Gross and Applied Anatomy Pedagogical Approaches in Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review.

Introduction. With technological advancements, anatomy teaching approaches in occupational therapy education have expanded. However, uncertainty remains regarding the approaches that best optimize academic and practice outcomes in student occupational therapists (OTs). Purpose. This scoping review mapped the pedagogical approaches used to teach musculoskeletal anatomy to student OTs. Methods. A scoping review was conducted, with a consultation exercise involving Canadian occupational therapy educators. Six databases were searched, with terms related to student OTs, anatomy, and education. Included articles were available in English, full text; featured empirical research of any study design and/or gray literature; featured a pedagogical approach used to teach anatomy; and targeted student OTs with the pedagogies. Results. Twenty-eight reports between 1978 and 2021 were included. Although technology-based pedagogies became more common with time, historically used pedagogies (e.g., lectures and labs) remained prominent and most common. Narrative synthesis regarding the effectiveness of anatomy pedagogical approaches identified five main factors: (a) anatomy competency; (b) teaching method diversity; (c) learner psychological considerations; (d) interprofessional education; and (e) optimal academic outcomes. Implications. This review demonstrates the importance of anatomy knowledge to occupational therapy education and practice. A diversity of pedagogical approaches, with and without technology, may foster better outcomes by addressing diverse learning needs.

Gross and applied anatomy pedagogical approaches in occupational therapy education: protocol for a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Historically, dissection is considered the 'gold standard' for teaching foundational anatomy to student occupational therapists. However, many programmes no longer have access to gross anatomy laboratory resources, as it is considered too costly. To address this limitation, applied anatomy instructors have developed innovative novel approaches to teach gross and applied anatomy to student occupational therapists, including live/surface anatomy, medical imaging, and more recently, computer-aided instruction. The types of different anatomy pedagogical approaches used and their impact on learning outcomes in occupational therapy education are unclear. The purpose of this scoping review is to map the types of musculoskeletal gross and applied anatomy pedagogical approaches used in occupational therapy curricula. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Using Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) six-stage scoping review framework, approximately 304 different search combinations will be searched across five electronic library databases (ie, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED and ERIC) from their inception to December 2021, in addition to conducting consultation exercises with relevant stakeholders. After title/abstract and full-text screening, included articles will be charted, collated and summarised. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will not involve human or animal subjects. Therefore, research ethics approval is not required. The proposed scoping review will help the research, institutional and clinical rehabilitation communities to better understand the types of musculoskeletal gross and applied anatomy pedagogical approaches used to foster, build and promote musculoskeletal foundational knowledge in occupational therapy education. This could potentially inform the future physical medicine course curricula in occupational therapy programmes. The findings of this review will be disseminated to occupational therapy instructors, occupational therapists, researchers and organisations offering occupational therapy programmes (eg, Universities).

Working towards inclusion: Creating technology for and with people living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia who are employed.

Earlier diagnosis and longer working careers is resulting in more individuals being identified as having Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Onset Dementia (MCI/EOD) when they are still in the workforce. While there is growing interest in the dementia research community and beyond to develop technologies to support people with dementia, the use of technology for and by people with MCI/EOD in the workplace has had very little attention. This paper presents a two-part study involving interviews and participatory sessions to begin to understand the workplace experiences and the role of technology among people living with MCI/EOD. We present our findings from working with seven people with MCI/EOD and two care partners to explore technology design. Our results indicate several similarities as well as a few differences between MCI/EOD and later-onset dementia with respect to challenges using technology and design considerations for supporting engagement and use of technology. Lessons learned through the process of working with people with MCI/EOD through participatory methods is presented along with recommendations to foster an inclusive, respectful, and empowering experience for participants with MCI/EOD.

Can Automated Vehicles Be Useful to Persons Living With Dementia? The Perspectives of Care Partners of People Living With Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Driving cessation is a complex challenge with significant emotional and health implications for people with dementia, which also affects their family care partners. Automated vehicles (AVs) could potentially be used to delay driving cessation and its adverse consequences for people with dementia and their care partners. Yet, no study to date has investigated whether care partners consider AVs to be potentially useful for people with dementia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This mixed-methods study assessed the views of 20 former or current family care partners of people with dementia on AV use by people with dementia. Specifically, questionnaires and semistructured interviews were used to examine care partners' acceptance of AV use by people with dementia and their views about the potential usefulness of AVs for people with dementia. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that care partners identified possible benefits of AV use by people with dementia such as their anticipated higher social participation. However, care partners also voiced major concerns around AV use by people with dementia and reported significantly lower levels of trust in and perceived safety of AVs if used by the person with dementia in their care compared to themselves. Care partners' concerns about AV use by people with dementia included concerns around the driving of people with dementia that AVs are not designed to address; concerns that are specific to AVs but are not relevant to the nonautomated driving of people with dementia; and concerns that arise from existing challenges around the nonautomated driving of people with dementia but may be exacerbated by AV use. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings from this study can inform future designs of AVs that are more accessible and useful for people with dementia.

Impacts of Motion-Based Technology on Balance, Movement Confidence, and Cognitive Function Among People With Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Pre- and Posttest Study.

