapy autonomy disability healthcare managing pain science self management theory Source Type: blogs

Are Western Societies Guilty of Trivialising Female-on-Male Violence?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I was a little surprised to read the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s Annual Representatives Conference 2010 motion 18: “Conference is outraged that in 2010 violence against women is still prevalent, and in some places in the world openly tolerated. As a healthcare profession, we are in a great position to add our voice to the many who call for an end to violence against women. This Conference calls on the CSP to work with Amnesty International on its campaign to Stop Violence Against Women. Virtually every culture in the world contains forms of violence against women that are nearly invisible because they are see...
Source: meta-ot blogs - February 14, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: Venth Tags: domestic violence feminism sexism Source Type: blogs

he's in thereEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Switched back to the mothership last week (that's what I call the main hospital). So I'm back to carrying my own caseload which I really missed by the end of four months. While it was a nice reprieve to not be so involved in patients' stories, I was reminded how much I gain out of investing myself in my patients. And ask and you shall receive... little did I know that a story was about to come along that would completely require all my attention and energy.At 26 years old, Mark was on top of the world- living with friends in southie, working in boston, close with his family. Everything changed January 16th when he went ski...
Source: Confessions of an OT Nerd - February 13, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Job Search at AOTA Conference ExpoEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Have you considered spending time at the AOTA Conference Expo to conduct a job search?If not... why not? The Expo is a place BRIMMING with hustle & bustle activity, giveaways, companies looking to sell and employers looking to hire. Taking advantage of this last group can reap major benefits. Here are some groups that I speculate will be present and anticipating your resume:- Companies that operate nationwide will be there. So staffing companies that hire travel therapists and chains of facilities will be well represented. I'm sure Genesis will be there, along with Club Staffing (they're still sending me emails from 20...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 12, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: students Conference2010 Source Type: blogs

Friday Funnies – and some great linksEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Oh no, the Friday Funnies, full of cringe-making ‘funnies’. Try to enjoy them – they’re there to help you prepare for your weekend (you know you’ll need a drink after looking at them!) I recently posted a list of ‘doctor’ or health care rules courtesy of Dr Rob of Musings of a Distractible Mind – this is a link to the accompanying patient rules, I thought they might be useful. For a tasty snack, probably designed to make sure you remain healthy of spirit and soul while less so of artery and heart…take a look at this recipe for shortbread from Borealnz’s blog Th...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 11, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Education/CME Humour cartoons Friday funnies funny health cartoons laterality links mirrorbox weekend Source Type: blogs

Are we focusing on the best things so we can improve our early intervention program?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The value of anecdote is not in capturing a comprehensive analysis of a system's problems - but rather in making an example of a small issue that reflects a broader pattern. I understand that use of anecdote as a tool can also be fundamentally incorrect or even dangerous but I hope that I have documented enough other information about the early intervention program (in places like here and here) so that this presentation will be honest and fair.I also understand that any 'for the children' rhetoric causes large swaths of people to immediately tune out of a conversation but it is difficult to frame this discussion about ear...
Source: ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog - February 11, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: Disability rights health insurance evidence-based practice OT practice Source Type: blogs

Snowy Day ThoughtsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I am pretty well trapped here at home under several feet of snow. I felt a little bad calling off work, but they haven't plowed my parking lot and barely touched the street outside the apartment. I really didn't want to walk 2 miles through the snow on the ground (and still coming down hard) to get to the metro (which is running on a delayed schedule) to get to my shuttle bus (also on a delayed schedule) to get to work and then possibly not be able to get back. And now they've actually pulled buses from the roads, and SNOWPLOWS due to dangerous conditions. It's just a little over the top.I do feel like I made the right dec...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 10, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: practice issues AOTA advocacy Source Type: blogs

An interview with F Sommer Anderson – & central sensitisation syndromesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
How many of you have headed off to ‘Therapy Worksheets’ blog? Yes, that’s the one I’ve linked to in my roundup of the best CBT resources on the internet. Will Baum, the editor of that blog is also the author of where the client is, a blog about professional private practice in mental health care. Will contacted me the other day and sent me a link to a really interesting interview with Frances Sommer Anderson, a clinical psychologist who works with people experiencing chronic pain. Her take on chronic pain management is influenced by John Sarno, who has a hypothesis that much chronic pain is in...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 10, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Cognitive behavioral therapy acceptance biopsychosocial CBT central sensitisation cognitive behavioural therapy health neurobiology pain management psychology research Source Type: blogs

PatternsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"What we call chaos is just patterns we haven't recognized. What we call random is just patterns we cant decipher. What we can't understand we call nonsense. What we can't read we call gibberish. There is no free will. There are no variables. There is only the inevitable."Chuck Palahniuk (That guy wrote Fight Club. Thank you Google.)I am a person who appreciates patterns. I often find myself examining tile floors to analyze the pattern or lack of. Routines, a valuable part of life, are just patterns of actions and behaviors. While my appreciation of patterns may just be deep enough to cross (slightly?) into the spectrum, i...
Source: Occupational Therapy Notes - February 10, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Tags: acute care Source Type: blogs

Balance, control & passionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Yesterday a couple of colleagues were talking about balance in life, and making it plain that they think people who spend a lot of time and energy on their work are sad. Their opinion? Work is the means to pay for your ‘real’ life, to spend more on working means less on what is really important to them. And musing on this, as I do, I thought about values and what we bring in to pain management and how this influences our practice. It also started me thinking about the goals and values of the people we see with chronic pain and disability. One way of looking at the distress and disability associated with chr...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 9, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Coping Skills health CBT cognitive behavioural therapy disability goal-setting healthcare mindfulness Motivation pain management psychology Resilience self management Source Type: blogs

How do you establish who will do well with pain management?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Some people just won’t do well with pain management. In just the same way as a surgeon selects good candidates for surgery, so people need to be selected for self management. Although there is some truth that getting even a little pain management is good for everyone, the cost of doing so in staff energy and the effect on other participants can make it a very unrewarding task. How do you work out who is in and who is out? I’ve used a ‘readiness for change’ model, following Prochaska and diClemente’s ’stages of change’ approach for some time now. This uses the idea that if we ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 8, 2010 Category: Occupational Therapists Authors: adiemusfree Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Motivation Resilience psychology therapy acceptance biopsychosocial disability function health occupational therapy pain management self management treatment Source Type: blogs