Discovery of Knowledge in Practice.

Given the number of occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs and graduates with professional doctoral degrees, the concept of practice scholarship is increasingly important. The scholarly work of occupational therapy practitioners guided by a research model is appropriate for those who have trained as researchers or OTD students and practitioners receiving mentorship from occupational therapy research scientists. A research model of scholarship may not fit the scholarly work of most occupational therapy practitioners with an OTD.

Patient Consumerism and Its Influence on the Future of Occupational Therapy.

The cost of care is shifting to the individual in the form of high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts. The public demands and expects innovation in health care and health delivery and is using quality and cost data to make purchasing decisions. Public expectations for convenience are demonstrated in the use of walk-in clinics, telemedicine, and other technologies.

Rehabilitation Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors for Preventing Urinary Tract Infections From Intermittent Catheterization.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and examine the reliability of a survey to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) of rehabilitation nurses for preventing urinary tract infections in persons requiring intermittent catheterization.

Design: Cross-sectional survey with principal component analysis.

Methods: Survey development and administration based on national guidelines.

Interprofessional evidence-based clinical scholar program: learning to work together.

St. Catherine University and North Memorial Medical Center conducted an Interprofessional Clinical Scholar Program (ICSP) involving five teams of staff, students, and faculty. The aim of the case study was to determine how the interprofessional teams implemented evidence-based projects.

The innovation imperative.

An improved healthcare system will require significant departures from current practices. Leadership capacity will provide the abilities to innovate and creative thinking needed to be effective in championing the value of occupational therapy in the future.

An evidence-based and occupational perspective of interventions for persons with substance-use disorders.

An interdisciplinary evidence-based review of interventions among persons with substance-use disorders was completed in 2001 as part of American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Evidence-Based Literature Review Project (Lieberman & Scheer, 2002). Four effective interventions for adults and adolescents with substance use were identified, including brief interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational strategies, and 12-step programs. The research studies reviewed reported outcomes primarily related to reduction in alcohol and drug use.

The effects of a typing task on the hand volume of the older worker.

Unlabelled: Few studies have examined the relationship between changes in hand volume and typing. Volumetric evaluation documents the presence of an inflammatory response to activity.

Method: To study this relationship, researchers used a convenience sample of 31 participants who were aged 45 and older and worked full time where they typed at least one hour per day.

Test-retest reliability of the commercial volumeter.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to improve the standardization of the current protocol for measuring hand volume with the commercial volumeter.

Method: A repeated-measures design was used to determine test-retest reliability of the new protocol of measuring hand volume with the commercial volumeter. The new protocol used a height-adjustable table and external trunk support of the participant in order to maintain consistency of web-space pressure between the first and second measurement.

Adaptation of the older worker to occupational challenges.

The occupational adaptation practice model guided the search for and the analysis of the literature on the older worker. The purpose of this literature review was to: identify the occupational challenges that older workers experience, determine ways in which the occupational therapist can promote the occupational adaptation of older workers, and articulate the research and policy changes implied in the model related to health and improved productivity. The analysis of the worker's personal characteristics, work tasks, and environments highlighted the types of occupational challenges that may overwhelm the older worker's adaptive capacity.

Relationship among grip strength, functional outcomes, and work performance following hand trauma.

This study examined the relationship among the recovery grip strength, functional outcomes, and work performance following occupational therapy intervention for hand trauma. This study had a sample size of 15 participants whose recovery grip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer, whose satisfaction with outcomes was measured by the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), and whose compliance with the home therapy program was measured by a visual analog scale (VAS). A Pearson r correlation demonstrated a significant relationship between recovery grip strength and two MHQ subset scores: overall hand function (r = 0.