This paper reports the findings of a recent study conducted to determine whether there is an appropriate distribution of occupational therapists in the United States. A method for an analysis of requirements for occupational therapists was developed to assess whether, given requirements indicators in each county, the current distribution is appropriate. As a final stage of the analysis, three g...

OBJECTIVE This article links two dimensions of occupational therapy within the context of professionalism: the role of caring and the implications of occupational therapy being a predominantly female profession. METHOD Seven occupational therapists representing various levels of professional experience were interviewed to determine (a) how female occupational therapists perceive caring and (b...

BACKGROUND In many countries, the need for physical therapists to use standardised measures has been recognised and is recommended in clinical practice guidelines. Research has shown a lack of clinimetric knowledge and clinical application of measurement instruments in daily practice may hamper implementation of these guidelines. OBJECTIVES The aims of our study were a) to investigate the cur...

PURPOSE Therapists use motor learning strategies (MLSs) to structure practice conditions within stroke rehabilitation. Virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation is an MLS-oriented stroke intervention, yet little support exists to assist therapists in integrating MLSs with VR system use. METHOD A pre-post design evaluated a knowledge translation (KT) intervention incorporating interactive e-le...

BACKGROUND The Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) has been widely used to describe the manual ability of children with cerebral palsy (CP); however its reliability has not been verified in Brazil. OBJECTIVE To establish the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the Portuguese-Brazil version of the MACS by comparing the classifications given by therapists and parents of children with ...

BACKGROUND Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) for the treatment of depressive disorders is innovative and promising. Various studies have demonstrated large effect sizes up to 2.27, but implementation in routine practice lags behind. Mental health therapists play a significant role in the uptake of internet-based interventions. Therefore, it is interesting to study factors that...

Introduction Massage techniques fall within the scope of many different health care providers. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and chiropractors receive insurance reimbursement for health care services, including massage. Although many patients pay out of pocket for massage services, it is unclear how the insurance company reimbursement policies factor provider qualifications into...

BACKGROUND Dental Therapists and Oral Health Therapists (Therapists) working in the New South Wales (NSW) Public Oral Health Service are charged with providing clinical dental treatment including preventive care for all children under 18 years of age. Adolescents in particular are at risk of dental caries and periodontal disease which may be controlled through health education and clinical prev...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Theoretical models of physical therapist expertise have been developed through research on physical therapists sampled solely on the basis of years of experience or reputation. Expert clinicians, selected on the basis of their patients' outcomes, have not been previously studied, nor have the patient outcomes of peer-nominated experts been analyzed. The purpose of our stu...