Date Presented 04/03/2025
Menstruation and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) are activities of daily living and within the scope of OT practice. This poster highlights the perspectives of OT faculty members on this topic in academic programs.
Primary Author and Speaker: Glynnis Jones
Additional Authors and Speakers: Samantha Mohr, Dana Perricone, Emily Weiss
PURPOSE: Researchers investigated the perspectives of OT faculty members on menstruation and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in OT academic programs. To date, there is no research specifically focused on OT faculty member perspectives on menstruation and MHM education and inclusion of this topic in OT academic programs.
DESIGN: This study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological approach to gain insight on the lived experiences of OT faculty members about the topic of menstruation and MHM in their program's curriculum.
METHOD: Semi-structured Zoom interviews were conducted with seven OT faculty members, all with post-professional occupational therapy doctorate (PP-OTD) degrees, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Data analysis included interview transcription, coding, and development of themes following Braun & Clarke's (2006) six phase thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Key themes from the interviews include: facilitators and barriers to teaching MHM, the call to raise awareness, recognition of MHM as part of OT scope of practice, and comfortability with the topic.
CONCLUSION: Addressing menstruation and MHM in OT academic programs is within the profession's scope but is often overlooked for numerous reasons. Faculty experiences highlight essential factors for developing well-rounded practitioners, emphasizing the need for OT programs to address the ADL needs of clients in a thorough manner.
IMPACT STATEMENT: An important ADL included in the OTPF-4 is menstrual hygiene and menstruation-related occupations, included under the ‘Toileting and toilet hygiene' section as ‘caring for menstrual and continence needs’ (2). This study highlights the importance of addressing menstruation and MHM in OT education as part of comprehensive self-care, acknowledging that support in this area can be essential for the promotion of independence and overall well-being of clients.
References
Prize, N. B., Kanat, S. S., & Wruble, A. C. (2023). Gaps in sexual health content of healthcare professional curriculum: A systematic review of educational interventions. BMC Medical Education, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04901-1
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2), Article 7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Duran, R. R., & Valdes, K. A. (2021). Sexuality Within Occupational Therapy Education: Assessing Faculty and Student Perceived Competence. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2021.050105
