scholarly journals A Phenomenological Study of the Art of Occupational Therapy

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley Williams ◽  
Margo Paterson
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Therapeutic Relationships ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Insight Into

If research evidence is to guide practice, the literature must reflect the art as well as the science of Occupational Therapy practice. The purpose of this research was to provide insight into the phenomenon of professional artistry and its meaning to Occupational Therapists. A phenomenological approach was used to collect data from three Occupational Therapists using in-depth interviews. Moustakas's method was employed to analyze the data. Interview data described practitioners' views of professional artistry of Occupational Therapy practice, how it developed, and how it was manifested in different roles. Analysis demonstrated that professional artistry formed the very heart of Occupational Therapy through a key role in the establishment of therapeutic relationships, which in turn imparted deep satisfaction to the Occupational Therapists' practice.

scholarly journals Occupational therapists’ experiences of enabling people to participate in sport

2020 ◽  
pp. 030802262097394
Author(s):  
Deborah Bullen ◽  
Channine Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Scope Of Practice ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care

Introduction In response to growing demands on health and social care services there is an emphasis on communities addressing the needs of local populations to improve lives and reduce inequalities. Occupational therapists are responding to these demands by expanding their scope of practice into innovative settings, such as working with refugees, the homeless and residents of nursing homes, and within sport and leisure environments. The benefits of sport are widely acknowledged, and this paper argues that occupational therapists could play a pivotal role in enabling people to participate. Method This qualitative study drew on a phenomenological approach and used interviews and thematic analysis to explore five occupational therapists’ experiences of enabling people to participate in sport. Findings Findings revealed that participants demonstrated the uniqueness of occupational therapy when enabling people to participate in sport and practised according to their professional philosophy. There were opportunities to reach wider communities and promote the value of occupational therapy by collaborating with organisations, but there were also challenges when working outside of traditional settings. Conclusion The study emphasises the unique skills occupational therapists can bring to this setting. It highlights opportunities to expand their practice, to forge new partnerships in sports and leisure environments, and to address the national inactivity crisis.

Exploring the meaning of value-based occupational therapy services from the perspectives of managers, therapists and clients

2021 ◽  
pp. 030802262110300
Author(s):  
Su Ren Wong ◽  
Bi Xia Ngooi ◽  
Fang Yin Kwa ◽  
Xiang Ting Koh ◽  
Rachel J J Chua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Therapeutic Relationships ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Therapeutic Communication ◽  
Main Concept ◽  
Therapy Services

Introduction There is a worldwide trend towards value-based health care, which strives to control healthcare costs while maximising value for clients. The main concept of value has been defined as health outcomes achieved per US dollar spent. This research explored how clients of occupational therapy services, managers and occupational therapists perceived value in occupational therapy services. Method A qualitative design was used to explore the perspectives of clients ( n = 11), occupational therapists ( n = 7) and occupational therapy managers ( n = 7). Appreciative inquiry guided the two phases of semi-structured interviews ( n = 5) and focus groups ( n = 6). Inductive and deductive coding were used to establish themes. Findings Three themes encompassed the participants’ perceived value of occupational therapy services: (1) outcomes which are meaningful to daily life, (2) a constructive client–therapist relationship and (3) affordable, coordinated and understandable therapy. Conclusion Participants attributed value to occupational therapy services when they encountered personalised goal setting, focused on meaningful outcomes, managed personal costs and experienced positive therapeutic relationships. Enhancing services could focus on (1) developing skills in collaborative goal setting, (2) determining suitable outcome measures which are meaningful at personal- and service-level reporting, (3) encouraging self-management strategies, and (4) emphasising therapeutic relationships and supporting therapeutic communication skill development.

Client-Centred Practice: What does it Mean and Does it Make a Difference?

1995 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 250-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Law ◽  
Sue Baptiste ◽  
Jennifer Mills
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Canadian Association ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Current Guidelines

During the past 15 years, occupational therapists in Canada, through the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, have worked to develop and implement guidelines for practice of a client-centred approach to occupational therapy. One of the difficulties with the current Guidelines for the Client-Centred Practice of Occupational Therapy is the lack of a definition and discussion of the concepts and issues fundamental to client-centred practice. In this paper, key concepts of client-centred practice: individual autonomy and choice, partnership, therapist and client responsibility, enablement, contextual congruence, accessibility and respect for diversity are discussed. Two practice examples are used to illustrate these ideas and raise issues about obstacles to the practice of client-centred occupational therapy. Research evidence about the effectiveness of client-centred concepts in enhancing client satisfaction, functional outcomes and adherence to health service programmes is reviewed.

