Stroke rehab is an area where we have some of the most abundant research to draw on as occupational therapists. 

But, this can also make it feel difficult to synthesize it all into the right actions steps for your clients. 

In this Ask Me Anything style episode, we will be answering your questions on chronic stroke assessment, goal-setting and treatment. We’ll have a full clinical decision support for you reference during the episode, and then plan to keep it up to date. 

Our guest Christopher Gaskins, PhD, OTR/L, CSRS is uniquely poised to tackle this topic. Not only has he worked at Walter Reed as a neuro OT, run his one neuro private practice, and consulted with US military as a health consultant. He has also has a particular interest in mental workload…both in understanding what our patients can take on…but also how to ease your mental workload as a therapist as you tackle this complex topic. 

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/pediatric-sleep-and-ot

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Between 20-30% of typically developing children experience sleep difficulty in childhood. The percentage of neurodiverse children  with considerable sleep problems is even more staggering at 40-80%.  

On one hand, it is sobering to consider the impacts of sleep difficulties on children and adolescents. As you’ll hear in this week's article review: 

Sleep difficulties are linked with everything from poorer health, education outcomes and social outcomes. They can also exacerbate common conditions like ADHD.

But on the other hand, this means that improving sleep is one of the most powerful levers that occupational therapy professionals can address with our clients. 

I know many of you are already at least touching on this foundational ADL with your clients—but I’m hoping today we will upskill you even further, through my conversation with Dr. Amy Gore Hartman. Amy is an occupational therapist and sleep scientist specializing in supporting families with sleep and emotion regulation.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/pediatric-sleep-and-ot

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While many OTs work in a fee for service model, the reality is that we are undergoing a seismic shift towards value based care. 

In fact it's estimated that 238.8 million Americans receive healthcare in a value-based care model. These already large numbers are expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

OTs has tremendous potential in value-based care models. 

But, the reality is we are missing the boat.  

That’s because becoming involved in a value based care model involves a contracting process that can feel complicated. There has been MUCH written to support doctors and other medical providers in the value-based care process, and they are outpacing us.  

But, in today’s episode we break this information down for OTs. Our favorite value-base care expert, Dana Stauss, PT, DPT  is going to walk private practice owner Carlin Reaume through: identify value-based care opportunities locally, crafting a proposal, and ultimately drafting a contract. 

Let’s be honest. This feels dense. But, this is exactly what we need to be learning, and we are here to set you up for success!

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/value-based-care-contracts 

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Nearly one third of people experience sleep disturbances. 

And, about 23% of adults experience mental health illness. 

These high percentages mean that both sleep and mental health are global, public health challenges in their own right. 

However, emerging research suggests we should not think of these challenges separately. They are more intertwined than we realize. Sleep difficulties aren’t just a sign of mental health challenges, sleep problems can contribute to mental health problems. But, then the inverse is also true: when we improve a person's sleep, we can improve their mental health.  

What this means for OT is profound:

This means sleep interventions are one of the most powerful tools we have to impact mental health. 

Today, we will zoom in on one diagnosis: anxiety. 

We’ll get deep into the biology of how sleep and anxiety are intertwined. And, the interventions (that are in your OT-wheel house) to improve both. 

To help us make sense of how profound the impact of sleep is on health—and, how potentially profound it would be for OT to tackle this essential ADL— we will welcome to the podcast, Dr. Amanda Carroll, an OT sleep researcher, who also runs a sleep private practice in Montana. 

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/sleep-mental-health-and-ot

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Starting a side hustle private practice is one of the best ways to safeguard your career, pursue a niche interest, and meet some of the many unmet needs in your community. 

But, let’s be honest: the process of getting going can be daunting. 

In this Ask Me Anything (AMA), we are welcoming Carline Reaume, OTD, OTR/L, DipACLM, PMH-C, PCES back to the podcast. Carlin has steadily grown her private practice over the course of several years, and has experienced the ups and downs of private practice management. Also on our panel is Sarah Lyon, a business owner in her own right, Sarah has carefully watched the trends in private private practice for almost a decade now. And, is author of the ever-popular post “Start and Grow Your Therapy Practice.” 

