Background: The substance addiction and rehabilitation situation in the Philippines is a complex health and social crisis that has plagued individuals, groups, and communities in the past decades. While pluralistic and critical approaches to address the drug demand reduction issue are available, hegemonic practices continue to eclipse evidenceinformed approaches underpinned by resiliency and occupational justice perspectives. Methodology: This case study utilized a qualitative and interpretive approach to describe the practice processes of localized community-based drug rehabilitation programs in selected Filipino communities and to propose concrete practice processes to improve the development and implementation of the local community-based drug rehabilitation. Two independent focus group discussions were conducted. Participants were health care professionals, community workers, and citizens who have an affinity to the substance addiction rehabilitation setting. Framed by the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework, specifically the practice process “engage collaboratively with partners,” qualitative data extracted from the focus group discussions were thematically analyzed. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) Changing perspective: starting from the community; (2) Better together: collaboration and coordination in substance addiction and rehabilitation; and (3) “Juan for All, All for Juan”: contextualized strategies in substance addiction and rehabilitation. The findings in the case study reaffirm the value of shifting from an individualistic (symptom-eradication) to populational (social and systemic interventions) perspectives in developing community-based drug rehabilitation programs. Conclusion To reify occupational justice and resiliency approaches, proposed strategies include understanding drug use from critical and occupational perspectives, enacting social modeling and mentorship, promoting inter-agency and inter-professional collaborative practices, and infusing culturally appropriate strategies in the development and implementation of local community-based drug rehabilitation programs.
Occupational Therapy

Goal setting leads to improved clinical outcomes, a more client-centered approach, enhanced motivation and psychological adaptation, and enhanced collaboration between client and clinician. However, goal setting remains problematic for both clients and clinicians. The purpose of this conceptual framework is to provide elements to consider when facilitating a collaborative goal-setting as supported by several theoretical concepts. Using the Goal-Setting Theory, Person-Environment-Occupational-Performance Model, Dekker’s tool in setting meaningful goals in rehabilitation, and Canadian Model of Client-Centered Enablement, the authors have identified eleven (11) essential elements, which are the following: external factors, global meaning, collaborate, coordinate, consult, design, clarity, challenge, self-efficacy, commitment, and overall occupation-centered goal. By considering the various elements presented, occupational therapists can avoid having unrealistic expectations from clients during the process of goal setting.
Occupational Therapy

Objective: The process of adaptation in academia can best be understood and measured using valid and reliable tools. To understand how occupational therapy educators adapt to academic roles and how they use adaptation to build academic careers, the Adaptation Process in Academia Questionnaire (APA-Q) was developed. The APA-Q is a 199-item tool with four sections: academic experiences (104 items); contexts (16 items); adapting responses (13 items); and adaptation outcomes (66 items). This study described the development and the process of determining the content validity of the APA-Q. Method: We conducted an extensive review of literature and the available faculty instruments in developing the APA-Q items. Six content experts were recruited to rate the 199-item and scale relevance of the instrument. Qualitative feedback were provided from open-ended questions. Item and scale content validity indices (I-CVI/S-CVI) were calculated. CVI and qualitative assessment informed questionnaire revisions. Results: Content experts rated 161 of the items (81%) to be highly relevant. The I-CVI of 30 items was acceptable (0.83). Eight items were rated irrelevant (0.5-0.66). S-CVI was excellent (0.97). In terms of constructs, experts agreed on the relevance of items (>0.80): academic experiences (99 or 95%); contexts (16 or 100%); adapting responses (12 or 92%); and adaptation outcomes (63 or 95%). Qualitative assessment indicated a lack of clarity in some items and instructions, redundancy in some of the items, the use of jargon, and missing items. Based on I-CVI and qualitative assessment, 12 items were deleted, 13 items were revised, and 10 items were added. Conclusion Context experts deemed the APA-Q to be relevant. Further establishment of its construct validity and reliability is warranted.
Occupational Therapy

OBJECTIVES: This study purposed to measure the effectiveness of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) Program, which was a combination of occupational therapy and psychoeducation in managing patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who were recovering in a mental health facility as well as identify gaps and problems in its implementation. METHODOLOGY: An experimental design was used followed by a qualitative study to further analyze the impacts of the psychosocial rehabilitation program. RESULTS: Pre-and-post-test measures showed that clinical global improvement, psychiatric symptoms and socio-occupational functioning of the patients improved while quality of life and enjoyment did not change. Performance and satisfaction of experimental group participants related to the occupational therapy program also increased. Insights and meaningful realizations were observed in those who had undergone the psychosocial rehabilitation program (PSR). CONCLUSION Implications for treatment and recommendations for the psychosocial program were made to address challenges in implementing the psychosocial rehabilitation program.
Occupational Therapy ;

