UNASSIGNED: Pedagogically sound curricula are needed for occupational therapy (OT) students to adopt evidence-based practice (EBP) principles and internalise EBP within their professional identities. Exploring students\' perceptions of this knowledge area can contribute to effective curriculum design.
UNASSIGNED: To explore the evolution of pre-registration OT student perceptions of research and EBP over the course of their engagement with undergraduate teaching and learning.
UNASSIGNED: The Q-sort approach synthesises different viewpoints regarding a sample of statements, using by-person factor analysis (respondents = variables; statements = sample). Final year pre-registration OT students completed the same Q-sort at three timepoints (pre-dissertation [n = 18]; post-dissertation submission [n = 12]; post-student research conference [n = 6]). Q-sort responses were intercorrelated and factor-analysed; extraction of factors with an eigenvalue of ¬>0.9 and varimax rotation identified majority viewpoints.
UNASSIGNED: Significant factors were revealed at each timepoint: 1a: \'Evidence-inseparable from OT practice\', 1b: \'Research for research\'s sake-inseparable from the occupational therapy identity\', 2: \'Who am I to question the gurus?\', 3: \'I can do it with confidence…but so what?\'
UNASSIGNED: Opportunities for completing \'authentic\' student research projects, with \'ownership\' of results, may enhance research and EBP confidence and professional identity.
UNASSIGNED: Findings expand current knowledge regarding effective use of pre-registration educational opportunities to support future research and EBP.

Home care rehabilitation professionals (hcRPs) provide health services for clients with a broad range of medical conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, home care rehabilitation professionals experienced exacerbations of pre-existing work-related stressors, increased risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus, reduced resource availability, greater workloads, and staffing shortages. The primary aim of this study was to examine the experience and impact of occupational and mental stress on hcRPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 hcRPs working in Ontario, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inductive thematic analysis was used to interpret and organize the data into conceptualized themes. Interview data was organized into three themes: (a) unique challenges of a home care rehabilitation professional, (b) COVID-19 exacerbations of home care occupational and mental stress, and (c) personal and workplace coping strategies. Many participants reported reducing their hours or taking on adjunctive roles in different clinical settings outside of home care due to work-related stress exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on the effects of COVID-19 on the practice of home care, this study provides a unique perspective on the challenges experienced by hcRPs during an emergent and evolving global public health concern. The exploratory nature of this research works towards providing a framework of factors to be addressed when creating sustainable healthcare interventions, as well as recommendations to support hcRPs to benefit both the community and health-care providers.

Introduction: The article reports the healing elements of an eclectic life skills programme (ELSP) from the perspective of group members. An ELSP utilising open groups was developed to manage clients with mixed diagnostic profiles and different stages of recovery simultaneously. The aim was to explore the healing elements of an ELSP. Methods: Maximum variation purposive sampling was used to select six participants for the phenomenological inquiry. Data collection is comprised of observations, semistructured interviews, and reflective journals. Data analysis comprised an inductive thematic analysis. Consumer Involvement: Participants all attended groups offered within the ELSP. They participated in two semistructured interviews: the first interview in the week following admission and the second just before discharge. In addition, they documented their experiences in reflective journals for the duration of their participation. Findings: The analogy of a kaleidoscope portrayed the four themes; three pertained to structural dynamics, namely, programme mirror, facilitator mirror, and mirror of other group members. The fourth theme, namely, the magical pattern, pertained to personal sense-making by individual group members. Conclusions: The dynamic interplay of healing factors, captured in the themes, facilitated healing. Self-reflection was integral to the creation of a bespoke, facilitated self-learning process with direct application in group members\' own lives.

OBJECTIVE: As identified in the American Occupational Therapy Association\'s (AOTA\'s; 2023) statement about the purpose and value of the occupational therapy doctoral capstone, there is a lack of evidence about the purpose and value of the doctoral capstone. As an essential element of occupational therapy doctoral degree curricula, the capstone is unique to each program, supports the program\'s scholarship agenda, and serves the needs of students and the communities served by the profession.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a doctoral capstone research agenda in an attempt to prioritize and guide research that can supplement the current paucity of evidence related to capstone efficacy or effectiveness.
METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines were used to conduct a scoping review. Peer-reviewed articles published between 1999 and June 2023 were searched using the CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Embase databases.
RESULTS: The doctoral capstone research agenda was developed and organized into five categories to drive research activities inclusive of the didactic and experiential learning associated with the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the capstone process: (1) teaching and learning; (2) learner characteristics and competencies; (3) shaping professional identity; (4) faculty/mentor development and resources; and (5) promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
CONCLUSIONS: A doctoral capstone research agenda was developed in accordance with AOTA\'s (2018) Occupational Therapy Education Research Agenda. It identifies an array of areas in which research is needed to inform the distinct value and purpose of the doctoral capstone to students, sites, programs, and the profession. Plain-Language Summary: The occupational therapy doctoral capstone is unique to each program, supports the program\'s scholarship agenda, and supports the needs of students and the communities served by the profession. The American Occupational Therapy Association\'s official document on the \"Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone: Purpose and Value\" states that there is a lack of evidence about how to identify the distinct purpose and value of the doctoral capstone. This scoping review explored the development of a doctoral capstone research agenda. A research agenda is provided to guide and prioritize research to articulate best practices and the distinct purpose and value of the doctoral capstone in occupational therapy education and for the profession.