scholarly journals No Façade to Hide Behind: Long-Distance Hikers’ Journeys Through Self and Society

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Lauren Reiss
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Appalachian Trail ◽  
Community Life ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Personal Skills ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Insight Into

This ethnographic study uses a phenomenological approach to better understand how Appalachian Trail (AT) and Long Trail (LT) thru-hikers create meaning and make sense of their experiences while hiking. Drawing on participant observation and in-depth interviews with 13 hikers, I analyze hikers’ initial reasons for hiking, their reflections while on the trail, and the impacts thru-hiking had on their self-concepts and social lives. Key findings demonstrate how life on the trail contrasts with hikers’ everyday lives in society and thus suggest ways that their experiences on the AT/LT may give insight into nature, community life, personal change, and the process of personal reflection. In particular, this study suggests that long-distance hiking builds personal skills and confidence. Further, this research uses a phenomenological approach as well as the concepts of liminality and communitas to analyze the creation of an alternative trail subculture and new personal identities on the trail, including trail families. 

scholarly journals Exploring the Praxis of Occupational Therapy-Community Development Practitioners

2021 ◽  
pp. 000841742110666
Author(s):  
Laura Irvine-Brown ◽  
Vicki-Ann Ware ◽  
Ana Paula Serrata Malfitano
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Depth Interviews

Background. A growing body of occupational therapy knowledge and practice focuses not on health but on social transformation, and couples occupational therapy with community development. A tension in both these fields is the disconnect between what practitioners espouse and what they do, limiting the potential of practice. To address this, practitioners are encouraged to engage in praxis—the critical synthesis of theory and practice. Purpose. To explore whether and how Australian occupational therapy-community development practitioners engage in critical praxis. Method. A critical dialogical method was employed to complete multiple in-depth interviews with four occupational therapy-community development practitioners. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings. Practitioners appeared capable of praxis but were not consistently employing it. Findings were grouped into themes: disjointed praxis, authentic praxis, supporting praxis, and praxis challenges and solutions. Implications. Occupational therapists need to be supported to develop, use, and maintain skills in critical praxis.

scholarly journals The Influence of Culture on Occupational Therapy Practice in Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Somaya H. Malkawi ◽  
Nisrin S. Alqatarneh ◽  
Elaine K. Fehringer
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Western Culture ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Eastern Culture ◽  
The Core ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Values And Beliefs

Background. Occupational therapy’s origins draw from Western culture, values, and beliefs which may impact the application of traditional occupational therapy practice in non-Western cultures. Purpose. This study explored how occupational therapists in Jordan facilitate occupational therapy practice within Islamic Eastern culture. Method. A phenomenological approach was used in this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eleven occupational therapists that work in Jordan and have at least two years of experience. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis methods. Results. Three central themes emerged: impact of Jordanian culture and Islamic beliefs about independence and disability on occupational therapy practice, the therapists’ notions of ideal occupational therapy practice vs. daily reality, and challenges posed by workspace and the availability of equipment. Conclusion. This study highlights the growing need to translate and expand the core values of occupational therapy to align with cultures in non-Western countries and cultures.

Clinical Effectiveness: Systematic Reviews and Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy

1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 479-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina Bannigan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
High Quality

Evidence-based health care can be defined as an approach to health care that involves finding and using up-to-date research into the effectiveness of health care interventions to inform decision making (Entwistle et al, 1996). For many occupational therapists, the practicalities of keeping up to date with the best research evidence is difficult; however, through the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD), the NHS Research and Development (R&D) Programme is aiming to improve the availability of high quality research evidence to all health care professionals. The NHS CRD carries out and commissions systematic reviews. Systematic reviews are a means of pulling together large quantities of research information and are considered to be one of the most reliable sources of information about effectiveness (Chalmers and Altman, 1995). The NHS CRD also disseminates the findings of systematic reviews, one method of which is through the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE). The relevance of systematic reviews to the clinical practice of occupational therapists is explored in this paper using two examples: a poor quality and a high quality systematic review identified from the abstracting process for DARE. Both reviews are directly relevant to occupational therapy, being about sensory integration and falls in the elderly respectively. The implications of these reviews for evidence-based practice in occupational therapy are discussed.

scholarly journals A Phenomenological Study on Parental Perpetrators of Child Identity Theft

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-228
Author(s):  
Axton Betz-Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Identity Theft ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Public Image ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Financial Counseling ◽  
Depth Interviews

