The use of arts and crafts in the rehabilitation of the adult burn patient.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into one small aspect of occupational therapy: the use of arts and crafts in the rehabilitation of the adult burn patient. While burn care literature is plentiful, that related specifically to occupational therapy treatment of burn patients is scarce. A survey was mailed to occupational therapists in 165 burn units across the United States. Responses to survey questions indicate that a majority of respondents (73%%) do not use arts and crafts in the rehabilitation of adult burn patients, while 26%% do use these modalities. Those respondents who do use arts and crafts stated that they use leatherwork, painting, and woodworking most frequently. Therapists who do not use arts and crafts indicated that their primary reasons for not doing so were the acutely ill status of the patients and wound drainage/sterility issues. The entire scope of occupational therapy treatment of burn patients deserves greater attention as it is a challenging and rapidly-evolving area of practice.

Adult physical dysfunction content in professional curricula.

This study examined the content of occupational therapy professional curricula as it pertains to adult physical dysfunction and the opinions and perceptions of faculty responsible for this content area. Survey results from 28 of 66 academic institutions offering professional-level education were received and analyzed. A great diversity in content and emphasis was reflected in the areas of medical conditions, general approaches to evaluation and treatment, specific evaluations, and specific treatment techniques and modalities. Most of the respondents were pleased with students' performances in physical dysfunction Level II fieldwork, believed that course work was applicable to local clinical settings, and agreed that courses were constantly changing to reflect evolving occupational therapy theory. Approximately 30% of the respondents believed that they had inadequate time to prepare students for entry-level practice, and about half agreed that their department had the necessary equipment to teach evaluation and treatment content.