BACKGROUND: Student-led clinics can provide low-cost speciality care and practical interprofessional education (IPE) opportunities. In Australia, there are currently limited speciality services available that provide neurodevelopmental assessments that consider fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) as one possible outcome. The aim of the current study was to understand student experiences in a novel interprofessional student-led clinic for children and adolescents with suspected or confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure.
METHODS: Seventeen allied health university students (11 occupational therapy; 6 psychology) participated in individual semi-structured interviews following completion of a 10-week clinic placement. Reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo12.
RESULTS: Four main themes were generated: (1) Interprofessional practice a key for students\' development as future healthcare professionals; (2) Meaningful relationships and students\' belief they made a difference; (3) Novel challenges tested students\' capabilities on placement; and (4) Supervisor attitude and approach to learning supported student development.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that the interprofessional student-led neurodevelopmental clinic provided a valuable IPE opportunity for students.

OBJECTIVE: Occupational therapists have the proven capacity to improve outcomes for young adults who are self-managing Type 1 diabetes (T1D). There is insufficient understanding of adolescents\' experiences of developing responsibility for diabetes self-management (DSM).
OBJECTIVE: To investigate adolescents\' perceptions of sharing responsibility for T1D management at school.
METHODS: This study had a descriptive qualitative design and used semistructured interviews and thematic analysis. It is the second phase of a mixed-methods study with a sequential explanatory design that investigated mechanisms of responsibility-sharing at school.
METHODS: Secondary school in Australia.
METHODS: Purposive sample of adolescents (age 15-16 yr) with T1D (N = 11).
RESULTS: Adolescents approached the complex occupation of school-based DSM primarily in partnership with their parents, with each adolescent having unique responsibilities while sharing others. Health care professionals and teachers reportedly had minimal involvement. Adolescents described owning most DSM tasks, with their perceptions of building independence limiting the sharing of this responsibility. A heightened sense of risk meant that adolescents were likely to communicate with others in cases of errant blood glucose readings. Current processes commonly resulted in reduced school participation.
CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents valued working responsively and interdependently with their parents to manage T1D at school, which aligns with the occupational therapy model of co-occupation. Effective responsibility-sharing depends on clear, frequent, autonomy-supportive, team-based communications. Our results showed that patterns of communication for determining school-based DSM processes were fragmented and risk focused, with limited adolescent involvement, resulting in strategies that led to students at times being excluded from school activities. Plain-Language Summary: This is the first study to use an occupational lens to examine the way in which adolescents share their responsibility for diabetes care at school. Diabetes self-management in secondary schools occurs more often when adolescents work interdependently with their parents to manage their diabetes. Adolescent involvement in formal school processes and a clearer allocation of team roles and responsibilities would better support health-promoting habits and school participation.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence for occupational therapy interventions should be grounded in theory to support practitioners\' role in the rehabilitation of adults with low vision.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the content of publications on interventions for adults with low vision to determine theories proposed or used to guide interventions and to categorize their level of evidence.
METHODS: CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase.
METHODS: A quantitative summative content analysis of articles published from 1984 through 2021.
RESULTS: Fourteen articles provided a theoretical rationale for occupational therapy interventions for adults with low vision. Nine provided evidence for interventions supported by theory, and 3 suggested theories to support interventions. Eleven were found in peer-reviewed publications; 10 were in occupational therapy publications. Of the 14, 50% were categorized at the lowest level of evidence.
CONCLUSIONS: Few high-level studies on occupational therapy interventions for adults with low vision exist that provide a rationale for treatment based on theory. Application of theories provides clinical reasoning that distinguishes occupational therapy interventions from those of other professions serving adults with low vision. If interventions are not grounded in theory, the occupational therapy profession risks losing its distinction from other similar professions in low vision rehabilitation. Plain-Language Summary: This is the first content analysis of theories recommended and used to guide occupational therapy interventions for adults with low vision. This systematic review highlights occupational therapy\'s distinct value over other professions but also points to a dangerous gap in the literature that threatens practitioners\' role in the rehabilitation of adults with low vision.