In 2017, more than one million children became identity theft victims. Many perpetrators of child identity theft are parents, but there are limited data on these perpetrators. The purpose of this study was to understand parental perpetrators of child identity theft through the experiences of victims. Using a phenomenological approach, six adult victims of child identity theft engaged in in-depth interviews. Findings revealed perpetrators were perceived to lack guilt, be manipulative of their victim, and concerned about their public image. Victims often utilized a credit report to understand the scope of the identity theft and begin recovery. Federal agencies and creditors were contacted by victims as part of the recovery process, but were perceived as unhelpful. Implications for financial counseling and education are discussed, including the ethical boundaries of financial counselors and educators when working with victims who experience significant mental and/or physical health challenges as a result of the victimization.

scholarly journals Care and disposal of the remains of stillborn babies from the parents’ perspective in Taiwan: A phenomenological study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jui-Chiung Sun ◽  
Wenmay Rei ◽  
Min-Yu Chang ◽  
Shuh-Jen Sheu
Keyword(s):  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Nursing Assessment ◽  
Treatment Practices ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Actual Care ◽  
Psychosocial Effect ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background Each year, 2.6 million of pregnancies end as stillbirth. Recent literature began to understand parents’ traumatic experience in stillbirth and its profound impact on parents’ mental health and psychosocial effect. But there is little understanding on the actual care and disposal of the stillborn baby, nor is there an agreement on how hospitals should care for the stillborn baby to mitigate parents’ profound loss. The purpose of this study is to understand parents’ perspective on hospital’s care for their stillborn babies, hoping to make suggestions on how can hospitals improve their care to mitigate parents’ grieves. Methods A descriptive phenomenological approach was adopted and twenty couples (40 individuals) who had to decide how to care for the remains of their stillborn babies participated in the study. The data were collected through in-depth interviews, which involved semi-structured and open-ended questions. The phenomenological methods of Giorgi were applied to analyze the data. Results Parents felt unprepared and lack of support when they had to handle their stillborn babies’ remains. The research results revealed two major themes: 1) Handling stillborn babies remain ignorantly; 2) Pacifying the disturbed soul on both sides. Given stillbirth’s profound implication for parents’ identity and psychosocial role, hospitals need to be more sensitive and proactive to parents’ cultural and religious needs when they care for stillborn baby and handle its body. Conclusions It was found in the study that reflection and identification were the emerging themes, which can enable healthcare professionals to understand parents’ concerns in a meaningful way, as they deal with the remains of stillborn babies. Moreover, it is hoped that hospital administration and health care personnel should consider stillborn parents’ concerns and incorporate their needs into nursing assessment and treatment practices.

scholarly journals The contribution of Ahlussunnah Waljamaah’s theology in establishing moderate Islam in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imam Kanafi ◽  
Harapandi Dahri ◽  
Susminingsih Susminingsih ◽  
Syamsul Bakhri
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Social Construction Theory ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
Community Organisations ◽  
Nahdlatul Ulama ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Insight Into

Radicalism and Islamic phobia have the potential to cause conflict amongst religious communities so that it needs social movements in building religious moderation. This study aims to understand and analyse the Ahlussunnah Waljamaah theology in the six largest Islamic community organisations in Indonesia in implementing religious moderation. This study uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. Data obtained from interviews, observations and in-depth interviews regarding the process of externalising, objectifying and internalising the theology of Ahlusunnah Waljamaah in Nahdlatul Ulama, Rifa’iyah, Muhammadiyah, Al-Irsyad, Lembaga Dakwah Islam Indonesia and Front Pembela Islam organisations. Then, the data were analysed through social construction theory of Peter L. Berger and T. Luckman. The results show that the six largest Islamic community organisations in Indonesia apply Ahlussunnah Waljamaahs theology. Those Islamic community organisations differently understand the externalisation of Ahlussunnah Waljamaah theology based on its teaching. Thus, it has implications for Aswaja’s model of application (objectification) in the fields of state, preaching, social and cultural life. Aswaja’s internalisation is reflected in the moderate character of the figures and followers of mass organisations in Indonesia. The Islamic community organisations contribute to build Islamic moderation character by applying an established and consistent theology of Ahlussunnah Waljamaah in various fields.Contribution: This article provides insight into the contribution of Ahlussunnah Waljamaah’s theology in establishing moderate Islam in Indonesia. It contributes to build Islamic moderation’s character by applying an established and consistent theology of Ahlussunnah Waljamaah in various fields.

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