scholarly journals Major trends in the use of occupation as therapy in Ireland 1863-1963

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Pettigrew ◽  
Katie Robinson ◽  
Brid Dunne ◽  
Jennifer O' Mahoney

Purpose Major gaps exist in the documented history of occupational therapy in Ireland. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to filling these gaps by providing an overview of three major transitions in Irish occupational therapy in the century preceding the opening of St. Joseph?s College of Occupational Therapy in 1963. Research on occupational therapy’s past is valuable not only for recording and commemorating key events and individuals but also for allowing reflection on and questioning of contemporary practice and assumptions. Design/methodology/approach This descriptive paper draws on multiple documentary sources to present an overview of the first 100 years of the use of occupation as therapy/occupational therapy in Ireland from 1863 to 1963. Findings Three major transitions in occupational therapy in Ireland are presented: from moral treatment and the use of occupation as therapy to medical patronage of occupational therapy, from medical patronage to the early/pre-professional era and finally from the pre-professional era to the era of professionally qualified occupational therapists. To illustrate these transitions, a small number of individuals and their contributions are discussed including Dr Eamon O’Sullivan, Dr Ada English, Donal Kelly, Olga Gale and Ann Beckett. Originality/value This paper charts the foundations upon which the currently thriving profession of occupational therapy are built. The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland recently celebrated their 50th anniversary (AOTI, 2015a), and in 2017, it is 100 years since occupational therapy was formalised in Clifton Springs, New York, USA. Occupational therapy is a relatively young profession, and great opportunities exist to research its history in Ireland to capture the memories and experiences of the pioneers who laid the foundation of the profession as well as to situate the development of the profession in the broader social, cultural and scientific contexts within which it developed.

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-129
Author(s):  
Aisling Helen Stack ◽  
Orla Duggan ◽  
Tadhg Stapleton

Purpose The assessment of fitness to drive after stroke is an emerging area of occupational therapy practice in Ireland. Despite this, little is known about occupational therapists’ evaluation practices, and there are no internationally agreed clinical guidelines to inform best practice. The purpose of this paper is to investigate occupational therapy evaluation practices for fitness to drive after stroke in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach This is a cross-sectional study design targeting occupational therapists working with people after stroke using an online survey. Summary and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the returned surveys. Findings In total, 47 occupational therapists participated. Off-road driving assessment was completed by 68 per cent of respondents. Functional assessment and non-driving-specific assessments were most widely used and perceived to be the most useful in informing the off-road assessment. A total of 89 per cent referred clients for on-road assessments; however, some referred without first completing an off-road assessment. The therapists who completed formal post graduate education/training in driving assessment reported greater confidence and competence in their skills and ability to assess fitness to drive. A vast majority of participants agreed that clinical guidelines regarding best practice in this area would be beneficial. Research limitations/implications A majority of occupational therapists are assessing fitness to drive after stroke in Ireland with non-driving-specific assessments and functional observations; however, there are many gaps and wide variations between services. Education/training in evaluating fitness to drive after stroke is recommended. The development of clinical guidelines to inform practice would facilitate a consistent approach nationally. Originality/value This is the first study completed in Ireland to investigate occupational therapy evaluation practices for fitness to drive after stroke.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Moore ◽  
Helen Lynch

Purpose Play occupation has been identified as an essential part of children’s lives, and it subsequently features in paediatric occupational therapy. However, few studies address the current place of play and play occupation in occupational therapy practice. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge by exploring paediatric occupational therapists’ perspectives on the place of play and play occupation in occupational therapy practice in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to gather data about the current use of play in the occupational therapy for children under 12 years. Convenience sampling and snowball recruitment techniques were used to recruit paediatric occupational therapists. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Findings In total, 65 therapists responded to the survey (estimated response rate, 32%). Results are organised into four sections: demographics and practice context, play assessment practices, use of play in practice and perceived barriers to play-centred practice. Respondents reported that they valued play as a childhood occupation. However, the survey findings identified that the primary focus was on play as a means to an end. Lack of education on play (research, theory and interventions) and pressures in the workplace have been identified as barriers to play-centred practice. Research limitations/implications Findings indicate that there is a mismatch between therapists valuing play as an occupation and how play is used in occupational therapy practice. Unless clarifications are made about play occupation as being different to skills acquisition in childhood, play occupation will continue to get overlooked as an authentic concern of occupation-centred practice. Thus, play as occupation deserves further attention from educators, researchers and practitioners as a means of strengthening occupation-centred practice, in particular play-centred practice in the paediatric context. Originality/value Play has been described as an important occupation in childhood, and consequently, it features in paediatric occupational therapy. However, little is known about the current place of play in occupational therapy practice. This study addresses this gap by considering the current place of play in occupational therapy practice in Ireland.


