Acute Care OT and PT After Birth

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

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Maternal deaths are on the rise, here in the United States. 

And, we have a postpartum mental health crisis. 

In OT 90% of us are women, and many of us have personally experienced the inadequate support given to birthing individuals. 

But, not enough of us have stepped back to ask: why aren’t we (with our training in mental health & daily participation) helping women in the hospital after birth?

Luckily, there is a growing number of OTs asking this question and doing something about it. And, my favorite part of this movement is that it is multidisciplinary—our PT colleagues are advocating for our services. 

At the center of this movement are physical therapists, Drs. Jenna and Rebeca Segraves. They both worked on the commentary we are exploring today, and then will join us on the podcast to discuss the practical implications for your OT practice.

Primary Journal Article Explored

When you log in, be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article. Then, share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

• Initiating Occupational and Physical Therapy in the Hospital After Birth: Access, Reimbursement, and Outcomes

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Scoping review of the role of occupational therapy in the treatment of women with postpartum depression
• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction After Childbirth: Occupational Impact and Awareness of Available Treatment

More Resources for OT in the Hospital after After Birth

• Amazing interview with therapists from a hospital system in VA: Why we offer OT and PT in the hospital after birth
• Pelvic Health Network
• Certified Perinatal Health Specialist

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify specific postpartum assessments that OT professionals can utilize. 
• You will be able to identify specific treatment approaches that would benefit people after birth. 

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:19 OT Potential Podcast Intro
• 00:02:57 The Problems with Postpartum Care
• 00:03:02 What is Being Done?
• 00:04:25 How Other Conditions are Treated in Acute Care
• 00:04:52 The Call to Action
• 00:05:25 OT and PT’s role in Screening
• 00:07:21 OT and PT’s role in Obstetric Rehabilitation
• 00:09:19 The Interdisciplinary Team
• 00:09:39 Cost Justification for Services
• 00:10:09 Article Conclusion
• 00:10:47 Intro to Jenna and Rebeca Segraves

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (50 minutes)

• 00:13:34 What Ignited Their Passion for OT & PT After Birth
• 00:18:03 The Story of This Commentary
• 00:22:55 Current Reactions to the Commentary
• 00:27:04 Success Stories of Obstetric Rehab Services Being Initiated
• 00:32:33 Assessment Consideration for OTs for After Birth
• 00:35:43 Treatment Considerations for OTs for After Birth
• 00:41:53 Sleep, Nutrition, and Stress Management Interventions
• 00:53:04 Education Considerations for OTs for After Birth
• 01:02:24 3 Steps to Starting an Obstetric Rehab Program
• 01:09:09 Goals for the Future of Obstetric Rehab

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about Acute Care OT and PT After Birth.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic.  Our guests, Jenna and Rebeca Segraves, also have no financial disclosures.

Speakers

Rebeca Segraves, PT, DPT

I am a Physical Therapist and Women’s Health Advocate who believes that everyone deserves access to an early and successful recovery after birth, pelvic surgery, and mastectomy.

Jenna Segraves and I founded Enhanced Recovery After Delivery™ (ERAD), an obstetrics clinical pathway that maximizes mental and physical function during pregnancy and immediately postpartum.

ERAD™ prepares rehabilitation professionals to prioritize function as a Perinatal Health Specialist. The Perinatal Health Specialist is the only certification in the world that expands access to Occupational and Physical Therapy in the hospital and home during pregnancy and immediately after birth.

Jenna Segraves, PT, DPT, NCS, CLT

Doctor of Physical Therapy with 8+ years of experience in physical therapy, teaching, and mentoring students. Assistant Professor for DPT students, teaching Neuroscience and Neurological Movement System I-II. Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist, published author, and presenter at national and state physical therapy conferences. Co-creator of a 2-day continuing education course for acute care occupational and physical therapists with a focus on the maternal and postpartum population to reduce the risk of neurological or wound events.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. For more details read our blog post: Can I earn OT CEUS from a podcast? To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Explained. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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