Research Methods I: Class 1

Compare AOTA’s Centennial Vision and Vision 2025 with respect to Evidence Based Practice

Centennial Vision	Vision 2025
-powerful -widely recognized -science-driven, evidence-based -diverse -globally connected -meeting occ. needs	-health, well-being, QOL -all people, pops., communities -effective solutions -facilitate participation
directly mentions EBP	EBP not explicitly stated

Compare different levels of academic degrees in OT (OTD vs Master’s Degree)

Entry-level OTD has additional ACOTE requirements over a master’s degree prepared OT (completion of a doctoral capstone)

• the doctoral capstone goal: provide an in-depth exposure to one or more of the following areas in OT: clinical skills, research skills, administration, program development and evaluation, policy development, advocacy, education, leadership

Compare different levels of academic degrees in OT (E-OTD vs PP-OTD)

E OTD	PP-OTD
-regulated by ACOTE -started by student with bacc. degree -doesn’t really change practice, learn more about culture of practice and research but not actually doing the research	-not regulated by ACOTE -started by OTR -more valuable?? usually online and can do at your leisure; masters first gives option of pick doctoral concentration later on

Compare different levels of academic degrees in OT (EdD vs PhD)

EdD	PhD
-designed for practitioners who want to pursue roles as education or mission-driven leaders -curriculum is not standardized; each program may be different in its focus	-terminal degree best suited for individuals who was a career in academia or at the university level -more theoretical approach to learning, which involves publishing original research -more research and scholarship; very rigorous and takes a long time

Identify examples of research foci in different areas of OT
practice

• academia and research

• hospitals

• mental and behavioral health

• school setting

• home and community settings

• long-term care

• outpatient

• early intervention

Describe the role and function of the American Occupational
Therapy Foundation (AOTF)

• organization that looks to advance the science of OT to support people’s full participation in meaningful life activities through:

  • building research capacity in OT

  • building infrastructure to support research dissemination

  • establishing partnerships between researchers and practitioners

  • and strengthening AOTF leadership in the OT enterprise

• also envisions a vibrant science that builds knowledge to support effective, evidence-based OT

Explain AOTA and AOTF research priorities

• AOTF announced research priorities in 2015

• future initiatives will address:

  • health promotion, prevention and management of chronic conditions

  • mental health and well-being

  • technology and environmental supports in home and community

  • development and transitions for individuals and families

  • equitable access and use of health and community services

  • family and caregiver supports, resiliency, and well-being

  • novel practice areas and approaches to service delivery

Identify the main types of journals that publish research in OT

• AOTA home journal: American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT); highest ranked journal in field of OT

• AOTF home journal: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (OTJR)

• goes beyond these 2 publications; we have an interdisciplinary reach

• important to seek research publications outside of our profession

Describe the purpose of clinical/practice research

• ultimate goal: maximize the effectiveness of practice

  • does what we do work? Or does it only work for certain groups?

• necessity for generating and applying evidence to clinical practice through rigorous and objective analysis and inquiry

Discuss the “triple aim” approach to promoting EBP for OT

• developed to frame better ways to provide healthcare while reducing costs

• goals of triple aim:

  1. improving the individual experience of care

  2. improving the health of populations

  3. reducing the per capita costs of care for populations

Describe how quantitative and qualitative research differ and how they complement each other

Quantitative Research	Qualitative Research	Compliment each other?
-based on philosophy of logical positivism, in which human experience is assumed to be based on logical and controlled relationships among defined variables -involved measurement of outcomes using numerical data under standardized conditions	-strives to capture naturally occurring phenomena, following a tradition of social constructivism -themes, words, understanding different types of narratives	inform each other regarding development of each other’s findings
advantage: ability to summarize scaled and to subject data to statistical analysis -OT skilled in quantitative	-OS primarily uses qualitative

Describe the steps of the research process

Discuss the role of evidence in clinical decision making

the concept of EBP represents the fundamental principle that the provision of quality care will depend on our ability to make choices that are based on the best evidence currently available

evidence is used to discern intervention efficacy, understanding health, or other areas of concern

Discuss components of the ICF and how they influence research questions

• ICF acknowledges that occupations are at the heart of a person’s health

• contextual factors (environmental and personal factors) can limit doing

• influences research by focusing on how ICF elements do or do not interact with specific types of health conditions

Explain the role of interprofessional research to OT

members of multiple professions working together, contributing their various skills in an integrative fashion, sharing perspectives to inform decision making

developing skills and knowledge beyond our own OT discipline to make a positive impact on the progression of health education, service delivery, and policy implementation

Describe the purpose of explanatory, exploratory, and descriptive research

explanatory: utilizes various types of experimental designs to compare 2 or more conditions or interventions; different design approaches offer varied levels of control to establish cause and effect between interventions and outcomes; trials address both efficacy and effectiveness

exploratory: observational designs are used to examine a phenomenon of interest and explore its dimensions, often in populations or communities, and to examine how it relates to other factors

descriptive: researcher attempts to describe a group of individuals on a set of variables, to document their characteristics; may involve the use of questionnaires, interviews, direct observation, or the use of databases