Role-emerging fieldwork placements are increasingly being used in entry-level occupational therapy programs. However, published reviews have yet to focus on synthesizing the experiences and perspectives of students. This review aims to identify the opportunities, challenges, and future directions of role-emerging fieldwork placements based on the student perspective. A literature review using scoping review methods was conducted, including an electronic database search, hand-searching of journals, and citation tracking. Descriptive and thematic analyses of the articles were performed. Thirty articles were identified through the literature search. Themes that emerged related to opportunities were professional and personal development, independence and autonomy, client-centeredness, and new occupational therapy perspective. Themes that emerged related to challenges were defining a professional role, lack of structure and support, and high level of responsibility. Future directions centered on recommendations for future students and establishing roles within sites. Students benefited from the self-directed nature and client-centered practice in their role-emerging fieldwork placements, while the challenging environment contributed to their overall development. Students recognized a need for occupational therapy services in the wider community and saw role-emerging settings as legitimate career opportunities. Future research is encouraged to explore peer models, student-initiated role-emerging fieldwork placements, and postgraduate experiences.

Objectives Individuals living with young-onset Parkinson's disease compose a rare subtype of a disease typically associated with older age. Situated within a large grounded theory study exploring information behavior, this paper describes the core category of the theory, i.e. uncertainty. Methods Data were collected with 39 individuals living with young-onset Parkinson's disease who took part in in-depth interviews, focus groups and/or an online discussion board. Fourteen autobiographies written by individuals living with young-onset Parkinson's disease were also used as data sources. Results Through experiencing young-onset Parkinson's disease, participants were confronted with uncertainty along two main lines. First, they experienced uncertainty with respect to their identities as young- and middle-aged adults, deviating from the idealized age-graded life path marked out within their socio-cultural context. Second, they experienced uncertainty with respect to their functioning, as the heterogeneous nature of Parkinson's progression meant that it would not be possible to chart how their disease would change over time. This uncertainty was associated with feelings of lost control over their lives and increased grief. Discussion With a deeper appreciation for how uncertainty is experienced in the lives of those with young-onset Parkinson's disease, health professionals may be better prepared to discuss these issues with patients and provide support and resources.

Autobiographies written by those living with illness are readily available sources of data that can also aid in the development of a grounded theory. However, existing methodological guidelines do not provide support for the transparent and rigorous use of these texts. This paper describes a number of issues around the use of these texts, and provides an example of how autobiographies were used in a study conducted by the author. A set of steps that can be used by other grounded theorists considering the use of autobiographies as sources of data is provided, in an attempt to advance this aspect of the methodology.

ABSTRACT The use of ‘apps’ is becoming an increasingly common experience for many people around the world. As this technology becomes embedded within the occupational history of our society, the growing number of available apps requires that occupational therapists be competent in determining the quality and appropriateness of apps for clinical practice. This paper provides detailed considerations that can be used by occupational therapists with clients to evaluate, and make decisions related to the selection of apps for practice. Grounded in the evidence-based occupational therapy framework, the proposed considerations allow the therapist to weigh therapist, client and app characteristics that are central to establishing whether a specific app is appropriate for use with a specific client. This paper extends the discussion of app evaluation, and provides guidance for current and future occupational therapists, on how to enable the participation of clients in our ever-changing technological world.

Purpose: Currently, little is known regarding use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in health education applications. Therefore, this review sought to examine the scope of work that has been conducted regarding the application of the ICF in health education. Methods: A review of the current literature related to use of the ICF in health education programs was conducted. Twelve electronic databases were searched in accordance with a search protocol developed by a health sciences librarian. In total, 17 878 records were reviewed, and 18 articles met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Results: Current evidence regarding use of the ICF in healthcare education revealed that program and participant properties can be essential facilitators or barriers to successful education programs. In addition, gaps in comprehensive outcome measurement were revealed as areas for future attention. Educational applications of the ICF are very much a work in progress as might be expected given the ICF's existence for only a little over a decade. Conclusions: To advance use of the ICF in education, it is important to incorporate the measurement of both knowledge acquisition and behavior change related to ICF-based programs. Ultimately, widespread implementation of the ICF represents not only a substantial opportunity but also poses a significant challenge.

Unique features of Huntington’s disease and young-onset Parkinson’s disease, both neurodegenerative movement disorders, can pose challenges for conducting qualitative research. From the perspectives of two doctoral candidates conducting research with these groups, a number of challenges are presented and discussed alongside strategies for managing such challenges. Challenges are organized according to physical (e.g., movement), psychological (e.g., cognition) and social (e.g., speech impairment) aspects of these diseases. The strategies presented emphasize the importance of ethical reasoning in situations that can arise, as well as the relationships developed with the research participants. Author transparency and ethical reasoning are both important in conducting quality qualitative research. It is hoped that presenting these challenges and strategies will promote greater dialogue on such issues, and help researchers enable more people with rare movement disorders to participate in qualitative research.

