Introduction / Rationale: The use of digital technology is increasingly essential for participation in everyday activities. Today, many older adults moving into nursing homes are accustomed to using technology. However, in both practice and research, nursing home residents are often not recognized as technology users.

Objectives: This study aims to generate knowledge on how digital technology influences participation in activities among older adults living in nursing homes.

Methods / Approach: The study explores three nursing homes in Sweden as technological habitats, employing an ethnographic approach. Data collection involves participant observations, analyzed using an interpretative qualitative method.

Results / Practice Implications: Preliminary findings indicate that residents require support to engage in activities involving digital technology, and insufficient assistance from staff or relatives negatively impacts their participation. Additionally, digital technology in nursing homes serves various roles in daily life—it functions as a source of distraction, companionship, and a means to pass time while waiting.

Conclusion / Contribution to the occupational therapy profession: The findings highlight the need for structured support to facilitate digital technology use among older adults in nursing homes, thereby enhancing their participation. This study addresses current and future challenges and opportunities related to digital technology in nursing homes. It underscores the vital role of occupational therapists in planning and implementing technology integration to promote engagement and participation in these settings.

Bakgrund/Syfte*: Diskussioner om artificiell intelligens (AI) har varit framträdande i samhället, men tillämpningen av AI inom arbetsterapi har fått lite uppmärksamhet. Det finns ett behov av att utforska AI:s möjligheter och dess relevans för arbetsterapeuters arbete.

Avsikten med symposiet är att undersöka hur arbetsterapeuter kan utveckla användbar kunskap om AI och integrera denna i sina verksamheter.

Metod/Tillvägagångssätt*: Symposiet presenterar forskning om AI inom arbetsterapi samt hur arbetsterapeuter kan fördjupa sin förståelse för ämnet. Gruppdiskussioner kommer att adressera utbildningsbehov samt utforska när, hur och varför AI kan vara relevant inom olika arbetsterapeutiska sammanhang.

Resultat/Förväntat resultat*: Deltagarna kommer att få ökad kunskap om AI och dess användning inom arbetsterapi.

Slutsats/Praktisk tillämpning*: Ökad kunskap kan bidra till förbättrad professionell praktik och möjligheter att implementera AI på ett praktiskt och meningsfullt sätt. 

This chapter outlines the ethical principles and obligations relevant to occupational therapy (OT) practice in the Philippines. It describes theoretical foundations and key ethical principles, including a discussion of the Philippine Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. The chapter further specifies and exemplifies the ethical responsibilities of Filipino OTs towards clients, the profession, education, research, and society. It includes reflection questions and case studies to aid understanding and application of these principles in real-world scenarios. This chapter offers a valuable guide for OT professionals to effectively navigate and resolve ethical dilemmas in Philippine contexts. 

In this chapter, we explore the future of occupational therapy in the Philippines. We begin by revisiting ideas from the previous chapters about occupation (gawain), clients, and occupational therapy. Next, we identify and describe issues and gaps in education, practice, and research that need to be addressed. Finally, we present a vision for occupational therapy in the Philippines. This vision outlines a framework that serves as a call to action for practitioners, educators, advocates, researchers, and leaders to collaborate in building a dynamic and sustainable future for occupational therapy in the Philippines.

Medical and health disciplines are facing a change of their clinical practices with the integration of new transformative technologies including artificial intelligence (AI). There is an interest to elevate knowledge and skills in designing and developing adaptive technology for clients, patients and practices. In this study the possibility to integrate education on human-centered AI in the education on advanced level of nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists was explored. A blueprint of a 3-course AI education on human-centered AI for health and wellbeing was developed and evaluated at two universities. The course contents range from theory to practical exercises with application to clinical practice on AI, responsible AI design and AI technology, with a structured progression between each level. The evaluation showed that the proposed courses could be integrated into the existing master programs to different extent, from full integration in 120-credit programs to limited integration in 60-credit programs. It was concluded that the proposed education is feasible and desirable to integrate, and future work will continue the development.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to explore available literature on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare professionals on providing care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community as well as the experiences and perspectives of the LGBT community on their healthcare.

Material and Methods: The following electronic databases were searched in December 2020: MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest, SCOPUS, and Embase for English-language publications; from 2010 to 2020.

Results: This review included 59 studies that were selected from 5,318 studies. This review revealed that there was an increase in publications regarding this topic across the world. This review identified four themes: (I) the current healthcare landscape for the LGBT community, (II) facilitators of and (III) barriers to healthcare access and utilization among the LGBT community, and (IV) varied facets of healthcare of relevance for LGBT healthcare users – communication, space, education and training, research, and policies.

Conclusion: This review serves as a valuable compass for future researchers seeking areas for deeper exploration and understanding. Nevertheless, the limitations of the study underscore the significance of exercising caution when interpreting its findings concerning challenges within LGBT healthcare.

The chapter focuses on the significance of lifelong learning in addressing challenges in occupational therapy practice in the Philippines. Lifelong learning impacts personal development, social justice, and sustainable development, aligning with the UN’s 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 4. For Filipino occupational therapists, lifelong learning, mandated through continuing professional development (CPD) activities, is crucial for maintaining and enhancing professional competences. This chapter discusses the integration of formal, non-formal, and informal learning in the CPD framework, as well as the practice of reflection and critical reflection, highlighting their benefits at micro and macro levels.

This chapter discusses the evolution and purpose of occupational science, emphasizing the importance of understanding the impact of human occupations on health and well-being. It also highlights the emergence of occupational science in the Philippines, where initial efforts have begun to integrate its concepts into research as well as occupational therapy education and practice. The chapter also showcases select studies focusing on Filipino occupations, underscoring their social, cultural, and historical significance. By illuminating these facets, the chapter aims to promote broader engagement with occupational science, offering insights into its theoretical frameworks and practical applications, and suggesting strategies for its implementation in academic and professional settings.

The first book of its kind, Occupational Therapy in the Philippines provides a context to the existing occupational therapy knowledge base from a Filipino perspective. This book acts as a guide for occupational therapists to develop and continually evaluate trusting working relationships with clients and other health and social care professionals, leading to more effective occupational therapy services. It discusses occupational therapy concepts, principles, and practices and illustrates examples of occupational therapy practices based on Filipino case studies, narratives, and evidence, and offers recommendations on how to enrich occupational therapy understanding globally. The chapters delve into theory, education and training, clinical practice, research, case studies and topical issues. This book is an ideal read for occupational therapy students and practitioners from all areas of practice as well as to those who are interested to know more about occupational therapy.

Older people are mostly excluded from social gatherings due to certain health constraints. This situation necessitates an understanding of the older adults’ digital engagement needs and existing digital technologies to support such activities. The authors conducted a scoping review by searching three bibliographic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus for articles reporting on older person’s social participation through digital engagement. Out of 3312 retrieved papers, authors included 38 studies in the qualitative synthesis. The results show that the older persons have various digital engagement needs ranging from digital literacy to physical and cognitive exercises to overcome loneliness, social isolation and maintain health and well-being. Digital skills requirement and reliance on the use of technology reflect the need for activities that can bring joy, meaning, and personal fulfillment, including religious and spiritual engagement. Literature reflects that available digital technologies include digital health and wellness technologies, assistive and safety technologies, communication and social networking tools, information and entertainment, digital devices for engagement, self-management and e-commerce and motivation and behavioral nudges. Furthermore, this study proposes a Conceptual Framework which exemplifies how various digital tools contribute to older adults’ social participation, health and well-being, within a broader ecosystem of influencing factors.