Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Karrianna Iseminger

Abstract

Individuals with upper extremity conditions who receive occupational therapy within the hand therapy context are often provided with paper or electronic home programs (HPs) as part of their rehabilitation protocol. Electronic HPs may promote greater adherence and functional improvements than paper handouts, as they can accommodate various learning styles and address patient barriers (Chung et al., 2020; Harte & Law, 2019; Lambert et al., 2017; Nussbaum et al., 2019; Toci et al., 2021; Valdes et al., in press). Despite evidence showing positive patient satisfaction and outcomes as a result of using electronic HPs, some occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) may be hesitant to use a new online system (Corey, 2019; Choi et al., 2019; Svingen et al., 2021). The purpose of this scholarly project is to help transition an outpatient hand therapy clinic from using traditional paper HPs to using MedBridge by offering therapists educational resources. Several methods were used to understand the potential impact of this project on patient care and to understand practitioners’ opinions regarding MedBridge. The person-environment-occupation (PEO) model and the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) quality improvement (QI) method were considered throughout the literature review and formation of the product (Law et al., 1996; Taylor et al., 2014). An in-service presentation was provided to orient therapists to basic functions when using MedBridge HPs. Additionally, the MedBridge Home Exercise Program User Guide was developed which provides an in-depth explanation of the purpose of each function and how to use it, and the MedBridge Home Exercise Program Quick Reference card offers a brief overview of the necessary steps in building a home program. It is anticipated that the resources made available to therapists on MedBridge as well as the user guide will increase therapists’ use of electronic HPs which may improve overall patient satisfaction and functional outcomes.

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