BACKGROUND: While exercise can benefit the health and well-being of people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, many exercise programs offered to this population are passive, unengaging, and inaccessible, resulting in poor adherence. Motion-based technologies are increasingly being explored to encourage exercise participation among people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. However, the impacts of using motion-based technologies with people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment on variables including balance, movement confidence, and cognitive function have yet to be determined. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of a group motion-based technology intervention on balance, movement confidence, and cognitive function among people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental pre- and posttest design, we will recruit 24 people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment from 4 adult day programs and invite them to play Xbox Kinect bowling in a group setting, twice weekly for 10 weeks. We will require participants to speak and understand English, be without visual impairment, and be able to stand and walk. At pretest, participants will complete the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). We will video record participants during weeks 1, 5, and 10 of the intervention to capture behavioral indicators of movement confidence (eg, fluency of motion) through coding. At posttest, the Mini-BESTest and MoCA will be repeated. We will analyze quantitative data collected through the Mini-BESTest and the MoCA using an intent-to-treat analysis, with study site and number of intervention sessions attended as covariates. To analyze the videos, we will extract count and percentage data from the coded recordings. RESULTS: This study will address the question of whether a group motion-based technology intervention, delivered in an adult day program context, has the potential to impact balance, movement confidence, and cognitive function among people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The project was funded in 2019 and enrollment was completed on February 28, 2020. Data analysis is underway and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2021. CONCLUSIONS: This study will assess the feasibility and potential benefits of using motion-based technology to deliver exercise interventions to people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. This work can also be used as the basis for developing specific software and future exercise programs using motion-based technology for people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, as well as understanding some of the conditions in which these programs can be delivered. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/18209.

Kinect Project: People with dementia or mild cognitive impairment learning to play group motion-based games.

INTRODUCTION: Motion-based technologies (MBTs) could provide nonpharmacologic interventions for people with cognitive impairment (PCI; e.g., dementia or mild cognitive impairment). This study examined the use of errorless learning techniques to empower PCI to use MBT. METHODS: Thirty-eight PCI were recruited to a 10-week (20 × 1-hour sessions) Xbox Kinect bowling group. Video recorded data from first, middle, and final sessions were coded to track (1) number of prompts per turn, (2) independent turn completion, and (3) duration of turns. These values were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Learning and improvement over time was demonstrated in 23 participants who were available for final analysis by significant decreases in number of prompts per turn and turn duration and significant increases in turns completed independently. DISCUSSION: Errorless learning supported PCI to learn MBT and improve over time as evidenced by their need for fewer prompts, shorter turns, and more turns completed independently, confirming the potential of MBT to provide leisure activities for PCI.

System Development Guidelines From a Review of Motion-Based Technology for People With Dementia or MCI.

As the population ages and the number of people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) continues to increase, it is critical to identify creative and innovative ways to support and improve their quality of life. Motion-based technology has shown significant potential for people living with dementia or MCI by providing opportunities for cognitive stimulation, physical activity and participation in meaningful leisure activities, while simultaneously functioning as a useful tool for research and development of interventions. However, many of the current systems created using motion-based technology have not been designed specifically for people with dementia or MCI. Additionally, the usability and accessibility of these systems for these populations has not been thoroughly considered. This paper presents a set of system development guidelines derived from a review of the state of the art of motion-based technologies for people with dementia or MCI. These guidelines highlight three overarching domains of consideration for systems targeting people with dementia or MCI: (i) cognitive, (ii) physical, and (iii) social. We present the guidelines in terms of relevant design and use considerations within these domains and the emergent design themes within each domain. Our hope is that these guidelines will aid in designing motion-based software to meet the needs of people with dementia or MCI such that the potential of these technologies can be realized.

The Use of Motion-Based Technology for People Living With Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: The number of people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is increasing substantially. Although there are many research efforts directed toward the prevention and treatment of dementia and MCI, it is also important to learn more about supporting people to live well with dementia or MCI through cognitive, physical, and leisure means. While past research suggests that technology can be used to support positive aging for people with dementia or MCI, the use of motion-based technology has not been thoroughly explored with this population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify and synthesize the current literature involving the use of motion-based technology for people living with dementia or MCI by identifying themes while noting areas requiring further research. METHODS: A systematic review of studies involving the use of motion-based technology for human participants living with dementia or MCI was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 31 articles met the inclusion criteria. Five questions are addressed concerning (1) context of use; (2) population included (ie, dementia, MCI, or both); (3) hardware and software selection; (4) use of motion-based technology in a group or individual setting; and (5) details about the introduction, teaching, and support methods applied when using the motion-based technology with people living with dementia or MCI. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review confirm the potential of motion-based technology to improve the lives of people living with dementia or MCI. The use of this technology also spans across several contexts including cognitive, physical, and leisure; all of which support multidimensional well-being. The literature provides evidence that people living with dementia or MCI can learn how to use this technology and that they enjoy doing so. However, there is a lack of information provided in the literature regarding the introduction, training, and support methods applied when using this form of technology with this population. Future research should address the appropriate introduction, teaching, and support required for people living with dementia or MCI to use the motion-based technology. In addition, it is recommended that the diverse needs of these specific end-users be considered in the design and development of this technology.