Background: Occupational therapy (OT) academic educators are vital in building the workforce and advancing the profession. With the retirement of senior faculty, hiring of new OT faculty members have increased. There have also been changes in national and global policy guidelines in OT education. These changes have brought forth a compelling need to examine the profile of Filipino OT educators. To this date, there has been no formal analysis of the Philippine OT academic education workforce. A study aiming at understanding this profile is important to inform OT educators, administrators, and policymakers on the development of strategic approaches that may address their needs and help build the capacity of this workforce.

Objectives: We aimed to establish an occupational profile of OT educators in the Philippines and to recommend capacity-building strategies for next-generation Filipino OT educators.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Adaptation Process in Academia Questionnaire. OT educators were recruited through their institutional affiliations.

Results: Ninety (53%) of the estimated 170 educators participated in the study, representing 16 schools with OT programs in the country. The median age is 26 years, majority female, and single. The academic profile shows that the majority have a bachelor's as their highest educational degree, work part-time, hold the instructor rank, nontenured, and have been in academia for 5+ years. Teaching is the primary role, and >50% of the time is spent on teaching tasks. The most frequently experienced challenges are balancing multiple roles and the need to develop competence in research skills. Most effective institutional resources are the availability of teaching resources and orientation programs. Excellent communication between university management and academic staff and the opportunity to participate in decision-making are perceived to be the most useful relationship support. Productivity in teaching is higher than in research and service.

Conclusion: The current OT academic workforce based on this study is young, in the early career stage, and expected to assume many roles, primarily teaching. They are most challenged in balancing multiple roles and how to advance their academic careers. Institutional resources and relationship supports are available but need to be reinforced and accessed. Strategic initiatives to build capacity include the development of communities of practice, increasing research engagement and productivity, increasing access to professional development programs, and faculty development initiatives.

Background: The pandemic brought permanent changes in education in terms of set-up and delivery. In the Philippines, most universities switched to online learning to provide educational continuity to their students. Without direct supervision from instructors, higher educational level learners bear greater responsibility for their learning behaviors, emphasizing the need to employ online self-regulated learning (OSRL) skills, which are goal setting, environment structuring, time management, help-seeking, self-evaluation, and metacognition. Objectives: This study examined the OSRL skills of occupational therapy (OT) students enrolled in a full online curriculum at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) during the academic year (A.Y.) 2020-2021. It also describes the differences between students' OSRL skills and their demographic characteristics—sex, age, year level, and student status. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional records review of the 2021 Student Life Survey, which was deployed through Google Forms to a total of 205 respondents. Responses from the Online Self-Regulated Questionnaire were extracted and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 27, using the Mann-Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test with a significance level set at 0.050. Results: Data analysis showed that UST OT students reported average to high levels of online self-regulated learning, with the highest SRL mean score in environmental structuring and goal setting. The students’ online self-regulated learning in goal setting is statistically significant to sex (p= 0.021) and age (p= 0.036). Additionally, year levels have a significant difference in task strategies (p= 0.042) and time management (p= 0.006). Conclusion OSRL skills vary depending on the students’ contexts and learning environment. They are independent of the students’ demographic characteristics. These findings could inform stakeholders and researchers about students’ OSRL levels, which can help in providing pedagogical strategies that will enhance students' self-regulated learning in online education.
Occupational Therapy

Background: Filipino occupational therapy educator emigration and limited preparedness for an academic role has resulted in high university turnovers. Remaining faculty experience decreased well-being due to increased academic role responsibilities. Objective: Assess the effectiveness of an occupation-based intervention in promoting Filipino occupational therapy faculty members' well-being. Methodology: This pilot study used a convergent mixed-methods design. Participants were recruited to participate through the Philippine Academy of Occupational Therapists and the University of Philippines Manila - Department of Occupational Therapy. Faculty members participated in the Well-Being through Occupational Participation (WBOP) intervention. Quantitative data was analyzed using a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, comparing pre and post-test scores from four standardized measures: Self Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF), Scales of General Well Being (SGWB), Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS), and Occupational Balance Questionnaire 11 (OBQ). Qualitative data was analyzed using a multi-level coding process resulting in three themes. Results: Five faculty members participated. The SCS-SF scores (T=15, p=0.042, r=0.64) and SGWB (T=15, p=0.041, r=0.65) scores showed a significant increase post-intervention, with large effect sizes. The OBQ (T=14, p=0.078) and EMAS (T=13.5 p=0.102) post-intervention scores did not reflect a significant increase. From the qualitative data, three themes emerged: time to reflect on well-being and occupational engagement, opportunity to view well-being differently, and increased mindset and intentionality. Conclusion Results suggest the WBOP intervention was effective in promoting well-being in these Filipino occupational therapy faculty members. Future intervention implementation may be helpful in positively impacting faculty member well-being. A research study with a larger number of participants is warranted.
Occupational Therapy

