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Occupational physicians (OPs) are key figures for advising employees and employers about prevention and health at the workplace. However, knowledge of their views on participation in health promotion measures is sparse. This qualitative study aims to explore occupational physicians’ experiences with employee participation in a randomized controlled workplace measure for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Germany. We conducted eight semi-structured telephone interviews with occupational physicians. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a combination of conventional and directed content analysis. Findings were mapped based on Andersen’s behavioral model of health services use, resulting in four categories and 10 subcategories. (a) Contextual factors of the measure comprised impacts of the healthcare system and company environment, (b) individual factors of measure participation comprised demographic, social, belief, and MSD need characteristics, (c) health behavior during the measure included OPs’ communication, employees’ personal practices and measure participation, and (d) outcomes of participation included health status, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction with the measure. Findings imply occupational physicians’ and employees’ views should be investigated on a broader scale. Researchers should use present statements for the development of intervention studies, while political and managerial authorities can improve organizational conditions of prevention based on these findings.

Background Traditionally, clinical decision making has been perceived as a purely rational and cognitive process. Recently, a number of authors have linked emotional intelligence (EI) to clinical decision making (CDM) and calls have been made for an increased focus on EI skills for clinicians. The objective of this integrative literature review was to identify and synthesise the empirical evidence for a role of emotion in CDM. Methods A systematic search of the bibliographic databases PubMed, PsychINFO, and CINAHL (EBSCO) was conducted to identify empirical studies of clinician populations. Search terms were focused to identify studies reporting clinician emotion OR clinician emotional intelligence OR emotional competence AND clinical decision making OR clinical reasoning. Results Twenty three papers were retained for synthesis. These represented empirical work from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches and comprised work with a focus on experienced emotion and on skills associated with emotional intelligence. The studies examined nurses (10), physicians (7), occupational therapists (1), physiotherapists (1), mixed clinician samples (3), and unspecified infectious disease experts (1). We identified two main themes in the context of clinical decision making: the subjective experience of emotion; and, the application of emotion and cognition in CDM. Sub-themes under the subjective experience of emotion were: emotional response to contextual pressures; emotional responses to others; and, intentional exclusion of emotion from CDM. Under the application of emotion and cognition in CDM, sub-themes were: compassionate emotional labour – responsiveness to patient emotion within CDM; interdisciplinary tension regarding the significance and meaning of emotion in CDM; and, emotion and moral judgement. Conclusions Clinicians’ experienced emotions can and do affect clinical decision making, although acknowledgement of that is far from universal. Importantly, this occurs in the in the absence of a clear theoretical framework and educational preparation may not reflect the importance of emotional competence to effective CDM.

Because of the nature of their work, physical and occupational therapists are at high risk of burnout, which is associated with decreased job satisfaction, medical errors, and mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals. To well manage and minimize potential impact of burnout, risk factors should be determined. This study examined burnout and job stress in physical and occupational therapists in various Korean hospital settings. Physical and occupational therapists from several rehabilitation facilities in South Korea completed a survey between March–May 2019. A set of questionnaires, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Job Content Questionnaire, were distributed to all participants. In total, 325 professionals (131 men and 194 women) were recruited. Burnout and work-related stress differed significantly according to several factors. Hospital size, gender, and age were the main contributory factors affecting at least two dimensions of the questionnaires. The more vulnerable group consisted of female therapists in their 20s at small- or medium-sized hospitals with low scores for quality of life. High levels of job stress and burnout were observed in female therapists in their 20s at small- or medium-sized hospitals. Hospitals and society should create suitable environments and understand the nature of therapists’ work to improve healthcare.

