Permissivess, guiltiness, anxiety:

Introduction: Studies on procrastination are increasing, studies are aimed at university students, as it is the population that most procrastinates their daily activities, especially academic ones. Most studies fail to explain existing conflicts on the subject, suggesting that there are futures with a qualitative focus, where the researcher is closer to the phenomenon, with no research on the topic with OT students. Objective: To explore and research explanations reported by occupational therapy students at a private university in southeastern Brazil about the behavior of procrastinating schoolwork, considering themselves self-reported as "procrastinators" Methods: Clinical-qualitative design; data collected through in-depth semi-structured findings with open questions; a thematic analysis generated categories discussed in the light of the psychodynamic framework Results: Seven OT students were interviewed and, according to the results of the analysis: procrastination linked to anxiety as productivity, but without the executive drive, imprisoning the individual in a vicious cycle of procrastination; defense mechanisms linked to self-preservation so as not to assume responsibility for tasks and other adversities of adult and university life; ineffective methods are tried by students to try to avoid procrastination, but without resolving the emotional and psychodynamic conflicts related to the activity. Conclusions: Students' procrastination ambivalently affects their daily lives, both positively and negatively, although everyone reported the phenomenon as negative. These studies can contribute to thinking about the clinic in the context of health and education. Therefore, we suggest studies that explore meanings brought by students and even other categories for comparative purposes.

Exploring Students’ Experiences in Occupational Therapy Education: A Phenomenological Study of Professional Identity Development

The existing literature on professional identity enactment and development, subscribes to students’ socializing in a learning environment, where they regularly encounter practicing professionals throughout their education period. However, in most countries with less resourced occupational therapists like Ghana, education in occupational therapy is fraught with inadequate number of same professionals to mentor undergraduate occupational therapy students. The students are thus faced with serious dilemma regarding their professional identity which tends to elicit a bleak perception of their chosen career. The present study was therefore envisaged to interpret and analyse the students’ lived experiences, with the view to capture the process of constructing and developing professional identity. The study focused on purposively sampled group of nine undergraduate occupational therapy students during their practice placement education, and their learning styles on didactic lectures. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted for the study. The students were followed up throughout their four-year study program for data collection, using one-to-one semi-structured interviews each year. With reference to the threshold concepts, transcribed interview data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological procedures. The study established a transformational development of professional identity from the novice stage into graduate professionals, amidst complex interaction of co-constructed themes which included: personal knowing, professional knowing and experiential knowing.

Occupational Therapy Education in Bangladesh during COVID-19: Students’ voice

The COVID-19 has rapidly changed in higher education all across the world. As a result, education has transferred face-to-face teaching to online education platforms, which directly affects the quality of education. The study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online Occupational Therapy (OT) education in Bangladesh through the student’s perspectives. A cross-sectional online survey was performed to conduct the study through email.160 undergraduate Occupational Therapy students were selected by comprehensive sampling technique. Self-developed structured survey questionnaire and five point Likert scale were used for data collection. Descriptive analyses were used to analyze survey results. Data were obtained from 114 responses. Results indicated that males were 34% and females were 66%. The study findings that most participants were used Zoom and mobile phone. They had an average of 10-12 hours weekly screen time for institutional lectures and 3-5 hours average weekly screen time for self-study. The reported health-related problems were eye problem 74.6%, attention problem 71.1%, headache 70.2% and 57% neck and back pain. During the online education, 59.6% participants faced ‘always’ difficulties in practical learning. 98.2% faced internet disconnection, 70.2% and 43% audio and video interruption and 39.5% freeze screen during internet use. Participants developed new skills in the pandemic where 78.9% were learned household activities. Strength of the online education was participants engaged in the class from anywhere. The study has broad implications for the field of OT education. Participants recommended for improving internet connectivity, provide free internet packages, lecture method up-gradation, and e-library facilities for future online education.

Wheelchair Skills Test Outcomes across Multiple Wheelchair Skills Training Bootcamp Cohorts

User training is a critical component of wheelchair service delivery to ensure individuals with a mobility impairment can negotiate environmental barriers and promote their social participation. A wheelchair “bootcamp”, delivered during professional preparation education, is one strategy to better prepare occupational therapists for clinical rehabilitation practice by developing their own wheelchair skills. The purpose of this study was a retrospective review of a large dataset of student cohorts from a single site and delineate bootcamp effects on the Wheelchair Skills Test-Questionnaire (WST-Q) scores. Participant data from eight cohorts was consolidated (n = 307). Comparison of two WST-Q scoring formats revealed significantly lower scores for cohorts using the 4-point version, which was subsequently standardized to the other 3-point version. WST-Q change scores were similar between cohorts, and differences were more reflective of variability in skill level prior to bootcamp than post-bootcamp scores. Students were able to master most basic and intermediate level skills, while advanced skill acquisition was much more variable. This study provides more precise point estimates of wheelchair skill acquisition among occupational therapy students than previous studies. While confirming the benefits of bootcamp education, recommendations for further investigation were identified.