1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 311-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine F Paterson

Much of the history of occupational therapy is associated with the history of the National Health Service (NHS). As the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NHS on 5 July 1948, it is fitting to reflect on the development of the profession over the past half century and how it has adapted to the many medical, technological, demographic and social changes. In 1948, the profession comprised a small band of mainly middle-class women, who worked under medical direction with long-stay patients in a hospital setting. In 1998, over 18,000 occupational therapists are state-registered. Having gained degree-entry status practitioners are increasingly self-directed and research-focused, and they work in a wide range of settings with all age-groups: a profession reflecting the ideals of the NHS to provide a service from ‘the cradle to the grave’.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Linnane ◽  
Alison Warren

Purpose Role-emerging placements have been used internationally within occupational therapy education but are relatively new to Ireland. At times, there has been a debate in the profession regarding the use of this placement model. This paper aims to generate views from both occupational therapists and occupational therapy students on the use of role-emerging placements in the Republic of Ireland. Design/methodology/approach Electronic surveys were administered to occupational therapy students and occupational therapists in Ireland. Quantitative data were analysed using the SPSS Statistics software package and the content of the open question responses were analysed into themes. Findings Occupational therapists (n = 60) and occupational therapy students (n = 45) indicated that there were inconsistent views surrounding role-emerging placements. It is deemed as an effective method for student learning, but apprehension exists around inclusion within occupational therapy programmes in the Republic of Ireland. Preference was indicated towards inclusion of role-emerging placements on a part-time basis within formal occupational therapy education. Originality/value Both respondent groups viewed that role-emerging placements can positively influence new areas of occupational therapy practice and concern over the use of the placement model requires further exploration and debate. This study is from an Irish context, although there are similarities with other countries’ use of the placement model. There is a need for research through an in-depth exploration of the learning experience of undertaking role-emerging placements from the students’ perspective and identification of supports required to promote an optimal learning experience.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Joy Stickley ◽  
Kelly J. Hall

Purpose Occupational therapists are increasingly working in organisations outside of the public sector. UK government policy over the past decade has promoted health and social care provision by social enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to examine the compatibility of occupational therapy practice and a social enterprise environment, within the UK and questions if this approach may enhance experiences of social inclusion for people who use these services. Design/methodology/approach Case study methodology was used with eight social enterprises in the UK. Data were collected through: semi-structured interviews, formal organisational documents, and field visits and observations. Interviews were conducted with 26 participants who were occupational therapists, service users and social entrepreneurs/managers. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Occupational therapists experienced job satisfaction, professional autonomy and were able to practise according to their professional philosophy. Service users valued support with: employment, routine, social relationships, and developing a sense of identity, particularly outside of a medical model definition. To a degree therefore, people using these services claimed socially inclusive benefits. Challenges with funding social enterprises, however, impacted occupational therapy delivery in some cases. Research limitations/implications The majority of social enterprise research is drawn from case study methodology; however, this was the most appropriate research design to gain greatest insight into a small but developing phenomenon. Further research into occupational therapy practice within social enterprises is required, particularly on the effectiveness of returning to work and social inclusion. Social implications Social enterprises can provide therapeutic environments to promote recovery and social inclusion which is also compatible with occupational therapy practice. Originality/value This is the first known national research into occupational therapy provision in social enterprises within the UK, which evidences a compatibility within occupational therapy practice within a social enterprise environment and the benefits of this.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Große-Börger

