Is a knowledgeable consumer of global research related to occupational therapy and utilizes an evidence based approach to practice
Over the course of 36 weeks, I frequently researched information that applied to my setting as well as specific situations that I may have been experiencing at the fieldwork site. For instance, during my first fieldwork, my fieldwork educator and I were faced with an uncommon diagnosis that my fieldwork educator had never had any prior experience working with before now. Our client was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, which is a rare form of cancer. Unfortunately, I had a family member who had been diagnosed with this same type of brain tumor and knew that based on his experience with this, it was a matter of time before she would die from it. I researched the information as soon as possible, and tried to find as much evidence-based research for this specific diagnosis, but the evidence was limited. Nevertheless, what I did learn I immediately shared with my fieldwork educator as well as my family's experience with the diagnosis to help her derive a plan of care for the client.
Another example would be during my second fieldwork and I had to give two presentations about the population I worked with and how occupational therapy helped this population. One of my presentations was tailored to the staff members at the school and how, as a team, we could help these individuals who have sensory issues and grind their teeth. (The school principal liked the flyer I provided that she decided to share it with the children's parents in hopes of carrying over at home.) While I was researching the information, I was able to find more research about sensory integration in pediatrics in general, but there was less evidence-based research on sensory integration related to bruxism in children with Down syndrome. Much of the information I found was derived from a speech language pathologist and an SLP journal. Nevertheless, I continued searching for more research that pertained to occupational therapy and eventually found an article that answered my question to the best of its ability.
During my third level 2 fieldwork, I relied on research and evidence-based information to design my group protocols. Some of the American mental health research I found was out-of-date or didn’t apply to my specific question so I had to implement whatever I could access. Often times this resulted in using research from other countries. Although these countries medical systems were different from the American healthcare system, their results were worth pursuing. Many times I found them to be effective. The international articles utilizing occupational therapy were especially effective and provided insightful information. Unfortunately those were few and far between. One particular article I found to be particularly useful was an article about OTs using therapeutic gardening to improve mental health.