I'm sure we all have people in our lives (or, at least on our caseloads) who suffer from chronic pain. This week's article explores chronic low back pain (LBP) and the biopsychosocial approach. You might feel a bit of deja vu, as we're finding again that a multi-faceted approach seems to work best to get results in healthcare—and, in my opinion, a multidisciplinary approach for LBP should likely include occupational therapy. To discuss this research further, please sign up for The OT Potential C...
Jan 27, 2020•12 min•Ep. 41
Soft neurological signs are a hot topic in the OT community right now. And I can see why: soft signs give us a window into all the happening at a biological level in many common conditions. And, they may be impacting more patients your caseload than you may realize. This week's article on a specific soft neurological sign in ADHD gives you a window into where the research is at with soft neurological signs—as well as their potential future clinical applications. To discuss this article with fell...
Jan 19, 2020•14 min•Ep. 40
Dementia is poised to present the most profound global health challenge of the 21st century . The incidence of dementia is skyrocketing, and I believe OTs have a vital role to play in caring for these patients. This week's article is an extremely comprehensive summary of dementia care—and it covers all sorts of evidence about prevention, screening, and intervention. This article is an important read for anyone who works with adults and/or has a loved one impacted by this disease. To discuss this...
Jan 11, 2020•13 min•Ep. 39
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself that million-dollar question: How do we incorporate all this cool new research into our OT practice? This week's discussion is all about knowledge translation, and it will present a somewhat sad reality: we're not exactly sure of the best ways to translate knowledge into practice. But, there are some great gems in here about active versus passive learning. This is a very important topic to explore if we want to keep our profession evidence-based and relev...
Dec 08, 2019•13 min•Ep. 38
Anytime we compare the outcomes of patients receiving OT vs. no therapy, we have a vested interest—we clearly want to see that the OT group has better outcomes. But, the harsh reality is that this is not always the case. When we run into examples where OT doesn't seem to be effective, we all need to all step into a growth mindset and confront this failure head-on. There is a lot to learn from this article, which looks at OT vs no therapy for mild to moderate Parkinson's Disease, and I think it m...
Dec 01, 2019•12 min•Ep. 37
We have already seen our fair share of technology-related research on the podcast, but this week's article introduces a type of tech that we have not yet discussed: exergaming. This particular article looks at exergaming for patients with MS, but it also brought up larger questions about the role of OT in exercise and habit formation—and, ultimately, in identity transformation. To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club . Also, here is the blog post mentioned in the article:...
Nov 24, 2019•13 min•Ep. 36
I believe that the future of occupational therapy will involve more intentional incorporation of learning strategies into our treatment sessions. That's why I think it is very important that we all pay attention to the evidence that is piling up behind the CO-OP Approach, which is a systematized learning strategy. I'm personally new to this specific approach, so I'm really excited for you all to weigh in on what you think of it. To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club . S...
Nov 17, 2019•10 min•Ep. 35
Here in the United States, OTs are facing some pretty disheartening reimbursement changes. But, this week's article seems to lay the groundwork for arguing that instead of restricting OT, we should be seeking to expand the role of occupational therapy practitioners. I found a lot of hope in this article, and I'll be very curious to hear what you think! To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club . Saxon, R., Gray, M., & Oprescu, F. (2014). Extended roles for allied health...
Nov 09, 2019•9 min•Ep. 34
Getting the right patients into therapy at the right time is the first step to great OT care. But, the research we've explored around this topic has suggested that we have a lot of potential for improvement in this area. This week's article looks at therapy referrals for older adults with cancer, and I hope it will serve as a conversation starter in the Club. We absolutely must look into the broader challenge of connecting with patients who could potentially benefit from our services. To discuss...
Nov 03, 2019•10 min
This week, we are looking at promising research behind a cognitive rehabilitation program for Parkinson's. And, I'll just skip to the good news—the gains in cognitive rehab actually translated to increased functional abilities, which says to me that this is important research for us all to consider. To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club . You can read the article here: Improving functional disability and cognition in Parkinson’s disease randomized controlled trial . Pen...