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/starting-an-ot-private-practice

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome affects quality of life in 1-5% of people. 

The first step in treatment of carpal tunnel should be non-surgical treatment, which includes education, often a steroid injection, and therapy. 

But what should that therapy look like? 

In this live webinar, we will discuss carpal tunnel education, assessment and treatment with Rachel Egan, OTR/L, MS, CHT, COMT-UE.  Rachel is a Certified Hand Therapist, a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist, and currently manages operations for 13 NovaCare clinics across Minnesota.

Participants in this course will have access to our full clinical decision support page for carpal tunnel treatment that will be updated on an ongoing basis. 

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/carpal-tunnel-and-ot 

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Childhood feeding problems are one of the most common complaints raised during primary care visits.

Which is not surprising, given that the prevalence of pediatric feeding disorder is around 1 in 37 children under age 5. Feeding disorders overall  are common in the pediatric population, with a prevalence of 25% of children in the general population and of up to 80% of children with developmental disabilities. 

Unfortunately, many feeding problems are too often normalized, and parents are told to “wait and see” when in reality, feeding problems may be associated with poor sleep quality, toileting problems, increased likelihood of medical conditions or illness—ultimately leading to greater levels of caregiver stress and healthcare costs. 

The article we are looking at today is a broad scoping review of research on pediatric feeding disorder, which really highlights the broad multidisciplinary interest in this disorder. After we review the article, we will welcome to the podcast Suzie Driscoll, MOT, OTR/L, an occupational therapist who started her own pediatric feeding therapy business, Tiny and Mighty. Suzie and I will discuss this research and its implications of OT professionals.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/pediatric-feeding-therapy

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Mapping the gaps: A scoping review of research on pediatric feeding disorder.

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However you think about group strength it probably is not broadly enough. 

Grip strength is NOT just about hand strength. 

It is NOT just an indicator of upper body strength. 

It is NOT just about overall strength. 

Grip strength is associated with: 

• mortality
• psychological health
• functional disabilities
• hospitalization
• morbidity

The article we are reviewing today, is seeking to convince you that grip strength should be considered as a vital sign, as it is an overall indicator of well-being. And, I believe it is a metric that each therapist should be paying attention to basically with every patient. 

After we review this article, we will welcome to the podcast, Gabriella Francis OTR/L, ATC, CEO. Gabby is the CEO at Squegg, a grip strength pet health tech company. Through this role she has been immersed in the science of grip strength and today we are excited to discuss the practical implications of this new science for occupational therapy professionals and for our healthcare system.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/grip-strength-as-a-vital-sign

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: A narrative review of evidences

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We’ve all known for a while that the current fee-for-service models that most occupational therapists operate under are bad for patients and bad for healthcare. 

Why? 

Because it incentives volume of services over quality of services. 

If you’re like me, you may feel like you’ve been waiting for years for value based care to really take hold in the United States. But, this new future has felt like a distant reality. 

Our guest today, Dana Strauss, PT, DPT, sees things from a different vantage point. As she’ll share in this episode, the future is actually here, it is just not evenly distributed. 

Value-based programs have been piloted and they are on the cusp of rapid expansion in the United States. In our episode today, Dana will walk us through the value-based models that are currently out there, what ones are coming, and what you as an OT professional can do to prepare for this much-needed new reality.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/ot-and-value-based-care

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Value-based outcome evaluation methods used by occupational therapists in primary care: A scoping review

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Through OT Potential, we’ve released over 94 episodes all exploring new influential OT research. As we enter 2025, it’s time to reflect on the research and ask: 

What trends are we seeing in OT? How is new research enriching how we think about our practice? 

In this 1 hour-episode, we’ll talk about new trends, with a particular focus on what commonalities we see leaders in our field doing in their occupational therapy process. We’ll culminate our discussion by exploring how people describe OT. This will be informed by our OT practice framework, but with a special focus on how we communicate about OT to the public. 

For this exploration, we’ll welcome back to the podcast a past guest, who is now working in new frontiers for OT: Sarah Brzeszkiewicz, OTR/L. Together we’ll unpack what all of these trends mean for your OT practice.

You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/what-is-ot-in-2025

Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process—Fourth edition

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