Being an evidence based OT isn't easy. Even when the evidence is staring you in the face it can be hard to know what direction to take. Sometimes it’s straight-forward, but most of the time it’s a real mess to sort out.  In some cases, what you’ve been using successfully for years doesn’t seem to show in the literature. What the hell is going on?

Well, making choices on evidence based practice related to OT interventions requires more than simply reading the evidence. Our practices are intimately connected to both who you are as an clinician (you background, skills, interests, etc..) and who the patient is (wants, needs, etc..). Proving if something works or doesn’t is only part of the picture.  

To highlight this conundrum, we’ve chosen to take a look at Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) this week.

In 2005, Dr. John Ioannidis a physician and scientist wrote highly cited article called “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False” (open access here).  In the essay, John argues that most scientific findings (in all fields) are incorrect and he gives several suggestions on how we can better analyze findings.

No systematic review of occupational therapy intervention in obesity has been done yet, but there have been a few studies that explore the role (see below). Could obesity be an area of untapped OT potential?

Memory impairments are one of the most common things we think about as we age.  But, older adults have access to few evidence-based interventions to improve memory.  Most of our clients aren’t aware that memory problems are amenable to treatment, and providing them with supports can help them feel more hopeful, optimistic and proactive.