Oct 28, 2019•12 min•Ep. 32
This article subverted my expectations, to say the least. The researchers looked at the effects of early mobilization in the ICU, and their findings might surprise you, too. At the same time, reading this article left me feeling more confident than ever about occupational therapy's unique role in helping ICU patients regain function. (Not to mention, our overall focus on function in all settings!) To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club . Effect of early rehabilitation du...
Oct 20, 2019•12 min•Ep. 31
This week on the OT Potential Podcast, we are looking at an article that explores the feasibility of a protocol designed to address food selectivity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The intervention being studied incorporates a parent-coaching approach to addressing food selectivity. We've seen parent-coaching employed in a previous article, and this is definitely a trend you will want to follow. To join the discussion, please sign in or sign up for the OT Potential Club , your o...
Oct 13, 2019•10 min•Ep. 30
Hereditary ataxia is a rare condition, and you probably don't see it on a regular basis. This week's podcast discusses guidelines on the management of chronic ataxias , and you might be tempted to gloss over the info if it doesn't directly relate to your caseload. But, there are some important takeaways from the discussion—including a reminder that, in the absence of a cure, your clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills are some of the best interventions available to these patients. (Anothe...
Oct 05, 2019•12 min•Ep. 29
The article we look at this week is a great introduction to and robot-assisted therapy and massed practice—and, even though this is our first time looking at cerebral palsy, you will find that this article builds on previous discussions we’ve had on motor learning. To join in the conversation, sign up for the OT Potential Club . (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code !) Support the show...
Sep 28, 2019•16 min•Ep. 28
An ongoing topic we've seen in research is whether high-tech interventions outperforms conventional OT care. And, this latest episode certainly contributes to this conversation, as we talk about virtual reality in acute stroke. While we absolutely need to keep technology developments on our radar, I hope you find renewed confidence that your clinical reasoning may be what our patients need most. To participate in the forum discussion about this topic, please go here: https://otpotential.com/ot-p...
Sep 22, 2019•11 min•Ep. 27
Even if you don't work with stroke patients, I highly suggest you take time to read about the conversation going on around high-repetition, task-specific OT interventions for stroke. A lot of research is being done around this topic and I think it is going to end up having ripple effects for therapists in many practices areas. To participate in the forum discussion about this topic, please go here: https://otpotential.com/ot-potential-club (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our ...
Sep 15, 2019•15 min•Ep. 26
Have you ever felt like our understanding of occupation doesn't fully capture what matters to people and motivates them? If so, you are not alone. In this week's article, we find an argument that our current models of occupation are missing one of the prime human motivators of activity: belonging . This is our first OT-specific article and our first theory-specific article, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it! To join our online occupational therapy journal club please go to otpotential...
Sep 08, 2019•11 min•Ep. 25
I'm going to call it official. Research about biomarkers to assess the efficacy of occupational therapy is a trend in the OT Potential Podcast. This week on the Podcast we are discussing our second article about biomarkers for balance recovery after stroke. Even if you don't work with stroke patients, this is a topic that we all should be paying attention to, because my prediction is it is going to be impacting your practice in the next decade. We also briefly talk about some updates to the OT P...
Aug 31, 2019•20 min•Ep. 24
This week in the OT Potential Club, we look at a randomized control trial of the PLAY Project , which is an early-intervention program that treats young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While this sounds very specific, I think it's applicable to all OTs, since some broad themes and questions arise from the research. One of the biggest questions, which applies to all patients, involves both time and money: How in the world can we get patients enough treatment time to actually see mea...
Aug 26, 2019•21 min•Ep. 23
This week’s podcast, looks at 10 priorities that have been set for future Parkinson’s Disease (PD) research. Whether or not you work with PD patients, I encourage to check the article out, because we discuss some interesting points on how research agendas are set. To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club, your online occupational therapy journal club . (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code !) Support the show...
