OTD Capstone Projects

Abstract

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Med Center Health, located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Med Center Health is a non-profit health system with a mission to care for people and improve the quality of life in the communities they serve. Med Center Health – Bowling Green (MCBG) provides a broad range of services for the Southcentral Kentucky community including a level III NICU and acute pediatric unit. The purpose of this project was to enhance current therapy services and resources provided in the NICU as well as initiate development of a rehabilitation program on the pediatric floor. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, communication and collaboration with various healthcare professionals, and patient interaction during observation in both the NICU and acute pediatric settings.

For the MCBG NICU, this project resulted in established criteria for infants receiving neonatal therapy orders, guidelines for therapy discharge recommendations, updated educational resources for caregivers, and an educational presentation for NICU staff. For the MCBG pediatric floor, this project resulted in a pediatric interdisciplinary rehab screening form and protocol, a pediatric OT evaluation template, supply list recommended for pediatric patients, and an educational powerpoint for staff on this floor. The overall focus of this project is to advocate for a multidisciplinary team approach to be implemented for infants and pediatric patients in order to provide holistic, patient-centered care at MCBG.

Publication Date

Spring 4-22-2025

Faculty Mentor

Whitney Dupree, OTD, OTR/L

Department

Occupational Therapy, School of

College

Health Sciences & Nursing, Gordon E. Inman College of

Document Type

Poster

Degree

Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Grantor

Belmont University

Keywords

Family-centered care; developmental care; neonatal therapy; NICU follow-up care; therapy referral guidelines; pediatric acute care; advocacy; multidisciplinary approach; interdisciplinary approach

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