Esther Steultjens
Associate professor of Neurorehabilitation
Esther Steultjens is an associate professor of Neurorehabilitation, and manages the development of new insights in the fields of occupational therapy and neuropsychology. She makes sure that know-how finds its way to the care professionals and thereby contributes to both high-quality healthcare and client wellbeing.
The combination of an increasing aging population and a shrinking younger population means that the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of care must improve. In recent years, this has given rise to a demand for more evidence-based practices and a strong development of preventive care. Improvements are also needed for the care offered to the growing group of patients with physical and/or cognitive disabilities resulting from one or more disorders in their muscular or nervous systems (‘neuro’).
Better rehabilitation and social integration
Esther Steultjens conducts practice-based research on how to improve these patients’ rehabilitation and social integration (e.g. by urging patients to continue living at home longer). The know-how that she develops contributes to the discovery of new rehabilitation techniques, treatment methods and properly trained professionals that reflect the demand.
Research scope: measuring and contributing to activity performance and participation
Using her expertise in the fields of cognitive rehabilitation, occupational therapy and neuropsychology, she focuses her research scope on:
- the activities and participation levels in physical and mental rehabilitation for people with neurological disabilities
- the development of responsive outcome measures for measuring change in activity performance and participation
Steultjens shares this new know-how in publications (Pubmed, Cinahl) and translates it into practicable diagnostic instruments, treatment methods, protocols and guidelines (care innovation) that help improve patients’ rehabilitation and social integration.
Connecting
Esther Steultjens brings together education, research and professional practice and makes sure that the research results flow back to both education and the care sector. In her research projects, she also works in partnership with other national and international universities. Besides these core duties, Esther peer reviews scientific manuscripts for national and international scientific journals.
Teaching
Associate professor Esther Steultjens combines research in neurorehabilitation with teaching activities at different levels:
- Bachelors (Allied Health Professions)
- Post-graduate (advanced courses for professionals)
- Masters (Master in Neurorehabilitation, European Master of Science in Occupational Therapy - EuMScOT)
- PhD
Background
In addition to holding a position as associate professor, Esther Steultjens has her own company, Ergologie, which has been providing training in various countries in English in the field of neurorehabilitation for over 10 years (e.g. evidence-based practice in occupational therapy, developing and implementing guidelines, cognitive rehabilitation and specifically the Apraxia guidelines). She is trained in occupational therapy and neuropsychology and in 2005 was awarded her PhD for research on 'Efficacy of Occupational Therapy: the state of the art' at VU University Amsterdam. She works as an occupational therapist in community care for the elderly and in acute, sub-acute neurologic, geriatric and rehabilitation hospital care.
Publications
- Various medical articles (see Pubmed)
- Literature research into the constraint-induced movement therapy and its implications for professionalpractice
- Occupational therapy for care home residents with stroke
- O rganizational leadership, health risk screening, individually tailored programs, and supportive workplace culture might reduce presenteeism
Expertise areas
- Neurorehabilitation
- Neuropsychology
- Evidence based practice
- Occupational therapy
- A-ONE and PRPP lecturer
Partners in research
- Radboud University Nijmegen
- VU University Amsterdam
- Maastricht University
- University of Sydney, Australia
- University of Nottingham, UK
- University of Verona, Italy
- Advice board of the national occupational therapy association (EN)
- World Federation of Occupational therapy (WFOT)
- European Network of Researchers in Occupational Therapy (ECOTROS)
- Australian Occupational Therapy Journal Critically Appraised Papers (CAP)