Occupational Therapy Services in School-Based Practice: A Pediatric Occupational Therapy Perspective from Ireland.

PURPOSE: School is a primary setting for pediatric occupational therapy practice, yet little is known about the provision of school-based occupational therapy in many countries internationally. The purpose of this study was to explore current school-based occupational therapy practice for the first time in Ireland to gain insight into current and potential service provision and to identify new directions and potential pathways for development. METHODS: This descriptive quantitative study utilized a cross-sectional online survey to gain the perspectives of the population of pediatric occupational therapists working regularly in schools across Ireland. Respondents were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Data were analysed through qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The survey elicited 35 responses, yielding a 21.2% estimated response rate. Findings demonstrated that respondents provided therapy services in schools most commonly on a weekly (28.6%) or monthly (34.3%) basis, with only 5.0% working in the same school on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The majority of respondents (54.3%) used a direct therapy approach with a child, rather than coaching or modelling, to primarily address sensory, hand function, or daily living needs. None used a whole class or whole school (universal or tiered) approach. While respondents (54.3%) generally viewed collaborative practice as a strength of school-based practice, they also identified barriers to collaboration in schools. A core barrier is related to how services are constructed across health and education, with differing philosophies of service provision. The majority of respondents (75.0%) reported that they had not received any training to deliver evidence-based practice in therapy provision specific to school-based practice. Implications for Practice. This study indicates that therapists require continual education on evidence-based school practice as it applies in an Irish context. Furthermore, clarification of school therapy roles and service delivery models are required in order to determine how they contrast with traditional clinic roles. This will enable therapists to strengthen the coordination of service delivery between health and educational services to maximize the outcomes of school-based practice.

Unintended effects of epidural analgesia during labor: a systematic review.

Epidural analgesia is used by more than half of laboring women, yet there is no consensus about what unintended effects it causes. To evaluate the state of our knowledge, we performed a systematic review of the literature examining the unintended maternal, fetal, and neonatal effects of epidural analgesia used for pain relief in labor by low-risk women. Our review included randomized and observational studies appearing in peer review journals since 1980. Much of the evidence is equivocal. Existing randomized trials are either small or do not allow clear interpretation of the data because of problems with protocol compliance. In addition, few observational studies control for the confounding factors that result because women who request epidural are different from women who do not. There is considerable variation in the association of epidural with some outcomes, particularly those that are heavily practice-based. Despite this variation, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that epidural is associated with a lower rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery, a higher rate of instrumental vaginal delivery and longer labors, particularly in nulliparous women. Women receiving epidural are also more likely to have intrapartum fever and their infants are more likely to be evaluated and treated for suspected sepsis. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether epidural does or does not tend to increase the risk of cesarean delivery or fetal malposition. Adverse effects on the fetus may occur in the subset of women who are febrile. Women should be informed of unintended effects of epidural clearly supported by the evidence, especially since epidural use is almost always an elective procedure. Further research is needed to advance our understanding of the unintended effects of epidural. Improved information would permit women to make truly informed decisions about the use of pain relief during labor.