Journal of Acute Care Occupational Therapy

Note from the Editors: Winter 2026

2026-05-21T16:39:29-05:00

We are excited to begin our eighth year of facilitating an evidence-based resource specific to knowledge surrounding occupational therapy role and value in acute care practice, education, and leadership. We continue to promote our journal’s mission to provide an evidence-based resource that is current and representative of occupational therapy’s unique role in acute care.

Accommodating Occupational Therapy Students in Acute Care: Fostering Equity and Excellence in Clinical Education

2026-05-21T16:43:03-05:00

In acute care settings, practitioners are often asked to supervise occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students for fieldwork or capstone experiences. Graduate and undergraduate students represent a diverse population with varying abilities and needs. These needs may include physical disabilities, sensory processing variations, mental health conditions, and learning
disabilities that require nuanced support in clinical settings. The National Center for Education Statistics (2023) reports that 11% of postbaccalaureate students reported having a disability. Ozelie and colleagues (2019) cited that up to 16.9 % of students reported having a disability while on fieldwork. Clinical accommodations are critical to ensuring equitable access to clinical education, particularly within acute care settings’ intense and complex environment.Acute care practice settings present a unique crucible for students, where split-second decisions, high-stakes patient interactions, and rapidly changing clinical presentations create a particularly challenging environment for students with diverse needs. Hospital based fieldwork placements demand not just practice skills but also exceptional adaptability, time management, management of complexity, sensory processing, and mental resilience (Khan, 2023; Oldenburg, et al., 2023). Traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches to clinical training may unintentionally limit the growth of talented students so OT and OTA academia aim to illuminate the importance of thoughtful, individualized accommodations for acute care fieldwork placements. By examining the multifaceted challenges faced by OT students with diverse abilities, we aim to challenge existing paradigms and promote a more inclusive, supportive approach to fieldwork in the acute care setting. The goal is not simply compliance with legal standards, but a fundamental reimagining of how we support and empower the next generation of OT professionals. For example, in an acute care placement a student with strong clinical reasoning and communication skills but requires additional processing time may struggle with time-sensitive documentation and chart review synthesis demands. Under a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach, this student might be unfairly judged as lacking competence, even though their clinical skills are exceptional. Providing individualized accommodations—such as access to documentation templates, speech-to-text technology, or adjusted timelines for charting—allows the student’s strengths to shine while still meeting clinical requirements.

A Survey of Occupational Therapy Assessment and Treatment Practices in the Intensive Care Unit

2026-05-21T16:47:14-05:00

Background:
Survivors of critical illness suffer significant disability. Occupational therapists (OTs) have the expertise to address the physical, cognitive, and psychological impairments resulting from critical illness, yet their role in intensive care units remains underexplored.
Methodology:
An electronic survey developed according to best practices was sent to OTs currently practicing in the ICU in the United States through purposive snowball sampling. The survey collected data on both current and perceived best practices among critical care OTs in the United States.
Results:
Among 88 respondents, 51 (58%) had over 5 years of ICU experience, and 57 (70%) worked in academic medical centers. Respondents reported spending the greatest proportion of their ICU time addressing physical functioning, followed by ADL performance and cognition. Respondents used many different assessments for cognition, while only 49 respondents (56%) used standardized ADL assessments. Fifty two respondents (68%) indicated that standardized ADL assessment tools and 37 (51%) treatment protocols would benefit their practice.
Discussion:
There is wide practice variation in how OTs evaluate and treat cognitive, ADL, physical functioning, and psychological impairments in clients with critical illness. The development and standardization of appropriate assessments could help standardize practice, differentiate OT’s unique role in the ICU, and improve early rehabilitation efforts.