OT and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – Free OT CEU Course

Earn 1.25 hours of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

Unfortunately, research on the lived-experience for those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome shows us that we as a profession need to be doing a better job.

People with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome report:

• A lack of reliable information for themselves
• Social stigma from peers.
• Lack of awareness of EDS in the healthcare community

As occupational therapy professionals, there is much we can contribute to supporting this population. And, today we’ll look at a self-management program that is grounded in behavior change theory and we co-designed with people with lived experience of EDS.

Next week we will welcome to the podcast, an occupational therapist who has EDS and also treats EDS clients in her clinical practice, Emily Rich, PhD, OTR/L. Emily and I will discuss self-management, along with assessment and treatment of EDS.

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.

• Developing a self-management intervention to manage hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS): an analysis informed by behaviour change theory.

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Immediate and 6-week after effects of a rehabilitation program for Ehlers–Danlos syndrome hypermobile type patients: A retrospective study.
• Occupational Therapy Interventions for Clients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) in the Presence of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify assessments OTs can utilize with EDS clients.
• You will be able to recognize both traditional and emerging treatment approaches for EDS.

Agenda

Intro and breakdown and analysis of journal article

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:02:59 Quick intro to Ehlers-Danlos and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder
• 00:05:04 Background on Behavior Change and Self-Management Programs
• 00:05:53 What was the intent of this research?
• 00:08:24 What were their results?
• 00:11:20 Author discussion/conclusion
• 00:13:04 Intro to Emily Rich

Discussion on practical implications for OTs

• 00:14:38 What Emily wants you to know about living with EDS
• 00:20:22 Emily’s current clinical work and research interests
• 00:23:40 Article Impressions
• 00:30:35 When you are evaluating someone with EDS, what assessments do you typically use?
• 00:36:04 What are some typical OT goals for someone with EDS?
• 00:41:33 What have you seen as some of the standard approaches for OT treatment?
• 00:45:04 What Emily sees as the future of EDS treatment
• 00:50:08 Setting-up our clients for self-management at discharge
• 01:00:06 Go-to resources that Emily recommends for education around EDS
• 01:04:16 Technologies Emily foresees being helpful for OT better serve people with EDS

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about OT and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  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. 

Speakers

Emily Rich, PhD, OTR/L

Emily Rich, PhD, OTR/L is a researcher and clinical specialist in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS)/ joint hypermobility. Emily’s research centers around POTS and rehabilitation therapy, specifically exploring self-management and group-based treatment options. As a clinician, Emily specializes in treating individuals with chronic conditions including forms of dysautonomia such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and joint hypermobility, persistent pain, and Parkinson disease. She places a high value on patient-partnered, evidenced-based treatment.

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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