Emily Frank Flack PhD, OTD, OTR, CHSE (she/her)

Workplace health promotion programming (WHPP) promotes healthy behaviors in employees, reduces negative health risks, reduces overall healthcare costs, and improves workplace outcomes. Despite known benefits of workplace health promotion, research demonstrates low employee participation rates across various settings. There is limited research examining multilevel factors that influence employee participation in WHPP and how the Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted workplace wellness offerings and employee participation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore factors that influenced participation in WHPP among university employees through a social ecological lens. Thirteen university employees participated in semi-structured interviews through Zoom. Interview questions explored factors that influenced employee participation from an intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, environmental, and societal lens. Participants most often reported organizational and intrapersonal factors influencing participation, however data analysis showed there are aspects of all five multilevel systems that impact employee participation. Findings provide valuable insights to similar organizations on how to best encourage participation in workplace health programming. The results of this study may inform future workplace wellness program development, organizational policy, and provide a framework to comprehensively analyze employee participation in WHPP. Ultimately, having a positive social change impact on the health and well-being of employees, their families, and the community.

Prolonged symptoms from the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), otherwise known as long COVID, postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), or post-COVID syndrome, are affecting an increasingly high number of patients after severe, moderate, and mild acute COVID-19 infections. Using evidence-based practice strategies, this case report describes occupational therapy evaluation and treatment approaches, plan of care, and associated outcomes for one client experiencing long COVID symptoms in the outpatient setting.

Keywords: adults, body functions, coding and billing, commercial insurance, COVID, driving and community mobility deficits, evidence-based practice/knowledge translation, functional cognition deficits, habilitation and rehabilitation, health management, hospital-based outpatient, policy issues, remediation/restoration, Special Issue, telehealth and virtual services, work, care plan, clients, cognition, covid-19, dizziness, dyspnea, exertional dyspnea, fatigue, occupational therapists, outpatients

The increasing complexity of the United States healthcare system and resulting demands on healthcare providers has diminished the role of practicing clinicians in the education of occupational therapy students. Students are expected to be ready to help treat complex patients, collaborate effectively as members of the healthcare team, and demonstrate entry level skills by the time they begin clinical fieldwork. These expectations have placed an increased demand on educational institutions to meet objectives previously facilitated by clinical educators. An example of how these objectives have been successfully scaffolded in healthcare curricula using high fidelity simulated learning experiences is presented.

Keywords. higher education, simulation, educational scaffolding, healthcare simulation, communication, occupational therapy

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders, educational content delivery at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) transitioned from face-to-face learning to a virtual learning model in March 2020. With this new virtual environment, students at USAHS had limited opportunities to collaborate together in real clinical environments. The Center for Innovative Clinical Practice (CICP) made it our goal to create virtual simulation experiences that promoted student clinical readiness for interprofessional collaboration. The CICP shifted face-to face interprofessional learning experiences to immersive virtual encounters using 360-degree technology. We merged this technology and an interactive “choose your own pathway” platform to create personalized experiences for our students. Students interacted with these virtual learning experiences to make team-based clinical decisions about patient care.

Tags. learning online, simulations, teaching with technology, video, virtual learning