OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Research for occupational therapy

Papers an occupational therapist can act on, across daily living, mental health, hand therapy, paediatrics and rehabilitation, each read in full rather than from its abstract.

10,853 PAPERS · PAGE 103 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTQualitative2022Digital platforms: Perceived criteria of success, importance of work design, occupational safety and health for present and prospective digital platforms.Work (Reading, Mass.)Platform workers and founders in Germany identified user orientation, scalability, network effects, and niche occupation as key to success. Occupational safety, health, and work design were not seen as success factors, with respondents viewing them as secondary or problematic.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Healthcare utilisation and unmet health needs in children with intellectual disability: a propensity score matching approach using longitudinal cohort data.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRChildren with intellectual disability had similar GP and emergency department use to peers, but were more likely to be seen in hospital and stay overnight at age 9. Caregivers reported unmet health needs at ages 9 and 13, primarily due to waiting lists and lack of accessible care.
• PTOTQualitative2022Goals and Action Plans Across Time and Place-A Qualitative Study Exploring the Importance of "Context" in Person-Centered Rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPeople with rheumatic disease said hospital goals and action plans felt useful during admission but often lost relevance after discharge, when work, family, pain and fatigue crowded them out. They wanted follow-up support at home.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022Feeding practices in public hospitals' neonatal intensive care units: An exploration into the ways in which COVID-19 affected the best practice in Gauteng.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsIn two South African NICUs, lockdowns left staff overloaded, so nurses took over feeding, mothers were often absent, and caregiver training stopped.
• OTSLPQualitative2022Early positive approaches to support (E-PAtS): Qualitative experiences of a new support programme for family caregivers of young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDCaregivers said the E-PAtS group helped them feel normal, speak openly, gain confidence, and use small communication and daily routine strategies they reported as helpful for their child.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2022An evaluation of the structure and process of stroke rehabilitation in primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals in Ghana.The South African journal of physiotherapyIn Ghana, stroke care varies sharply by hospital level. Tertiary hospitals offer five sessions weekly with full teams and imaging, while primary and secondary sites provide only two weekly sessions, lack specialists like speech therapists, and have no on-site scans. Protocols are often inaccessible to staff.
• OTSurvey2022Characteristics of the autism spectrum disorder gastrointestinal and related behaviors inventory in children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA parent questionnaire for children with autism grouped GI-related signs into seven areas, including bowel pain and mealtime behaviors. It may help notice possible distress, but it cannot confirm a GI problem.
• PTOTPilot2022A Remotely Delivered Progressive Walking Intervention for Adults With Persistent Symptoms of a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Feasibility and Exploration of Its Impact.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesFor adults with persistent concussion symptoms, a remote progressive walking programme with coaching, monitoring and education was feasible, safe and well accepted. Participants walked more and reported fewer symptoms, less fear of movement, less fatigue and better quality of life.
• OTQualitative2022Identifying key components of a web-based long term care planning intervention for family caregivers of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDCaregivers of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities said fear, emotional weight, and lack of knowledge stopped them from making long-term care plans. They wanted plain-language, accessible tools that explain benefits, housing, and finances.
• OTCohort2022Atypical sensory processing features in children with autism, and their relationships with maladaptive behaviors and caregiver strain.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchSensory avoidance was the strongest predictor of caregiver strain, even after accounting for maladaptive behaviors. Identifying specific sensory patterns, rather than just behavior problems, helps clinicians understand which families are at highest risk for stress and where to target support.
• PTOTPilot2022Myosteatosis as a Shared Biomarker for Sarcopenia and Cachexia Using MRI and Ultrasound.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesUltrasound echo intensity correlated strongly with MRI fat fraction, suggesting it can estimate muscle fat infiltration at the bedside. However, neither measure distinguished healthy older adults from those undergoing cancer treatment, and traditional mass metrics like BMI showed no such correlation.
• PTOTRCT2022Effects of the Otago Exercise Program in older hypertensive patients with pre-frailty.Journal of physical therapy scienceTwelve weeks of the Otago Exercise Program improved frailty scores, gait speed, and balance in older adults with hypertension and pre-frailty. However, it did not significantly lower systolic blood pressure compared to routine walking, and diastolic blood pressure changes showed only a modest difference between groups.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2022Health sciences students' perception of the communicative impacts of face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic at a South African University.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsHealth science students reported that masks make hearing and reading emotions difficult, leading to anxiety and increased listening effort. They compensated by speaking louder, using more gestures, and focusing on eye contact. Students suggested clear masks, slower speech, and written information to improve clinical communication.
• PTOTRCT2022Laser acupuncture for claudication symptoms in peripheral artery disease - Does it work? A randomized trial.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAdding laser acupuncture to standard medication significantly improved patient-reported claudication symptoms and walking distance in older men with peripheral artery disease. However, because neither the therapists nor patients were blinded, the observed benefit may reflect expectation rather than the treatment's physical effect.
• PTOTOther2022Reliability of point-of-care shoulder ultrasound measurements for subacromial impingement in asymptomatic participants.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesWhen one therapist scans and measures a shoulder, results are consistent. When a second therapist scans, results vary widely. If two people measure the same saved images, they agree. The variability comes from how the probe is placed, not how the image is read.