The continuous development of mobile apps has led to many health care professionals using them in clinical settings; however, little research is available to guide occupational therapists (OTs) in choosing quality apps for use in their respective clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to use the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) to evaluate the quality of the most frequently noted mobile health (mHealth) apps used by OTs and to demonstrate the utility of the uMARS to assess the quality of mHealth apps. A previous study surveying OTs' use of apps in therapy compiled a list of apps frequently noted. A total of 25 of these apps were evaluated individually by 2 trained researchers using the uMARS, a simple, multidimensional analysis tool that can be reliably used to evaluate the quality of mHealth apps. The top 10 apps had a total quality score of 4.3, or higher, out of 5 based on the mean scores of engagement, functionality, and aesthetics. Apps scored highest in functionality and lowest in engagement. Apps noted most frequently were not always high-quality apps; apps noted least frequently were not always low-quality apps. Determining the effectiveness of using apps in clinical settings must be built upon a foundation of the implementation of high-quality apps. Mobile apps should not be incorporated into clinical settings solely based on frequency of use. The uMARS should be considered as a useful tool for OTs, and other professionals, to determine app quality.

According to Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, therapists are duty-bound to include children in decisions that impact them. Although occupational therapists champion client-centred, collaborative practice, there remains a paucity of studies detailing children's rights and experiences of decision-making in pediatric occupational therapy. This qualitative study described the decision-making experiences of children, parents and therapists in occupational therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants (six children, five parents and six occupational therapists), and data analysed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: 1) Goal-setting experiences; 2) Adults: child-rights gatekeepers or defenders? and 3) Decision-making in context. Findings suggest that decision-making is mostly adult directed, and children's voices are subsumed by adult-led services, priorities, and agendas. Children's rights need to be embedded as an aspect of best practice in providing services that are child-centred in occupational therapy practices and education.

Background Effective communication between healthcare providers and patients is essential for high-quality care and patient satisfaction. Barriers to communication can lead to misunderstandings and poorer health outcomes. This study aims to identify communication obstacles between physical/occupational therapists (PTs/OTs) and patients in the Saudi Arabian context. Methods This cross-sectional study, which was conducted from September 2022 to January 2023, involved 228 patients and 46 therapists from the rehabilitation services department. Data were collected via two self-administered questionnaires and analyzed via Pearson’s chi-square test of independence and Fisher’s exact test for categorical nominal data to assess associations between variables. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Most patients (25.4%) were young adults aged 18–30 years, predominantly Saudi nationals (96.5%), with undergraduate degrees (63%). High satisfaction with therapists was reported by 69.3% of patients. The key barriers identified included limited consultation time (15.8%) and the use of medical records (4.8%). Therapists, primarily young professionals aged 25–30 years (54.3%) with 3–5 years of experience (43.5%), also reported time limitations (30.4%), physical setup issues (37.0%), and poor patient history-taking (56.5%) as significant barriers. Additional findings from our study indicated that monolingual Arabic-speaking therapists faced greater challenges in understanding language (p = 0.02), and younger therapists (aged 25–30) reported greater difficulties in managing multiple problems during sessions (p = 0.03), highlighting age and linguistic background as significant factors influencing communication efficacy. Conclusions Addressing communication barriers through targeted interventions, such as enhanced training, improved clinical structures, and advanced electronic health records, can improve patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and specific communication training programs.

Introduction: Poor fit between the work environment and work expectations is associated with high levels of workplace‐related stress. Work stress in occupational therapy has been attributed to the nature of the profession and various other workplace‐related factors. Workplace‐related stress leading to burnout has been found to be higher in early career occupational therapists with less than 5 years of experience. This study explored workplace factors that result in poor person–work environment fit in six work–life areas in South African early career occupational therapists. Methods: A descriptive electronic survey design was used to access a sample of South African 261 occupational therapists with 2–5 years of work experience. The Area of Work–Life Survey (AWS) considers six work–life areas: control, workload, community, rewards, values, and fairness, which were used to collect data. Data were analysed to determine low, moderate, and high work environment fit for workplace factors including employment setting, field of practice, years’ experience, time with current organization, and hours worked. Results: Of the six work–life areas, only the scores for workload fell below the norm for the respondents. All six work–life areas were impacted by employment settings, with respondents in public health hospitals and clinics indicating significantly low person–environment fit in most areas. Respondents in physical rehabilitation had a significantly low fit for workload, as did years of experience, length of time with organization, and hours worked. Fairness had a low fit for physical rehabilitation and medicolegal fields of practice. Conclusion: Workload impacted workplace‐related stress in respondents with scores below the norm on the AWS for this work–life area. Although some work‐related factors affected workplace‐related stress, the overall scores for the other work–life areas were above the norm, with only respondents in public service settings and in the field of physical rehabilitation reporting low work environment fit.

