Rachel Bambrick, was a student who received her masters in OT from Ithaca College in 2015. She has worked as an occupational therapist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia since graduation. In collaboration with Dr. Carole Dennis and Dr. Kimberly Wilkinson their article titled Understanding Therapists' Use of Play with Children with Life-Threatening Conditions: A Qualitative Study was published in The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy: Vol. 6: Iss. 2, Article 4.
Credentials Display
Rachel Bambrick, MS, OTR/L; Carole Dennis, ScD, OTL, FAOTA; Kimberly Wilkinson, PhD, OTR/L
Abstract
Background: This study examined how occupational therapists use play in their treatments when working with children with life-threatening conditions.
Methods: This narrative qualitative study used an interpretive phenomenological approach to data analysis. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with each therapist; interviews were designed to gather an understanding of how these occupational therapists work with children with life-threatening conditions and the ways in which they use play.
Results: Four major themes arose from the interviews along with two sub-themes. The four major themes were: play as a means, playful moments, condition-dependent limitations, and reimbursement. The two sub-themes were the importance of play and allowing for more play at end of life.
Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that while therapists value play as an occupation, they are typically using it as a means to another end in therapy with children with life-threatening conditions. In addition, therapists who incorporate play into treatment when working with children with life-threatening conditions face many challenges, including the limitations of insurance reimbursement and the confines of practicing in a hospital-based setting.
Comments
The authors report no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Recommended Citation
Bambrick, Rachel L.; Dennis, Carole W.; and Wilkinson, Kimberly (2018) "Understanding Therapists’ Use of Play with Children with Life-Threatening Conditions: A Qualitative Study," The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy: Vol. 6: Iss. 2, Article 4.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1283
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20180404105011452