BACKGROUND

Students’ perceptions of their educational environment have been determined to influence their educational performance, behavior, and well-being. Assessing the students’ educational environment enables stakeholders to recognize limitations and opportunities for ensuring optimal learning experiences. However, no studies have yet explored the perceived educational environment of occupational therapy (OT) students in the Philippines.

Using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) instrument, this study assesses how occupational therapy students perceive their educational environment. Additionally, this study aims to identify strengths and weaknesses in the current educational environment.

This descriptive cross-sectional study utilized a records review of anonymized secondary responses from the Student Life Survey 2021. The DREEM questionnaire was employed to evaluate the perspectives of occupational therapy students in five domains, namely: students’ perception of learning, students’ perceptions of academic self-perceptions, students’ perceptions of atmosphere, and students’ social self-perceptions. Individual item and subscale scores were summarized as mean and standard deviation (SD).

With a total mean score of 124.12 ± 26.79 in the five domains, the OT students positively perceive their educational environment. Data analysis revealed the scores for the DREEM domains of Students' Perception of Teachers (30.50 ± 6.08), Students' Perception of Learning (31.11 ± 5.94), Students' Academic Self-Perceptions (20.37 ± 4.26), Students’ Social Self-Perceptions (15.58 ± 4.00), and Students’ Perceptions of Atmosphere (26.56 ± 6.51). Interpretation for each domain indicates that the educational environment is moving in the right direction, has a more positive approach, is feeling more on the positive side, is not too bad, and has a more positive atmosphere, respectively.

The study revealed a positive perception of the educational environment among OT students. However, there needed improvement in the areas of authoritarian teachers, the demanding program environment, and the overemphasis on factual learning. To guarantee that OT education in the country is of high quality, these findings can be utilized to inform the institution’s stakeholders regarding policy development, curriculum review, and future OT program development and implementation.

Introduction: Home visits are complex processes for clients and occupational therapists. Despite the benefits of home visits, the numbers of home visits being conducted are decreasing in international settings due to service constraints or client reluctance. Published international studies may not be applicable to Malaysia due to cultural and geodemographic differences relating to the home context. This study aimed to explore the experience of occupational therapists in Malaysia in conducting home visits. Materials and Methods: A focus group discussion was conducted with seven occupational therapists in one teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The group session was audio-recorded, transcribed, summarised and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Themes developed were: i) client factors inhibiting effective service provision, ii) uninformed policies and guidelines, and iii) professional identity and growth. Conclusions: Our study has revealed major challenges for Malaysian occupational therapists with regards to conducting home visits. Future studies should now evaluate factors underlying reluctance to participate in home visits and effective strategies to overcome these difficulties.
House Calls ; Occupational Therapy

Among pediatric Occupational Therapists’ goals is to provide a holistic approach towards intervention planning which includes preparing the child’s social environment, especially in facilitating the carry-over of tasks in the child’s daily contexts. This model explores the factors contributing to the limited opportunities for family/caregiver participation during actual therapy sessions. It also discusses and integrates some of the best practice principles for family engagement that are based on the Phoenix Theory of Parent Attendance, Adlerian Play Therapy, and Discrimination model. This model was conceptualized in response to the growing need to increase family engagement during therapy in the Philippine setting, which could help them overcome barriers and strengthen their therapeutic skills and relationship with the child. Techniques and intervention processes that aim to engage the family during occupational therapy need to be further developed and studied. To fulfill this, this paper introduces a conceptual framework that maps out (1) five core elements, (2) five phases of family therapy engagement, and (3) a process checklist during the intervention process. The five core elements that affect family engagement are client, therapist, family, therapy-related, and environmental factors. This model explains how good collaboration between the family and therapists can be achieved if they undergo the preparation, consultation, planning, experiential activities, and re-education phase. The researchers suggest using this conceptual framework as a guide to understand and provide a systematic family engagement process during therapy sessions.
Occupational Therapy ; Family