Background: Circus use by occupational therapists is an emerging practice area with limited evidence. Purpose: The study is aimed at exploring occupational therapists’ current use of circus and identifying the potential for broader applications addressing both individual and community needs. Method: Purposive sampling was adopted to recruit eight circus‐using occupational therapists to participate in this collective case study. Semistructured interviews yielded qualitative data, which were coded and thematically analyzed. Findings: Circus is being used primarily to address performance capacity limitations but with an awareness of its potential to address broader community and sociopolitical needs. Analysis yielded two distinct “cases.” The first, individual-focused circus , exemplifies how circus is used to address performance capacity, while the second, community-focused circus , describes current and envisaged future circus use as community development. Conclusion: There is potential to move toward a more occupation‐focused and community‐driven use of circus in sociopolitical contexts. Further exploration is needed into the therapeutic benefits of circus use by occupational therapists. The inclusion of educational content that builds students’ capacity to adopt community development approaches in practice, alongside enhanced understanding of collaboration benefits between occupational therapists and “activist” disciplines, is paramount, if we are to address occupational injustices and promote occupational rights.

The Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach is a complex rehabilitation intervention in which clients are taught to use problem-solving cognitive strategies to acquire personally-meaningful functional skills, and health care providers are required to shift control regarding treatment goals and intervention strategies to their clients. A multi-faceted, supported, knowledge translation (KT) initiative was targeted at the implementation of CO-OP in inpatient stroke rehabilitation teams at five freestanding rehabilitation hospitals. The study objective was to estimate changes in rehabilitation clinicians' knowledge, self-efficacy, and practice related to implementing CO-OP. A single arm pre-post and 6-month follow up study was conducted. CO-OP KT consisted of a 2-day workshop, 4 months of implementation support, a consolidation session, and infrastructure support. In addition, a sustainability plan was implemented. Consistent with CO-OP principles, teams were given control over specific implementation goals and strategies. Multiple choice questions (MCQ) were used to assess knowledge. A self-efficacy questionnaire with 3 subscales (Promoting Cognitive Strategy Use, PCSU; Client-Focused Therapy, CFT; Top-Down Assessment and Treatment, TDAT) was developed for the study. Medical record audits were used to investigate practice change. Data analysis for knowledge and self-efficacy utilized mixed effects models. Medical record audits were analyzed with frequency counts and chi-squares. Sixty-five health care providers consisting mainly of occupational and physical therapists entered the study. Mixed effects models revealed intervention effects for MCQs, CFT, and PCSU at post intervention and follow-up, but no effect on TDAT. No charts showed any evidence of CO-OP use at baseline, compared to 8/40 (20%) post intervention. Post intervention there was a trend towards reduction in impairment goals and significantly more component goals were set (z = 2.7, p = .007).

Background and Purpose: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an effective therapeutic method for improving upper limb motor function after stroke, yet its usage among occupational and physical therapists in Germany remains uncertain. The aim of the study is to investigate the knowledge of, frequency of use, and barriers to electrical stimulation use in stroke rehabilitation. Methods: An online survey was conducted among German occupational and physical therapists working with stroke patients. Data were analyzed for frequency distributions, and associations between electrical stimulation usage and individual/organizational factors were assessed using Chi‐Square or Fisher’s exact tests. Results: A total of n = 111 participants completed the survey (57 occupational and 54 physical therapists). Almost half (45%) reported regular electrical stimulation use, with 57% wanting to increase it. Use was higher among therapists with additional training (85% vs. 44%, p = 0.041), belief in electrical stimulation effectiveness during acute (87% vs. 59%, p = 0.041) and early subacute stages (81% vs. 47%, p = 0.027), sufficient time (78% vs. 60%, p < 0.001), and device access (80% vs. 44%, p = 0.006). Therapists with over 10 years of experience used electrical stimulation less frequently ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: Although electrical stimulation shows promise in rehabilitation, further research is needed to assess the resources—such as time, equipment, and therapist training—required for its effective integration.