Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
BIOL121 Human Biological Science 1 AND OTHY100 Foundations of Occupational Therapy
Unit rationale, description and aim
Occupational therapists use evidence-based practice principles when working with individuals with a variety of health conditions. Occupational therapy is informed by a sound understanding of a person’s health condition, and follows a process that includes goal setting, assessment, intervention and evaluation. This requires the ability to ask, acquire and apply knowledge about health conditions and the occupational therapy process.
This unit builds on students’ knowledge of anatomy, physiology and occupational therapy process frameworks. It introduces students to the evidence-based practice principles to explore the aetiology, incidence, prevalence and effects of health conditions as well as the concepts of assessment and intervention in occupational therapy.
A professional practice placement provides students with opportunities to observe and experience occupational therapy approaches with people with a variety of health conditions in practice while developing professional behaviour and communication skills.
This unit contains a learning outcome from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF, 2014) specifically addressing the HCF cultural capability - Safety and Quality. This includes consideration of common health conditions among First Peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
The overall aim of this unit is to use evidence-based practice principles to acquire knowledge about the aetiology, signs, symptoms, progression, assessment and interventions related to health conditions and to observe occupational therapy approaches with clients in practice.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Explain the relevance of evidence-based practice to occupational therapy practice | GC2, GC7 |
| LO2 | Apply evidence-based practice principles (ask, acquire, appraise, apply and assess) to health conditions, including current assessment and intervention approaches | GC2, GC3, GC7, GC9, GC11, GC12 |
| LO3 | Describe the types, purpose, focus, psychometric properties and clinical utility of assessments applicable to occupational therapy | GC1, GC8, GC11 |
| LO4 | HCF 10.1 Identify current demographic, health indicators and statistical trends for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and compare these with trends for non-Indigenous peoples in Australia over time | GC1, GC5, GC11 |
| LO5 | Demonstrate professional behaviours, self-management and interpersonal communication skills including the ability to work autonomously and collaboratively in the occupational therapy context | GC2, GC3, GC4, GC7, GC12 |
Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards (AOTCS) 2018
Australian occupational therapy competency standards (AOTCS) 2018 developed in this unit are:
| Standard/Attributes/Criteria | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
Standard 1 - Professionalism An occupational therapist practices in an ethical, safe, lawful and accountable manner, supporting client health and wellbeing through occupation and consideration of the person and their environment An occupational therapist: 1.1 complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s standards, guidelines and Code of Conduct 1.3 maintains professional boundaries in all client and professional relationships 1.5 practices in a culturally responsive and culturally safe manner, with particular respect to culturally diverse client groups 1.6 incorporates and responds to historical, political, cultural, societal, environmental and economic factors influencing health, wellbeing and occupations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 1.7 collaborates and consults ethically and responsibly for effective client-centred and interprofessional practice 1.8 adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice 1.14 manages resources, time and workload accountably and effectively | LO4, LO5 |
Standard 2 - Knowledge and learning An occupational therapist’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in practice are informed by relevant and contemporary theory, practice knowledge and evidence, and are maintained and developed by ongoing professional development and learning. An occupational therapist: 2.1. applies current and evidence-informed knowledge of occupational therapy and other appropriate and relevant theory in practice. 2.3. identifies and applies best available evidence in professional practice and decision making | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Standard 3 - Occupational therapy process and practice An occupational therapist’s practice acknowledges the relationship between health, wellbeing and human occupation, and their practice is client-centred for individuals, groups, communities and populations. An occupational therapist: 3.2 performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client's status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals 3.11 evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice | LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Standard 4 - Communication Occupational therapists practice with open, responsive and appropriate communication to maximise the occupational performance and engagement of clients and relevant others. An occupational therapist: 4.1 communicates openly, respectfully and effectively 4.2. adapts written, verbal and non-verbal communication appropriate to the client and practice context 4.4. uses culturally responsive, safe and relevant communication tools and strategies 4.8. maintains collaborative professional relationships with clients, health professionals and relevant others 4.9. uses effective communication skills to initiate and end relationships with clients and relevant others 4.10. seeks and responds to feedback, modifying communication and/or practice accordingly. | LO5 |
Content
Topics will include:
Evidence-based practice skills
- Introduction to evidence-based practice
- Relevance of evidence-based practice to occupational therapy
- 'Ask' and 'Acquire' relevant literature
- Read, appraise and interpret occupational therapy research
- Introduction to journal appraisal skills
Assessment in practice
