Occupational Therapy Journal Club

During the 2020–2021 academic year, we launched the first edition of the Occupational Therapy Journal Club as part of the Miguel Hernández University Winter Courses. The programme was delivered online from 1 to 31 March 2021, combining 19 hours of asynchronous learning with 6 hours of live interactive sessions through the UMH Virtual Campus.

Each week, participants critically appraised a different type of scientific article, including a cross-sectional study, a cross-cultural adaptation and validation study of an assessment instrument, a randomized clinical trial, and a systematic review.

Overall Objective to develop participants’ skills in the critical appraisal of scientific literature in Occupational Therapy.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

1. Develop regular habits for reading scientific literature.

2. Distinguish between primary and secondary research studies.

3. Differentiate among the main types of literature reviews.

4. Formulate relevant research questions.

5. Strengthen knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics.

6. Become familiar with reporting guidelines for different study designs.

7. Learn how to critically appraise different types of scientific publications.

8. Critically evaluate Occupational Therapy research articles..

9. Enhance skills in synthesis, discussion, and leadership.

During the 2024–2025 academic year, we launched the second edition of the Occupational Therapy Journal Club, again as part of the Miguel Hernández University Winter Courses. The programme ran from 9 December 2024 to 14 April 2025.

Sessions were held monthly. The programme began with an introductory session dedicated to presenting the course and completing the baseline assessment, followed by four journal club sessions focused on the critical appraisal and discussion of recent scientific publications.

Articles Discussed:

• Production time and practicability of 3D-Printed wrist orthoses versus low temperature thermoplastic wrist orthoses, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39494223/ 
• Concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of Squegg Smarty dynamometer and handgrip trainer in healthy individuals, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38827653/
• Telephone-Based Rehabilitation Intervention to Optimize Activity Participation After Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38517442/
• Autism intervention meta-analysis of early childhood studies (Project AIM): Updated systematic review and secondary analysis, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37963634/

In 2025, we organized a special edition of the Occupational Therapy Journal Club for Occupational Therapy professionals working in paediatrics in Peru. The programme was delivered on 20, 23, and 29 July 2025.

Articles Discussed:

• Functional Assessment of Handwriting Among Children: A Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37877571/  
• Co-Parenting Quality, Parenting Stress, and Feeding Challenges in Families with a Child Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28070782/
• Ayres Sensory Integration® With Children Ages 0 to 12: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40193295/