Purpose: To present a new graphic representation of the international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF), entitled the ICF-conceptual revision (ICF-CR). The ICF-CR aims to be clearer and more usable tool than the ICF graphic currently used by starting to address criticisms of the ICF raised in the literature, with a focus on positioning quality of life (QoL) in relation to the ICF's other components. Method: This is a conceptual paper based on a review of criticisms of the ICF and related literature published on human functioning. Results: In addition to criticisms of the current graphic, four criticisms of the ICF are discussed in relation to the development of the ICF-CR, including: the lack of development of biopsychosocial theory, the lack of clarity between activities and participation, the language used, and the absence of QoL. General systems theory is used to help construct the new graphic in addressing these criticisms and to position QoL. Conclusions: The ICF-CR is designed to be a more responsive graphic of human functioning; one which enhances the clarity of principles integral to the ICF, including biopsychosocial theory and universalism. It is hoped the ICF-CR will promote continued discussion toward the goal of enhancing the ICF, both visually and conceptually.

Background: Physical activity (PA) participation in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) holds a number of benefits for quality of life (QOL) but there is a need to better understand conceptual and measurement issues.Objective: To evaluate the appropriateness of outcome measurement tools to assess QOL in relation to PA in persons with SCI.Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed and CINAHL databases to identify studies that used a QOL measurement tool and assessed PA or employed a PA intervention to determine a relationship between PA and QOL.Results: Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Within the 13 articles, 9 different QOL outcome measurement tools were used; two objective measures (Short Form-36 [SF-36] and Quality of Well-being [QWB]) and 7 subjective measures (Perceived QOL [PQoL], Satisfaction with Life Scale [SWLS], QOL Index SCI Version III, Life Satisfaction [LISAT], QOL Feedback, QOL Profile: Physical and Sensory Disabilities Version [QOLP-PSD] and Subjective QOL [SQOL]). The PQoL was the most commonly used tool (4 studies) and was used in 2 of the 3 randomized controlled trials. Twelve of the studies demonstrated a positive effect of PA on QOL.Conclusions: Outcome measurement tool selection should be guided by the specific purpose of the data collection activity as well as the context under which the tool will be used (e.g., setting, population, etc.). Therefore, different tools may rightfully be selected to assess the same construct when considering different circumstances-however, these considerations should be balanced by the evidence and demonstrated prior utility of potential tools. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION:The aim of this review was to describe the low back pain (LBP) knowledge base developed in WORK and to discuss its relevance to current perspectives in the broader literature on LBP and employment.METHOD:A scoping review of the literature in WORK on LBP and employment was conducted using published articles from 1990-2009. Articles were organized into geographical regions and summarized for contributions to the domains of WORK: prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation. Methodological accordance of the articles was also assessed.RESULTS:Fifty articles were extracted and organized into contributions from authors within North America (n=34) and outside North America (n=16). In total there were 26 prevention, 7 assessment, and 12 rehabilitation articles in this review. Five articles were also classified as 'understanding' articles. More than half of the articles retrieved employed quantitative methodology.CONCLUSIONS:WORK has contributed a broad realm of publications to the knowledge base on LBP and employment. Two thirds of the articles were contributed from authors within North America, with a greater emphasis on prevention. This article highlights the similarities and differences in the international knowledge base in the management of LBP in WORK. Future directions for research are elaborated drawing on current perspectives of two experts on the management of LBP.

OBJECTIVE:Previous research has provided an inconsistent message as to the effectiveness of multidisciplinary programs to improve employment outcomes in clients with Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). The primary aims of this review were to: 1) update the evidence for the multidisciplinary treatment of CLBP to improve employment outcomes 2) assess what knowledge supports occupational therapy as contributing to a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of CLBP. PARTICIPANTS:Working-age adults experiencing CLBP who took part in controlled trials evaluating multidisciplinary programs between July 1998 and July 2009. METHODS:Updated guidelines provided by the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group (BRG) were used to perform a systematic review to identify, appraise, and synthesize research evidence relevant to our research questions. RESULTS:Twelve unique articles were found, after a database search and citation tracking, only two of which were high quality. Our findings suggest that there is still conflicting evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary programs to improve employment outcomes in CLBP. CONCLUSIONS:The results are discussed with reference to current methodological limitations found in the literature. Furthermore, occupational therapists were found to be underutilized in the included studies and future multidisciplinary programs should take advantage of the wide range of skills that occupational therapists can contribute in this practice area.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to investigate how social support influences physical activity participation, as perceived by men and women in the early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). It will also address how this perceived support interacts with perceptions of control to influence this participation. Method. Three women and four men with early PD completed a background questionnaire and participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The World Health Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model was used as a framework to develop questions related to the environmental factors examined. Phenomenology was employed in the analysis of interview transcripts. Results. Three main types of support (instrumental, emotional, informational) were provided to participants, and each of these had a positive influence on physical activity participation. In addition to this support, participants reported personally participating in exercise as a means to help control the progression of PD. Conclusions. This is believed to be the first study looking at factors influencing physical activity participation in PD. Issues related to support for exercise from physicians and organisational issues of support groups for PD are discussed. Directions for future research are provided, which should aid in the identification of strategies to increase physical activity levels in those with PD.