I am using this study as an example of clinical reasoning in the field. The systematic review of k tape effectiveness for musculoskeletal injuries found 6 studies that met inclusion, exclusion, and quality criteria. Only 3 of the 6 studies found K tape to have significant positive outcomes, 2 studies concluded that K tape had positive short-term benefits for shoulder injuries and 1 study found to have positive short-term benefits for whiplash injuries. The review concluded that there is insufficient evidence for or against K tape effectiveness on musculoskeletal injuries, however, the patient may perceive a benefit from its use. After reading this article a therapist has to use there best clinical reasoning when treating there patients with K tape . A therapist has to consider that K-taping may provide a perceived pain reduction to the patient and should be used in conjunction with other modalities and therapy approaches. However K- tape is not meant to be a stand-alone treatment. Patients experience and clinical observation by skilled therapists should be taken into account for K-tape use.

I am posting this article on the signs of elder abuse as it will be our ethical responsibility to report abuse if we see these signs in the workplace. The article is easy to read and quick to point out 5 types of abuse and what to look for in each type. The fist is physical abuse and the signs for these are bruises, broken bones, burns, abrasions, pressure marks, and odd explanations of injuries from staff or caregivers. The next type of abuse is neglect and the signs for this are dirty cloths, soiled diapers, bedsores, unusual weight loss, unusually messy home that wasn't before, and lack of DME. The next type of abuse is verbal or emotional abuse and the warning signs associated include, withdrawal, unusual behavior, nervous behavior around caregiver, strained or tense relationship with caregiver or staff, forced isolation from family or caregiver, and caregivers or staff that snap or yell. The article also describes signs of sexual abuse and signs of financial exploitation. As OTs it will be our duty and ethical responsibility to report elder abuse. Home health and SNF are probably the two most prominent areas of practice that might see this problem.

This webpage gives its reader a quick guide for professionalism in the healthcare field. The page states to be a team player, which means working with COTA, PTs, PTAs, SLP, Nurses, STNAs, Physicians, and all hospital staff to ensure the best care given to the patient. The page then mentions dressing professionally and being on time. These are staples of professionalism for any career however being on time could also mean good time management to ensure that you see your patients on schedule. I know time management is a big aspect of the job at my current clinical setting. The article mentions being honest which is extremely important in the healthcare field as dishonesty can lead to fraud, abuse, and malpractice. The article then goes on to talk about focusing on work at work and respecting others, both of which are excellent staples of professionalism in any field.

This is a good website for a quick reference for the supervision laws for occupational therapy for those interested in practicing in South Carolina. I have friends and one family member living in South Carolina therefore I chose to research there supervision laws. In the state an OT needs to provide supervision to their COTAs ever 7 visits or 30 days, whichever comes first. In South Carolina there is no limit to the number of COTAS or aids that an OTR can supervise however the burden of proof of supervision is on the OTR. The webpage also indicates that a physician referral is not needed to initiate or continue service. This is similar to Ohio's policy. However many private insurance companies may require a referral. The quick reference web page then goes on to describe CUE licensure requirements.

This is a great example of a future study that will consider the psychosocial aspect of individuals after a musculoskeletal injury and subsequent occupational therapy intervention. The study focuses on hand injuries and this type of injury is extremely relevant to my current clinical setting which is an outpatient hand clinic. The studies primary outcome measure is return to work vs no return to work. The secondary outcome measures focus on psychosocial questioners, work environment, demographics, and motor and sensory testing. This is a great idea for a study that would take into account the psychosocial aspect of the individuals with hand injuries and see if there is any correlation with returning to work.

This article is one of the articles I used in a K tape in service for this rotation. I used this article as an example of evidenced based practice for my project. This systematic review focused on the efficacy of taping for pain reduction associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy. The review found 10 articles that met inclusion, exclusion, and quality standards. The review found that k-taping significantly increased pain-free range of motion in shoulder flexion and abduction, however, there is still insufficient evidence to conclusively state that k tape alone or in conjunction with other methods is effective for pain reduction in rotator cuff tendinopathy.

This article is an example of what one would use if searching for evidenced based practice methods. My current fieldwork experience is in a skilled nursing facility and we frequently use the e-stim for strengthening and pain. Therefore for an article on evidence based practice i decided to search for an evidence based article that would prove what we are doing with the e-stim machine is beneficial. The article is a literature review and seeks to gather the evidence for e-stim and muscle strengthening. The results say that theoretically the e-stim is a complimentary tool for muscle strengthening. However, the e-stim still has little evidence for muscle strengthening and does not show that it is any better than traditional strengthening methods.

This is a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent falls in people with the psychosocial disorders of Alzheimer's and dementia. I picked this article because my fieldwork is currently in a skilled nursing facility and I read about the many falls that happen that lead to the patients coming to the facility. The article focuses on three types of interventions including exercise, nursing staff interventions, and multidisciplinary interventions. the article mentioned that although all three intervention showed some data of effectiveness the studies used had many limitations. In addition, occupational therapy was seldom mentioned in the studies, the article mentions the big opportunity there is for occupational therapist to address this issue.

This article is about an occupational therapist who has worked in many settings and discussed the importance of supervision in her career. The therapist stated that she needed supervision from more experience practitioners when she first started working. the article stated that she found an experienced practitioner and discussed her actual cases with the practitioner. the supervisor would go over psychodynamics, therapeutic use of self, and clinical reasoning. The author states that this sort of professional supervision is important to become a well rounded practitioner that the patience best interest in mind.

This article is a great article about professionalism during an interview for an occupational therapy position. Although this article is not about clinical professionalism I thought it would be great to share as it gives great advise to us students about obtaining an occupational therapist position after we graduate. The article gives tips and advise to new grads on how to present your self when applying for a position. the article also gives potential questions to ask the employers and potential questions that will be asked of you. The article mentions how you should act in the room and how you should dress to portray a professional demeanor. The article is extremely relevant to us students as we will have to go through the process of obtaining an OT position in a couple of months.

This is an AOTA website outlining the role of the AOTA ethics commission. The AOTA Ethics Commission revises and reviews the occupational therapy code of ethics, educates members and the public about the code of ethics, Establishes procedures for code non-compliance, and informs members on code of ethics interpretations. The web page also has links and resources for members if you would ever run into an ethical dilemma and need guidance.

This is a great article pertaining directly to ethics of occupational therapy practitioners in skilled nursing facilities. The article clearly defines each ethical principal outlined in the AOTA code of ethics and how they relate to practice. The article then has several case studies that give specific ethical dilemmas and solve the dilemma with evidence from the AOTA ethical principals. One specif case study explained how it was unethical to treat a family member to do potential violations of justice and fairness.

This is a great article pertaining directly to ethics of occupational therapy practitioners in skilled nursing facilities. The article clearly defines each ethical principal outlined in the AOTA code of ethics and how they relate to practice. The article then has several case studies that give specific ethical dilemmas and solve the dilemma with evidence from the AOTA ethical principals. One specif case study explained how it was unethical to treat a family member to do potential violations of justice and fairness.

This article is a qualitative study of an occupational therapist assistant's clinical reasoning. Even though the article is about an occupational assistant, it is still very relevant and relatable to an occupational therapist. I chose this article because the OTA worked in a SNF and this is currently were I am working at. The article found that the OTA used multiple forms of clinical reasoning throughout the day including, pragmatic, procedural, interactive, conditional, and narrative clinical reasoning. Occupational therapists use clinical reasoning with every patient encounter and each therapist may have different clinical reasoning.