Welcome to Volume 88, Issue 1 of BJOT. This month, we’ve grouped our research into themes and you can read all our peer-reviewed articles at https://journals.sagepub.com/home/bjo.
Every parent matters
In their editorial, Margaret McGrath and colleagues explore the value of a parent-centric approach to supporting parenting occupations and roles. They define what a parent-centric approach is in occupational therapy, as well as discussing the key challenges and opportunities from an occupational therapy perspective.
They conclude that now is the time for occupational therapists to embrace a parentcentric approach to parenting and in doing so recognise the value of parenting occupations to individuals and society.
Removing environmental barriers to independent living
A feasibility randomised controlled trial targeting people ageing with long-term physical disabilities by Szu-Wei Chen et al examines removing environmental barriers to independent living’s (REBIL) feasibility and estimate its magnitude of efficacy.
The study adds to the evidence that REBIL has the potential to address participation barriers and prevent falls concurrently, and it will help select optimal endpoints for a large, pragmatic, future trials to establish its effectiveness.
Goal-directed approaches in occupational therapy
Louise Ogilvie and colleagues investigate the key elements of goal-directed training for children with cerebral palsy in their qualitative content analysis paper.
The study identifies the key elements of goal-directed training and recommends the development of a protocol and training programme to increase the fidelity of goal directed training intervention.
Anne Escher, Arti Gandhi and Sue Berger explore collaborative goal setting in occupational therapy for adults with aphasia. The study suggests that occupational therapists should support collaborative goal setting for people with aphasia through aphasia-friendly goal-setting processes, including adaptations to existing goal-setting measures, as appropriate.
Qualitative research on social prescribing
Occupational therapists’ involvement in social prescribing is investigated through a qualitative interview study by Gemma Bradley et al.
The study has developed understanding about how developments in social prescribing in the UK have been experienced by occupational therapists and how they view their own contribution to this agenda moving forwards.
Occupational therapy students’ and educators’ perspectives and understanding of the role of occupational therapy within social prescribing is then explored through another qualitative interview study by Siobhan Elliott and Catherine Haighton.
They conclude that there remains a need for the universal use of the international consensus definition of social prescribing to ensure that teaching of social prescribing is consistent. They also suggest it may be beneficial to include social prescribing in at least one practice placement.
Learn@Lunch CPD programmes
Developing a continuing professional development (CPD) programme to raise knowledge and awareness of drinking alcohol as an occupation in
later life, through a Learn@Lunch programme, is investigated by Fiona Maclean and colleagues.
The study illustrates the value and importance of a novel programme of CPD to grow knowledge and awareness of drinking alcohol as an occupation in later life, as part of acute occupational therapy practice.