{"title":"Social Participation Restrictions and Explanatory Factors in Adults with Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy","authors":"Samar Muslemani, Jean-Denis Brisson, Isabelle Côté, Isabelle Lessard, Claudia Côté, Bernard Brais, Cynthia Gagnon","doi":"10.1177/00084174241255472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174241255472","url":null,"abstract":"Background. Limited knowledge is available regarding the impact of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) impairments on participation in daily and social activities, which currently hinders occupational therapy practice in this population. Purpose. To describe social participation and explore influencing factors in individuals with OPMD. Methods. Thirty-four individuals were assessed with outcome measures of social participation restrictions, mobility, dysphagia, and fatigue. Spearman correlations and stepwise multiple regression analyses were used. Findings. Results show a negative impact of OPMD on the social participation level, which was more important in participants aged over 60 years. Walking speed was found to be the main factor influencing participation levels for daily and social activities, with faster walking associated with higher participation. Conclusions. This study emphasizes the impact of OPMD impairments and limitations on social participation level. While dysphagia is obviously an important impairment to consider, interventions for mobility limitations should also be considered during clinical follow-up.","PeriodicalId":519216,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142260596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stephany Lui, Jeffrey Boniface, Giovanna Boniface, Donna Drynan
{"title":"Employment Decisions of Newly Graduated Occupational Therapists","authors":"Stephany Lui, Jeffrey Boniface, Giovanna Boniface, Donna Drynan","doi":"10.1177/00084174241274742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174241274742","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. Employment decision-making is essential for understanding workforce trends. Current occupational therapy workforce research describes distribution disparities of occupational therapists within geographic locations, services such as acute care or community health, and private or public sectors. New graduates of occupational therapy programs are critical to meeting the demand and distribution disparities of occupational therapy services in British Columbia. However, recent employment decision-making of new occupational therapy graduates has not been well studied. Purpose. This study aimed to examine factors that influence newly graduated occupational therapists’ employment decisions. Methods. This descriptive study sampled 122 occupational therapists who were registered in one province and graduated from a Canadian occupational therapy program between 2017 and 2022. Data was collected through an online survey about intrinsic factors, extrinsic factors, and past fieldwork experiences that affected participants’ employment decision-making. Descriptive data analysis was used to organize participants’ responses. Findings. Results identified that work-life balance and mentorship were the highest rated factors that influenced participants’ current and first employment respectively. Participants agreed that the variety and number of placements they had as students were more influential to their employment decisions than the length of the fieldwork education. Conclusion. This study identified the intrinsic and extrinsic factors in employment choices that may influence recruitment, retention, and workplace planning of new graduates.","PeriodicalId":519216,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy","volume":"16 1","pages":"84174241274742"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142210990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samantha A. Oostlander, Katrine Sauvé-Schenk, Diana Bissett
{"title":"Practicing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Canadian Hospital-Based Occupational Therapists","authors":"Samantha A. Oostlander, Katrine Sauvé-Schenk, Diana Bissett","doi":"10.1177/00084174241245622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174241245622","url":null,"abstract":"Background. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted hospital operations worldwide, including services delivered by occupational therapists (OTs). Purpose. This study aimed to understand the experiences of OTs at one Canadian, tertiary care hospital during the 2021–2022 period of the pandemic. Method. We used a qualitative descriptive approach to describe the experiences of OTs during the pandemic. Findings. While there were similarities in the 10 participating OTs’ experiences, salient differences were largely linked to the method of service delivery. Inpatient OTs benefitted from the support of colleagues and developed coping strategies in response to high levels of workplace stress and anxiety and a perceived lack of support from many levels of society. Clinically, they spent more time on discharge planning with fewer resources. OTs providing virtual/hybrid services experienced unique challenges related to adapting their practice to a virtual platform, including challenges assessing patients. They described benefits associated with virtual/hybrid service delivery and brought up concerns around equity of service provision. Conclusion. OTs in this hospital setting faced challenges in providing patient care and supporting their own wellness during the pandemic. Future research could explore the role of leadership in supporting occupational therapy practice during public health emergencies.","PeriodicalId":519216,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140603507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}