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 this article please join us at the OT Potential Club.

You can read the article here: The prevalence of potentially modifiable functional deficits and the subsequent use of occupational and physical therapy by older adults with cancer.

Pergolotti, M., Deal, A. M., Lavery, J., Reeve, B. B., & Muss, H. B. (2015). The prevalence of potentially modifiable functional deficits and the subsequent use of occupational and physical therapy by older adults with cancer. Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 6(3), 194–201. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2015.01.004

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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.

Pena, J., Ibarretxe-Bilbao, N., Garcia-Gorostiaga, I., Gomez-Beldarrain, M. A., Diez-Cirarda, M., & Ojeda, N. (2014). Improving functional disability and cognition in Parkinson disease: Randomized controlled trial. Neurology, 83(23), 2167–2174. doi: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000001043

Also, Happy World OT Day to my fellow occupational therapy practitioners. On the blog this week, we updated our Guide to Occupational Therapy for you to share with your communities.

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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 during intensive care unit stay on functional status: Systematic review and meta-analysis 

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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 online OT journal club.

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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.

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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.

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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-potential-club

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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

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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.com.

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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 Potential Club.

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