COVID-19 and OT: Evidence and Discussion

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

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So much about the COVID-19 era feels unpredictable and beyond our control. 

But, the research analysis covered in this course will open your eyes to some ways where we can be extremely helpful. Not only can you use your occupational therapy skills to help patients in acute care, but you can even help those who are home with mild symptoms.

I know we say this at OT Potential a lot, but your skill set is desperately needed.

The course will begin with a breakdown of some current research on COVID. Then, Torrie Niewohner, an occupational therapist who treats patients with COVID-19 in the inpatient setting, will join us to discuss practical takeaways.

Supplemental Materials

Download the handouts about COVID-19 recovery from John Hopkins that are discussed in the podcast.

Primary Research 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.

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pulmonary Rehabilitation for COVID-19

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify 4 specific considerations for patients with COVID-19 in the inpatient setting.
• You will be able to identify 4 specific considerations for patients at home with mild symptoms resulting from COVID-19. 

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown of research analysis of COVID-19 Rehab (10 minutes)

• Who wrote this paper and why we chose it
• General principles for COVID rehab
• Outpatient management of mild COVID cases
• Acute inpatient management of COVID cases
• Post-acute COVID rehab
• Assessments recommended
• Recommended further reading
• What the authors concluded/discussed
• Takeaways for OT practitioners

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with guest Torrie Niewoner) (45 minutes)

• Walk us through how your hospital structured rehab for patients—starting with when you got some of the earliest cases in the US—and explain how your care has evolved over time.
• Walk us through an average day on the COVID unit, and an average session working with a patient who has COVID.
• What specific considerations do you have when you see COVID patients?
• How is treating patients with COVID similar to/different than how you’d treat other patients?
• What unique considerations do you have when thinking about discharge for these patients?
• Did any recommendations from the article we read jump out to you? 
• What do you think is the most important takeaway for those listening to this podcast episode? 

Target Audience/Educational Level

Occupational therapy practitioners who work with patients who have COVID-19. 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 guest, Torrie Niewohner, has no financial interest in this topic to disclose.

Speakers

Torrie Niewohner, OTR/L

Torrie never wants to stay in one spot. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Early Education and Child Development, she went on to get her OT degree at Nebraska Methodist. Now, as a licensed therapist, she works at Nebraska Medicine in the surgical intensive care unit and the step-down critical care unit, where she has found a passion for early intervention with poly-trauma patients.

She hopes to continue learning as she works toward a transition into the neonatal therapy world, providing early intervention to children 0 to 5 years of age. Read full bio.

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. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. 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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