This was an insightful article for documentation tips. As entry level therapists, I think it offers nice tips for what pieces of documentation are beneficial for payors and what to avoid.

This is an ADL assessment we're considering to use at my facility to help with "standardizing" our outcomes. The hospital in which we receive most of our referrals uses this assessment...the carryover would benefit to document progress throughout the therapy process. The article itself examines the accuracy of this assessment for discharge planning and concludes the accuracy is good/fair.

Inspired by the pt.'s at my facility, along with this particular article, I chose to make a handout/activity analysis for my in-service project regarding one-handed techniques. This article explores one-handed living with an OT and how she managed as well as identified with her pt.'s during her journey.

This article examines the pros and cons of "changing" the current Medicare Policies to that of 3 separate, equal caps, one for each therapy discipline, or a single combined cap encompassing all 3 disciplines. This article's discussion section makes valid points in regards to implementing each refinement as it relates to pt.'s receiving services.

This article provides useful insight regarding hand injuries and stiff hand management. The article gives an overview of various hand conditions and what protocols are typically used as a result.

This article analyzed the DASH (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) and its appropriateness for evaluating the wrist and hand injuries. The conclusion of the article finds that the DASH is appropriate for measuring wrist and hand injuries and also fits into the philosophy of the WHO/ICF guidelines.

This article examines the effect of a prefabricated soft thumb-base orthosis on pain, hand strength, and activity performance in persons with osteoarthritis of the CMC joint. At my facility, I see quite a bit of CMC arthritis and wanted to explore the use of an orthotic since most of my pt.'s say it helps with pain and protection of their thumb. Much to my surprise, this study found that the soft prefabricated orthosis seems to have an immediate pain-relieving effect during use, but no effects in terms of less hand pain, or improved strength or activity performance when not worn. There were no significant difference found between the experimental (orthosis+exercises) and control (exercises only) groups.