- Definition and scope of assessment in occupational therapy, informed by evidence-based practice
- Reliability and validity of assessments
- Clinical utility of assessments in occupational therapy practice
Intervention in practice:
- Definition and scope of occupational therapy interventions as informed by evidence-based practice
- Introduction to retrieving information about common health conditions
Definition of conditions:
- Primary body/organ system/s involved
- Incidence/Prevalence
- Presentation
- Causes, aetiology and risk factors
- Progression and prognosis
- Current management
- Evidence-informed, occupation-centred, goal-directed measurements and interventions
Incidence and prevalence of common health conditions in non-Indigenous and in First Peoples of Australia
Preparation for professional practice placement
- Student Practice Evaluation Form - Revised (modified) V2
- Professional behaviours
- Self-management
- Co-worker communication
- Communication
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
In this unit, lectures and an online package are used to guide learning. Students will engage with and apply this content in self-directed reading, online tasks, database searching and condition profiles. Students will create weekly condition profiles based on occupational therapy referral scenarios using a template provided. Students will gain skills in asking, acquiring and synthesising information about health conditions, assessments and interventions in occupational therapy. These profiles will become an information resource for future units and can be used on professional practice placement, Tutorials will then follow with a more detailed explanation and exploration of topics to provide opportunities for clarification. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning, to participate actively within group activities and demonstrate respect for the individual as an independent learner. Learning and Teaching approaches included in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ Cultural Advisors.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment 1 is an individual assessment which provides timely feedback to students regarding their acquisition of foundational evidence-based practice skills and knowledge. The online assessment will allow students to demonstrate understanding of evidence-based practice (LO1) and skills in asking and acquiring evidence (LO2) through database searching scenarios. These skills will be applied in assessment 2 and future units in the course.
Assessment 2: Students will present an occupational therapy response to a given health condition, applied to a client scenario. Students will apply skills developed in assessment 1 to acquire and select appropriate evidence, interpret the information and then present relevant information (LO2,3).
Assessment 3: The exam will assess individual knowledge of the broad core unit concepts including evidence-based-practice and assessment principles, aetiology, signs, symptoms, prognosis/progression and interventions of common health conditions, including for First Peoples and non-Indigenous Australian peoples (LO 1, 2, 3, 4). Examination questions will assess recall and recognition of information, and assess application of knowledge.
Assessment approaches in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ Cultural Advisors. Each assessment task builds on the previous assessment.
Students will complete an online cultural awareness training module (LO4). Professional practice competencies (LO5) will be assessed using the Student Practice Evaluation Form - Revised Version 2 (Professional behaviours, Self-management, Co-worker communication, Communication domains). Students will be provided with one attempt to pass the professional practice placement.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment 1 Online individual assessment. To demonstrate the ability to ask, acquire and understand evidence when reviewing the literature. | 20% | LO1, LO2 |
Assessment 2 Assessment 2: Students present an occupational therapy response to a given health condition, applied to a case scenario. | 40% | LO2, LO3 |
Assessment 3 Written examination Students demonstrate core learning undertaken in the unit. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Hurdle 1) Completion of cultural awareness training 2) Pass grade on the Student Practice Evaluation Form - Revised (SPEF-R2) (Professional behaviours, Self-management, Co-worker communication, Communication domains). 3) Submit SPEF-R2 and Timesheet via Canvas Note: To be eligible to undertake professional practice placement, students are required to have met the relevant State and Federal legislative document requirements by census date. | Pass/fail Ungraded Hurdle | LO4, LO5 |
Representative texts and references
Atchison, B., & Dirette, D. (2022). Conditions in occupational therapy: Effect on occupational performance (6th ed.). Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). https://www.cosmin.nl/
Curtin, M., Egan, M., & Adams, J. (Eds.) (2017). Occupational therapy for people experiencing illness, injury or impairment: Promoting occupation and participation. (7th ed.). Elsevier (available as an eBook through the library website)
Laver-Fawcett, A. J., & Cox, D. L. (2021). Principles of assessment and outcome measurement for allied health professionals: Practice, research and development. John Wiley & Sons..
Hoffman, T. Bennett, S., & Del Mar, C. (2017). Evidence-based practice across the health professions. Elsevier.
Law, M., Baum, C., & Dunn, W. (2016). Measuring occupational performance (3rd ed.). Slack Inc.
Liamputtong, P. (2016). Research methods in health: Foundations for evidence-based practice. (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Portney, L.G., & Watkins, M.P. (2020). Foundations of clinical research: Applications to practice (4th ed.). Prentice Hall Health.
Taylor, M. C. (2007). Evidence-based practice for occupational therapists. (2nd ed.). Blackwell Publishing.
Terwee, C., Bot, S., de Boer, M.R., van der Windt, D., Knol, D. Dekker, J., Bouter, L & de Vet, H. (2007). Quality criteria were proposed for measurement properties of health status questionnaires. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 60, 34-42.