AOTA

Earn CE Credit With AJOT Articles!

Learn about tested treatment strategies by reading AJOT articles in your area of practice. Become an evidence-based practitioner and demonstrate your knowledge by passing the course exam.  Articles have been selected for their relevance to practice, fresh ideas, and strong evidence supporting treatment and the distinct value of OT.

Credit: .1 CEUs (1.25 NBCOT PDU’s/1 contact hour)

Author

Julie Grobbelaar Fernandes, OTD, OT/L, CHT, is Senior Occupational Therapist, New York University Langone Orthopedic Center, New York, NY

Abstract

This article establishes and examines occupational therapists’ role in perinatal care and proposes a health promotion approach for new and expectant mothers. The author demonstrates the importance of maintaining meaningful occupational engagement during this critical life stage by incorporating evidence from orthopedic, rehabilitation, and hand therapy research. New and expectant mothers are at high risk for upper extremity (UE) conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, and tendinosis of the UE. Occupational therapists with basic knowledge of hand therapy are well prepared to manage these conditions conservatively. An occupation-based model and framework are presented to ensure a holistic view of the target population. Topics pertinent to this population include postural techniques, repetitive tasks, patient education, and strengthening related to the perinatal period.

Learning Objectives

Following this course, the learner will be able to:

1)      Define health promotion and list common upper extremity conditions that expectant or new mothers have high risk for developing.

2)      Describe an occupation-based approach to managing upper extremity conditions in new or expectant mothers.

3)      Discuss the use of social media in in disseminating knowledge.

4)      Identify ways that occupational therapy can provide education at the micro and macro levels regarding occupational therapy’s role in perinatal care. 

Exam questions for this course authored by Marie Morreale, OTR/L

Learning Level: Advanced

Target Audience: Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants

Content Focus: Category 1: Domain of OT; Category 2: OT Process: Intervention

CE Find Key Words:  hand therapy, upper extremity conditions, new mothers. Social media, pregnancy, DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome

Reference Information:

Fernandes, J. G. (2018). The Issue Is—Occupational therapists’ role in perinatal care: A health promotion approach. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72, 7205347010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.028126