Occupation

Abstracts Wednesday 29 June 2016
Contact E-mail Addresses
jane.smith@swlstg-tr.nhs.uk
Author Biographies
Mary Morley is Director of Therapies at South West London & St
George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.
Jane Smith is the Occupational Therapy training co-ordinator at
South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust
Session 34
Motor neurone disease – resources to support
occupational therapy practice.
Orman K 2 , Bedford J 1 , College of Occupational Therapists 1 ,
MND Association 2
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive
neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower
neurones. With approximately 5,000 people in the UK living
with the condition at any one time, occupational therapists
may only work with a handful of people with MND during
their career. The primary role of the occupational therapist is to
enable occupation by activity modification, assistive equipment
and adapting the environment (Arbesman and Sheard, 2014).
Occupational therapy can be key to enabling a person with MND
to maintain their quality of life whilst living with progressive
symptoms and deteriorating abilities but services face the
challenge of responding to rapidly changing needs in a timely
manner (Rolfe, 2012).
To this end the MND Association and the College of
Occupational Therapists have been working together to produce
a series of resources for occupational therapists to summarise
the evidence for best practice and signpost further resources and
research. The practice briefings cover the role of occupational
therapy, assessment and outcome measures and major
adaptations. They highlight the importance of:
• Proactively anticipating what equipment and environmental
adaptations may be required to enable the person with MND
to continue with valued occupations.
• Supporting choice and control through continued engagement
in valued occupations.
• Assessing for changes in cognitive ability and advising on
strategies and techniques to adapt to any change.
• Providing meaningful outcome measurements against a
background of deteriorating health through, often rapid,
disease progression.
The initial presentation will focus on recommendations for
occupational therapy practice and the supporting evidence.
Delegates will then be guided through the eLearning resource.
By the close of the workshop delegates will have reflected on
their existing knowledge and practice and considered how to
respond more effectively to the needs of people with MND and
their families.
References
Arbesman M, Sheard K (2014) Systematic review of the
effectiveness of occupational therapy-related interventions for
people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. American Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 68(1) 20–26.
Rolfe, J (2012) Planning wheelchair service provision in
motor neurone disease: implications for service delivery and
commissioning. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, May 75
(5) 217–22.
Keywords
Long term conditions, Practice development, Education and
learning, Voluntary/third sector services
Contact E-mail Addresses
karin.orman@cot.co.uk
Author Biographies
Karin Orman is the Professional Practice Manager at the College
of Occupational Therapists. She is responsible for promoting
the profession with key stakeholders and decision-makers and
providing advice and information to occupational therapists to
support best practice and service innovation.
Jennifer Bedford is the Partnership Development Manager at the
MND Association. She builds connections with organisations,
bringing the right people together to identify common aims and
establish effective projects and initiatives to meet mutual goals.
Session 35.1
Selecting successful students: predicting the
outcome of a student’s first year of studies
Hay C, Coventry University
Pre-registration healthcare courses face the same task: to recruit
high calibre applicants who demonstrate the potential to be fit
for purpose, practice and professional award. This multifaceted
challenge should not be under-estimated (Callwood, Allan &
Courtney 2012) and has been the driver for much research.
However there is no consensus as to which factors assessed
through the selection process provide predictive value to the
academic outcome of the student (Bradley 2013).
Demand for UK Occupational Therapy university places is high
(COT 2014). There is a drive for an evidence-based admissions
process that utilises reliable and valid tests, is accessible to
its candidates and identifies their potential to succeed. These
factors led to the development of this study which was
completed as part of a Masters by Research programme.
Appropriate ethical approval was obtained to explore the
research question: ‘What are the assessed factors within the
admissions process for a BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
pre-registration course, which predict the outcome of a
student’s first year of studies?’ A unique exploration through
the consideration of the UCAS application routes, in addition
to exploration of the data collected through each interview
component and students’ academic grades on completion of the
first year of studies was undertaken through a survey approach.
There were four key findings: 1) A difference in the academic
performance of students dependent on their UCAS route of
application 2) A difference in the age range of candidates
dependent on their UCAS route of application 3) A difference in
the academic performance of students dependant on whether
they fully met the academic entry requirements or not and 4) A
link between the grading of three components of the interview,
discussion of media clip and writing style, and academic
performance.
The paper presentation focuses primarily on the findings and
recommendations following completion of this research study.
References
Bradley G (2013) Professional suitability of students at the point
of selection: what is it realistic to assess? British Journal of
Occupational Therapy,76(4), 200–202.
Callwood A, Allan H, Courtenay M (2012) Are current strategies
for pre-registration student nurse and midwife selection ‘fit for
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