Aug 18, 2019•19 min•Ep. 22
There is a growing body of research studying how timing impacts the quality of medical interventions. This week's article examines how the time of day (and day of the week) that a patient is admitted to the hospital can impact the quality of care (including OT care) that he or she will receive. You'll be intrigued by the findings, and I am sure you will walk away eager to learn more about your facility's staffing processes! To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Clu...
Aug 11, 2019•20 min•Ep. 21
When patients with rare conditions come through our doors, it can be a little nerve-racking. We want to feel confident that we are giving them the OT interventions possible—and that means having a foundational knowledge and understanding of their diagnoses. That's why I'm thankful to have spent time reviewing this week's article on osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club, your online occupational therapy journal club . To further su...
Aug 01, 2019•18 min•Ep. 20
This week on the OT Potential Podcast, we are looking at a very timely and important issue: OT's role in pain management, specifically with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. As the article itself states, OT's role is ESSENTIAL in providing treatment and functional recovery for these patients. I hope this review makes you feel confident in the care you can provide to CRPS patients. To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club, your online occupational therapy journal cl...
Jul 29, 2019•20 min•Ep. 19
This week's article is technically about analyzing the cost of different lumbar fusion techniques. But, in actuality, it is about so much more than that. At the end of the day, this article illuminates the problems of the fee-per-service and of the lack of transparency regarding healthcare costs. And, these are issues that we are facing in almost all OT settings. Here's the article: A perioperative cost analysis comparing single-level minimally invasive and open transforaminal lumbar interbody f...
Jul 21, 2019•15 min•Ep. 18
Is my OT care helping my patients? That is one of the primary questions we all want answers to in our work. And, biomarkers represent a new frontier in helping us answer this question. In this week's OT Potential Potential article review, we will look at how biomarkers can be used in stroke rehab and take a high-level look at this medical trend that we should all be following. Here's the article we'll review: Connectivity measures are robust biomarkers of cortical function and plasticity after s...
Jul 15, 2019•17 min•Ep. 17
If your caseload contains patients with Parkinson's Disease, you'll definitely want to listen in to this episode, which summarizes the article "Rehabilitation for Parkinson's disease: Current outlook and future challenges." (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code !) Support the show
Jul 07, 2019•24 min•Ep. 16
In this episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we review the article A task-specific interactive game-based virtual reality rehabilitation system for patients with stroke: A usability test and two clinical experiments . To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club . To further support the OT Potential Podcast, please consider using our promo code when you purchase MedBridge . Students can use our MedBridge Student Discount . If you are looking for a group discount on M...
Jul 01, 2019•16 min•Ep. 15
In this episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we look at the article Screening for autism spectrum disorder in young children: US preventive services task force recommendation statement. To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club . To further support the OT Potential Podcast, please consider using our promo code when you purchase MedBridge . Students can use our MedBridge Student Discount . If you are looking for a group discount on MedBridge for your business/clini...
Jun 23, 2019•13 min•Ep. 14
In the 13th episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we look at the 2016 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis . To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club . To further support the OT Potential Podcast, please consider using our promo code when you purchase MedBridge . Students can use our MedBridge Student Discount . If you are looking for a group discount on MedBridge for your business/clinic , check out the Enterprise Solution! Su...
Jun 17, 2019•14 min•Ep. 13
In the 12th episode of the OT Potential Podcast, we review the article Feasibility of articulated arm mounted oculus rift virtual reality goggles for adjunctive pain control during OT in pediatric burn patients . This is a great listen for any occupational therapy practitioners who are interested in pain management and/or rehab technology. To discuss the article further, you can sign up for The OT Potential Club . To further support the OT Potential Podcast, please consider using our promo code ...
Jun 09, 2019•12 min•Ep. 12
