Objective : This study aims to confirm the awareness and role of case management among community occupational therapists and establish basic data on case management in the field of community occupational therapy. Methods : Questionnaires on case management were produced based on domestic and international literature. An online questionnaires were distributed to 145 occupational therapists working at community organizations. Among the returned questionnaires, a total of 133 questionnaires were used for data analysis, excluding 12 with unclear information. Descriptive statistics and multiple response analysis were used for data analysis. Results : Although there was general awareness of case management and the need for it, expertise in case management was found to be low. Most of the participants had experience(83.5%) in case management , and experts in charge of case management included occupational therapist(31.7%). The strength of occupational therapists as case managers was their high awareness of direct services such as assessment(28.1%) and direct intervention(23.3%). The weaknesses of occupational therapists as case managers were indirect services such as administrative duties(21.0%) and service linkage(19.6%). Most participants responded that they had no training experience on case management(71.4%), and the need for curriculum development(83.5%) and continuing education(78.9%) was very high. As a result of the importance of the occupational therapist's role, the most important roles were ADL training(4.74 points) in the service execution role. In the assessment role, the important results were shown in the order of analysis and evaluation of occupational performance(4.64 points) and establishing an assessment and intervention plan(4.63 points). Conclusion : In order for community occupational therapists to demonstrate their capabilities as case management experts, systematic support and infrastructure construction are necessary, and continuous research related to this needs to be conducted.

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Objective : The purpose of this study is to confirm how the general characteristics of occupational therapists working in dementia facilities, job stress from the working environment, and self-efficacy, a positive belief in the ability to solve problems through appropriate behavior in certain situations, affect the perception of person-centered care. Methods : A survey was conducted among occupational therapists working in dementia facilities across 15 institutions in 5 regions from December 2023 to January 2024. The differences in person-centered care according to general characteristics were analyzed using independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationship between person-centered care and job stress as well as self-efficacy. Regression analysis was conducted to identify factors influencing person-centered care. Results : The results of this study show that first, there were significant differences in age and work experience in the difference in person-centered care according to general characteristics. Second, there was a correlation between person-centered care, job stress, and self-efficacy. Third, it was found that job stress, self-efficacy of occupational therapists in dementia facilities affect person-centered care. Conclusion : The perception and practice of person-centered care considering the effects of job stress and self-efficacy of occupational therapists working in dementia facilities will have a positive effect on the management of dementia patients and the development and standardization of customized person-centered care education programs for dementia patients are necessary.

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Objective : This study attempted to find out how the degree of communication between occupational therapists working at the Dementia Care Center and protectors of dementia patients affects the job commitment and job satisfaction of occupational therapists. Methods : From December 2022 to February 2023, a survey was conducted on 68 occupational therapists at the Dementia Care Center who met the selection criteria on communication with protectors, job commitment, and job satisfaction. Statistical analysis was conducted to find out the impact of communication with protectors on job commitment and job satisfaction. Resutls : First, there was a significant difference in work experience in the comparison of job commitment according to the general characteristics of occupational therapists at the Dementia Care Center. Second, there was a significant difference in work experience in the comparison of job satisfaction according to the general characteristics of Dementia Care Center occupational therapists, and the more work experience, the higher the job satisfaction. Third, communication with dementia patient protectors at the Dementia Care Center was found to affect both job commitment and job satisfaction of occupational therapists. Conclusion : The organizational environment of occupational therapists, which is a legal manpower in the Dementia Care Center, a state-sponsored dementia institution, can have an important impact on the job performance of occupational therapists. In this study, it was confirmed that communication, one of the essential factors related to the job of the occupational therapist, affects job commitment and job satisfaction. For dementia patients with reduced cognitive function, the importance of communication with their protectors was considered in the job of occupational therapy, and the necessity of operating an communication training program of an institution that can promote positive improvement in communication.

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Objective : The purpose of this thesis is to compare the differences in musculoskeletal symptoms, pain, and quality of life between personal assistants for individuals with brain lesions and personal assistants for individuals with autism. Methods : The study was conducted from May 10th to 19th, 2023, having 114 personal assistants who work in Changwon as subjects; 62 personal assistants for individuals with brain lesions and 52 personal assistants for individuals with autism. We measured musculoskeletal symptoms and the level of pain by using a Nordic-style questionnaire, and quality of life with SF-36. Results : The result of the study is as follows. In both group, the pain in the shoulder(r=.24; p<.05), wrist and hands(r=.24; p<.01) remarkedly increased as the assistants have more work experience. In the case of the personal assistants for individuals with brain lesions, it turned out that they got more musculoskeletal symptoms in broader areas, with respect to symptom manifestation within twelve months and within one week(p<.05). The comparative analysis of SF-36 scores revealed a statistically significant lower score in the domain of Bodily Pain for personal assistants for individuals with autism(p<.01). Conclusion : Therefore, for personal assistants for individuals with brain lesions, the preventive intervention should be done to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms and pain and for personal assistants for individuals with autism, the psychological intervention is needed to alleviate the subjective physical pain.