The Feasibility of a Stroke Rehabilitation Educational Program for Occupational Therapy Students and Practitioners (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Gaps in knowledge translation of current evidence-based practice regarding stroke assessment and rehabilitation delivered through teletherapy can prevent occupational therapy students and practitioners from implementing current research findings to obtain the best possible results in practice. The purpose of this pilot feasibility study was to create an educational program to translate knowledge into practice about the remote delivery of stroke assessment and rehabilitation to occupational therapy students and practitioners. This study examined knowledge gained from specific educational modules and feedback of delivery with regards to design, feasibility, acceptability, and usability. Four areas of focus were addressed in the educational program including: knowledge translation (KT), task-oriented training (TOT), stroke assessments, and telerehabilitation. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this pilot feasibility study was to create an educational program to translate knowledge into practice about the remote delivery of stroke assessment and rehabilitation to occupational therapy students and practitioners. This study examined knowledge gained from specific educational modules and feedback of delivery with regards to design, feasibility, acceptability, and usability. Four areas of focus were addressed in the educational program including: knowledge translation (KT), task-oriented training (TOT), stroke assessments, and telerehabilitation. METHODS Two feasibility studies were conducted to assess knowledge gained via pretests and posttests of knowledge, followed by a System Usability Scale (SUS) and general feedback questionnaire. Participants in Study 1 were five current occupational therapy practitioners and one occupational therapy assistant. Initial recruitment of participants in Study 2 included ten current occupational therapy students, however only nine students participated in the modules. Four, one-hour modules were emailed weekly to participants over the course of four weeks, with each module covering a different topic (KT, TOT, stroke assessments, and telerehabilitation). Preliminary results were reviewed with median comparisons and nonparametric analyses of pretests and posttests of knowledge for each module. Descriptive statistics from the SUS and a general feedback questionnaire were used to gain overall comments regarding the educational program. RESULTS This study revealed statistically significant results related to increased scores of knowledge through a Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test for students, practitioners, and combined. The stroke assessments module for the practitioner study and the stroke assessments and telerehabilitation modules for the student study were found to be statistically significant for increases in knowledge. Task-oriented training, stroke assessments, and telerehabilitation were statistically significant for the combination of the two studies. The task-oriented training module for students and practitioners, and the knowledge translation and telerehabilitation modules for practitioners also demonstrated a notable trend towards significance. The majority of the educational modules had an above average score regarding feasibility as well as positive feedback for the educational program as a whole from the participants. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results of this pilot study indicate that an online educational program is a feasible, informational method of increasing the translation of knowledge in the remote delivery of stroke assessment and rehabilitation. Occupational therapy students and practitioners found the information presented to be valuable and relevant to their future profession and current practice.

Clinical educator’s experiences of the decentralised training platform for Occupational Therapy students in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background: In piloting a shift from traditional practice-based placements to decentralised clinical training (DCT), there was a need to explore the factors that influenced the placement as part of monitoring and evaluation. DCT involves placementto clinical sites away from the higher education institution necessitating changes to supervision strategies utilised.Objective: This study explored the experiences of clinical educators supervising occupational therapy students within this new model during a pilot phase of the DCT programme at one institution in South Africa.Method: The study was located in KwaZulu-Natal province and followed an explorative qualitative design with semi-structured interviews and focus groups with purposively sampled clinical educators (n=11). Data were audio-recorded and thematically analysed.Findings: Two central themes emerged and included the clinical educators’ expectations (organisation factors, role and scope of partners in decentralised training and communication) and experiences (perspectives and value of decentralised training).Conclusion: Decentralised training has considerable potential to contribute to authentic student learning. Improved communication between all stakeholders would assist in enhancing the quality of the learning experiences on such platforms. Students need to be more prepared prior to commencing DCT, and there is a need for more rural placements with a primary health care focus. Keywords: Decentralised training; clinical educators; service learning.

Relationship between Sleep, Digital Usage and Emotional States in Thai Occupational Therapy Students

INTRODUCTION: Occupational imbalance of overloaded online education and sleep deprivation has been complained by Thai occupational therapy students (OTS) during the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) e.g., feeling asleep in the classroom, inactive engagement in problem-based learning. METHODS: This cross-sectional study aims to survey the OTS (n = 52 out of 128) regarding many standardized tools: smartphone addiction, internet addiction, sleep quality, sleep hygiene, and emotional states. Data analysis includes Pearson’s and Spearman’s rank-order correlations, Chi-square tests, and calculation of point prevalence rates. RESULTS: A strong correlation of smartphone and internet addiction was found (r = 0.703, p < 0.001). Moderate correlations were addressed including sleep quality and smartphone addiction (r = 0.566), sleep quality and stress (r = 0.574), sleep quality depression (r = 0.554), and anxiety and smartphone addiction (r = 0.512). This study has reported point prevalence rates, such as 23.44% poor sleep quality, 17.96% smartphone addiction, and 7.81% anxiety. CONCLUSION: The unwell sleep OTS are gaining comorbidities of smartphone and internet addiction and negative emotional states than those well sleep OTS. A restoration of occupational balance will be required for those poor sleep quality and anxiety.