OBJECTIVE: Care partners\' involvement is a key feature of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach that can enhance rehabilitation outcomes and promote the generalization and transfer of strategies and skills to everyday life. Gaining insight into care partners\' experience with their child\'s CO-OP intervention is critical to understanding how to enhance care partners\' involvement.
OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into the experience of care partners whose child with acquired brain injury (ABI) participated in CO-OP intervention.
METHODS: A qualitative descriptive research design was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted at three time points (immediate postintervention and at 2 and 6 mo postintervention).
METHODS: Two rehabilitation centers.
METHODS: Thirteen care partners of 12 children or youth with severe ABI.
RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the analysis of 33 interviews: (1) The child is an active agent in their therapy, (2) the care partner is the keystone who helps solidify the elements of CO-OP, and (3) CO-OP mastery requires time and practice, and its use evolves over time.
CONCLUSIONS: These themes highlight the progressive nature of proficiency in CO-OP for both care partners and children. This was evident not only in the children\'s improvement in task performance, but also in their ability to problem solve. Care partners\' role in supporting the CO-OP approach also unfolds over time as their confidence in their child\'s problem-solving abilities, and in their own ability to adequately provide guidance, increases. Engagement seems to be central in facilitating this progression for both children and their care partners. Plain-Language Summary: This is the first study to provide insights into the involvement of care partners in the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach for children and youth with executive function deficits after acquired brain injury. This is also the first study to explore the evolution of care partners\' experiences over time. Involving care partners is a key feature of the CO-OP. Understanding care partners\' experiences with their child\'s CO-OP intervention can improve a child\'s rehabilitation outcomes. The study found that care partners\' role in supporting their child\'s CO-OP approach improved over time as their confidence in their child\'s problem-solving abilities increased. The care partners\' own ability to adequately provide guidance to their child also increased over time. Engagement seems to be central in facilitating this progression for both children and their care partners. It is hoped that occupational therapists will consider the findings of this study to better support care partners in implementing the CO-OP approach with their child in their real-life context.

BACKGROUND: Mental health personal safety tools aim to promote a recovery focus and empower an individualised approach to consumer care. These clinical tools are predominantly utilised in acute mental health settings with a person during or straight after a crisis. There is currently a gap in the literature regarding the preparation of personal safety tools in non-acute mental health settings. This descriptive article discusses the learnings and outcomes from a co-designed project that aimed to develop a personal safety tool suitable for a community mental health rehabilitation setting.
METHODS: Seven people with lived experience engaging within a mental health community-based rehabilitation service were recruited through convenience sampling to participate in the co-design project. A focus group approach was utilised during four group meetings to develop a personal safety tool template. Experiences and ideas about safety planning were transcribed during meetings and thematic analysis extracted key themes. Five steps underpinned the co-design process that included identifying the need, establishing the co-design group, planning, design and development, and review and closure.
UNASSIGNED: Consumer involvement commenced at step two of the co-design process. The completed personal safety tool was designed with consumer input and review.
RESULTS: The personal safety tool consisted of nine intervention components. Four key themes emerged from focus group meetings that informed the content of the tool: (i) ensuring the personal safety tool is individualised and meaningful, (ii) promoting exploration of personal strengths and interests, (iii) enabling opportunities to learn self-management skills, and (iv) treating the personal safety tool as a dynamic and adaptable tool.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that a personal safety tool targeted to a mental health community-based rehabilitation setting should have an individualised and preventative focus to mental health care. Embedding co-design principles can support opportunities for meaningful consumer engagement and establishing consumer and clinician partnerships.

OBJECTIVE: Middle-aged women (i.e., aged 40-65 years) who live with, through and beyond breast cancer (survivors) are an under-researched population, particularly within an Australian context. The unmet needs reported within this population include fatigue, psychological distress, body image concerns, early-onset menopause, and a lack of information on these issues. This study explores how the experiences of breast cancer survivorship impact the lives of Australian middle-aged women.
METHODS: Qualitative analysis of written comments in an open text field of a survey completed by 644 women reporting breast cancer in the middle-aged cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women\'s Health gathered between 1996 and 2013. Data was collected from any participants who reported breast cancer in any survey. Researchers conducted a thematic analysis using consensus coding on data and identified key themes.
METHODS: Any data where participants described their experiences of breast cancer survivorship.
RESULTS: This cohort reported a unique experience of breast cancer survivorship due to their age group. Analysis developed the following themes: the middle-aged context of breast cancer; care and support, body changes, overcoming fears and maintaining balance; and finding a \'new normal\'.
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer survivorship is a diverse experience. For many it involves chronic limitations and challenges. Investigation and application of survivorship care plans in Australia could benefit breast cancer survivors by including multidisciplinary health professionals in their care. Unmet needs and psychological distress were described by participants rather than biomedical concerns. Further recommendations include development of online support groups providing access to rehabilitation professionals, especially for otherwise isolated rural women.