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how the National Socialist regime participated in popular commercial events such as trade fairs to posture their propaganda. I demonstrate how the inter-trade organization and one particular company – Daimler-Benz AG – tailored their advertising to the communication strategies used by the Nazi regime. Design/methodology/approach – This case study is based on the archival records of Daimler AG. The way in which the 50th anniversary of the automobile was staged at the Berlin Motor Shows of 1935 and 1936 is understood as part of the communication strategies of the German automotive industry, as well as of the Nazi regime. Findings – This paper shows how intimately connected the 50th anniversary of the automobile was to the themes of racing and motorization. The automobile as a German invention had the potential to reconcile the motorization of the German people – a sign of modernity – with the blood and soil ideology of the Nazis. The Berlin Auto Show became an important platform for this project. The paper also shows how Daimler-Benz’s approach should be read differently. Originality/value – The article sheds new light on the interaction between and inter-dependence of one particular company’s – Daimler-Benz AG’s – communication strategies and those of the Nazi regime. Furthermore, the 50th anniversary of the automobile, celebrated at the auto show in Berlin, provides a good opportunity to add exhibitions to of advertising history of the 1930 Germany.


1993 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 360-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Jackson

Historically, there have been strong links between the establishment and maintenance of health through occupation, on the one hand, and broad sociopolitical and economic forces, on the other. As a result, occupational therapists have consistently contributed to, and been influenced by, prevalent attitudes to work, leisure, unemployment and poverty. This article examines the nature of these Interactions between occupational therapy and society, by exploring some of the continuities and discontinuities in the practice of occupational therapy within the history of a particular institution established in 1902 for children and adults with what are now referred to as ‘learning difficulties’ or ‘learning disabilities’. The article argues that it is the strength of the ideological and pragmatic links between therapy, health and work, rather than a reliance on rigid biomedical explanations of disease, that has traditionally constituted the basis for the professional expertise of occupational therapists.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356
Author(s):  
Zoe Edelstein ◽  
Michael Kharfen ◽  
Michelle Kim ◽  
Benjamin Tsoi ◽  
Paul M. Salcuni ◽  
...  

Purpose Awareness raising campaigns have been used to promote HIV prevention messages, including the expansion of HIV testing, but initiating such campaigns de novo can be costly. Both the Bronx, New York and Washington, DC have significant local HIV epidemics and a history of efforts to scale-up HIV testing. To build on prior HIV testing campaigns and create new messages based on consultation with diverse stakeholders, a partnership with a community-based clinical trial to enhance HIV testing and treatment was established. The purpose of this paper is to describe the history of HIV testing campaigns in the two jurisdictions, the awareness raising conducted in collaboration with the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) study (HPTN 065) and provide evidence of its effect in these two communities. Design/methodology/approach The foundation of prior campaigns allowed for expansion of social mobilization efforts to specific priority populations (gay men and other men who have sex with men), the most severely affected groups in both communities, and to expand the efforts to include clinical settings. New compelling and acceptable messages were shaped through engagement with community members and based on input from focus groups with target populations in each city. Findings By engaging the target population in the development of new messaging, HPTN 065 study successfully built on campaigns that were already underway in both jurisdictions and was able to use those messages and platforms to further normalize HIV testing. Practical implications Modifying and adapting existing messages saved time and resources, which can be important factors to consider in settings with limited resources or high media purchasing costs. Originality/value Efforts of this kind may ultimately help to decrease HIV transmission in large urban settings.


1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-635
Author(s):  
Keasley Welch ◽  
Frank Turnbull ◽  
Eben Alexander

✓ Three authors, who were all individual contributors to the first volume of the Journal of Neurosurgery, share some thoughts and remembrances of their original published articles. They also speak to the history of the Journal and its relationship to the growth of neurosurgery.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawanda Machingura ◽  
Chris Lloyd

Purpose The individual placement and support (IPS) model is an evidence-based approach to employment support for people with severe mental illness that functions by co-locating an employment consultant from the local disability employment service within a community mental health team to assist service users to find work. This paper aims to examine the unintended impacts of implementing IPS on occupational therapy practice and offer some suggestions. Design/methodology/approach The authors performed a narrative literature review on the IPS model, employment and occupational therapy. Authors then analysed and discussed impact on occupational therapy practice and concluded by making suggestions based on current evidence and practice. Findings The authors concluded that implementation of IPS has resulted in some unintended changes of practice in mental health with occupational therapists taking a less active role in enabling employment outcomes than previously. This paper concludes by calling upon occupational therapists to re-establish their role of enabling employment. Originality/value This paper offers an original viewpoint on employment and occupational therapy based on current evidence and authors’ expertise.


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