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Objective : In this study, we aimed to find out how the general characteristics of people with dementia and their family caregiver’s general characteristics affect the quality of life of family caregivers of people with dementia using a quality of life assessment tool for family caregivers of people with dementia. Methods : Data were collected from families of dementia patients diagnosed with dementia through a questionnaire consisting of 7 items related to the people with dementia, 12 items related to the family caregivers of people with dementia, and 23 questions assessing the quality of life of the family caregivers of people with dementia, targeting family members of dementia diagnosed from March 2022 to November of the same year. Using SPSS 25.0 version, an independent samples t test and one-way analysis of variance were performed to identify differences in the general characteristics and general characteristics of people with dementia and their family caregivers. Results : The average quality of life score of the family caregivers of people with dementia who participated in the study was 46.92, and the scores for each subarea were 7.89 for health condition, 5.54 for daily life, 13.81 for work and others, 10.14 for burden, and 9.54 for stress. General characteristics that can affect the quality of life of family caregivers of people with dementia include: if the people with dementia is female with the lower the functional level, the problem behavior due to memory decline, decreased awareness of date and time, and difficulty in handling stool and urine. It was confirmed that the lower the economic level of the family caregivers of people with dementia, the lower the quality of life of the family caregivers of people with dementia, if the relationship with the people with dementia was that of the eldest daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law, or daughter. Conclusion : Through this study, major factors affecting people with dementia and their family caregivers' quality of life were identified. I hope that various organizations will be able to contribute improving policies for family caregivers of people with dementia along with developing education, counseling, and intervention programs for family caregivers of people with dementia.

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Objective : This study investigated the mediating effects of major competency on the association between the major satisfaction and career maturity of occupational students. Methods : The subjects were 177 students who had completed occupational majors at K University. The research period was from September 5 to 20, 2023. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. The statistical significance of the mediating effect was tested using SPSS PROCESS 4.3 Macro using the bootstrapping method. Results : According to the results of this study, the students showed a mean of 4.13 points in their satisfaction with their major, 3.58 points in their career maturity, and 3.71 points in major competency. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the students’satisfaction with their major, their career maturity, and major competency. In addition, their major competency produced a partial mediating effect on the relationship between their satisfaction with their major and their career maturity and the higher the major competency and career maturity, the higher the major satisfaction. Conclusion : Therefore, it is necessary to revitalize the curriculum that enhances major competency in order to increase major satisfaction.

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Objective : This study was conducted to develop an assessment tool for infection control activities to prevent infectious respiratory diseases in the general public aged 19 years and above. Measuring infection control activities in daily life activities has the advantages of improving personal hygiene, preventing respiratory infections and their transmission, and enabling early recognition of infectious diseases and rapid response to them to prevent their spread to local communities, which would reduce fear of respiratory infectious diseases socially and would contribute to the improvement of public health and quality of life. We felt the need to develop a tool for assessing infection control activities, including the areas of contact management and community restriction, by addressing the problems that existed in previous studies and reflecting the rapidly changing current environment. Method : From May 2022 to July 2022, previous studies were analyzed to come up with items that must be included in the assessment tool. After the preliminary assessment items were prepared through the first professional focus group meeting with three nurses, one professor, and one doctor who specialized in infection control, the importance and the frequency of performance of the assessment were investigated. Then through the second professional focus group meeting, similar functions and simultaneously performed activities were investigated to select the preliminary assessment items. After the preliminary assessment items were selected, a preliminary survey of 232 adults aged 19 years and above was conducted and Rasch analysis was performed to verify the validity of the items. The final assessment items were derived by analyzing the person and item fit, the difficulty of the items, the rating scale, and the separation reliability. Results : Of the 232 subjects, five (2.15%) were found to be ineligible. From the analysis of the fit of the assessment items with the 227 eligible subjects (excluding the five ineligible subjects), three items were judged as misfit items. The analysis of the difficulty of the items showed that the item “Do you carry disposable gloves when you go out?” was very difficult to do. The rating scale analysis showed that the three-point scale is more suitable than the five-point scale and that the separation reliability was 0.99. Finally, four categories (human surveillance, patient management, contact management, and community restriction) and 28 items were selected. Conclusion : For the infection control assessment tool, four categories and 28 items were finally selected, and a three-point Likert scale was developed. Follow-up studies are needed to prove the concurrent validity of the tool through its correlation with other assessment tools and to analyze factors that influence infection control activities.

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Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled artificial intelligence (AI) robot services, combined with counseling and monitoring provided by occupational therapy professionals, on the care of school-age children with developmental disabilities. Methods : IoT-based AI robots were provided to 171 school-aged children with developmental disabilities and their parents for four months, enabling the children to use the robots themselves with their parents. For the following six months, occupational therapy professionals conducted the monitoring including counseling, and education for parents during using the robot. The professional monitoring was provided to the parents by telephone calls every month and text messages at least once a week. To analyze the effectiveness of the robots, a usability test was conducted according to general characteristics right before the professional monitoring period. Additionally, to confirm the effects of the professional monitoring, a satisfaction of robot usage and effectiveness of care test were conducted before and after the monitoring period. Results : The study confirmed that IoT-based AI robots can be useful devices for the care of school-aged children with developmental disabilities, and there was no difference among the participants’ characteristics (p>.05). Furthermore, significant improvements in satisfaction with robot usage and effectiveness of care were shown after the professional monitoring for six months (p<.05). In particular, the interest, performance, and satisfaction regarding the cognitive program were higher compared to other programs, and they significantly improved even after six months monitoring period (p<.05). Conclusion : This study confirmed that IoT-based AI robots are effective for the care of children with developmental disabilities. To maximize these effects, we suggest that professional management and supervision by occupational therapists be needed. It is guessed that education and management of using AI robots for people with disability could become a new role for occupational therapists in community-based occupational therapy.

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