• OTCohort2022Relationship between Activities of Daily Living of Home-Based Rehabilitation Users and Caregiver Burden-Induced Depression: A Retrospective Study.Occupational therapy internationalCaregiver burden was highest when patients had poor bladder control. A Barthel Index score of 5 or less for bladder control identified 90% of caregivers with high burden. This simple indicator may help occupational therapists spot caregivers at risk for depression.
• OTSLPCohort2022The relevance of the interpersonal theory of suicide for predicting past-year and lifetime suicidality in autistic adults.Molecular autismIn autistic adults, feeling like a burden and mentally rehearsing suicide predicted suicidal thoughts and attempts. Being single increased risk via these feelings. Pain tolerance did not predict attempts, and age at diagnosis showed no link to suicidality in this sample.
• OTSLPSurvey2022Comparison of unmet health care needs in children with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and both disorders combined.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRChildren with intellectual disability alone had more unmet medical, hearing and mental health care needs than children with autism, and more gaps in insurance coverage; children with both diagnoses had more general unmet needs but fewer unmet medical needs.
• PTOTOther2022Reliability of lower leg muscle thickness measurement along the long axis of the muscle using ultrasound imaging, in a sitting position.Journal of physical therapy scienceUltrasound is a reliable way to measure lower leg muscle thickness in sitting patients, but it does not predict ankle strength. Use it to track muscle size changes, but pair it with manual testing if you need to assess power.
• OTQualitative2022A mixed methods evaluation of the acceptability of therapy using LEGO® bricks (LEGO® based therapy) in mainstream primary and secondary education.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchFacilitators and parents rated LEGO-based therapy as highly acceptable, with facilitators rating it significantly higher than parents. Both groups saw benefits during sessions, but noted that these skills did not consistently transfer to the classroom or home environment.
• PTOTOther2022Implementation of falls risk evaluation at one-year after total hip arthroplasty: a cross-sectional study.Archives of physiotherapyOne year after hip replacement, 23% fell, yet most had balance confidence above 80. Nearly half of patients received no falls education, and only 2% used exercise to prevent falls. Standard screening missed these deficits, suggesting performance-based tests are needed.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Unscheduled healthcare for children with intellectual disabilities: A systematic scoping review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDChildren with intellectual disabilities visit GPs and emergency departments more often than their peers, yet often receive less urgent care and poorer service quality. Parents report feeling unheard, while clinicians admit they lack training and time to provide adequate support.
• PTOTOther2022Enhancing touch sensibility by sensory retraining in a sensory discrimination task via haptic rendering.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesHealthy adults improved their ability to distinguish virtual textures after training with a robotic device. The robot guiding the hand was more consistent than letting people explore freely. People felt more competent when the robot guided them. This is a test in healthy adults, not patients.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022The effects of COVID-19 on the rehabilitation of persons with aphasia: A scoping review.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsLockdowns and social distancing disrupted aphasia rehabilitation, reducing therapy sessions and isolating patients from support groups. Telehealth increased access but failed for many due to motor difficulties, cognitive issues, and clinicians' lack of online training. Caregivers faced overwhelmed roles and mental health strain.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Development and Validation of the Short-LIMOS for the Acute Stroke Unit-A Short Version of the Lucerne ICF-Based Multidisciplinary Observation Scale.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA 10-item stroke-unit observation scale rated motor, cognitive and communication daily tasks consistently, closely matched the original 45-item LIMOS, and tracked the Barthel Index moderately.
• PTOTCohort2022Peak functional ability and age at loss of ambulation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyFor boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, how they move at age 6 to 7 predicts when they will stop walking. A rise-from-floor time over 5 seconds or a low functional score at this age strongly predicts earlier loss of ambulation, even with steroid treatment.
• OTOther2022Design of Semantic Matching Model of Folk Music in Occupational Therapy Based on Audio Emotion Analysis.Occupational therapy internationalThe paper describes a computer algorithm for retrieving folk music based on emotion analysis. It reports no clinical trial, no patient outcomes, and no therapy sessions. There is nothing here to change your practice on.
• PTOTOther2022Biomechanical assessment of the ipsilesional upper limb in post-stroke patients during multi-joint reaching tasks: A quantitative study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStroke patients show measurable movement deficits in their 'unaffected' arm. These deficits are worse in patients with severe weakness on the other side and do not fully resolve by the subacute stage. Clinicians should assess and treat the non-paralyzed arm.
• OTOther2022Do children with and without autism spectrum disorder use different visuospatial processing skills to perform the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test?Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism but no intellectual disability drew the Rey figure less accurately than typical peers when copying and from memory. Their drawings were more fragmented, and spatial working memory scores were linked to performance differently for each group.
• OTSLPSurvey2022Effect of Covid-19 lockdown on indian children with autism.Research in developmental disabilitiesParents reported that children with autism regressed across daily living, language, behaviour, school and online therapy during the Indian lockdown. School performance showed the largest drop. The authors suggest preparing home-based and parent-led plans for future closures.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Change in Maladaptive Behavior Affects Intergenerational Relationships in Fragile X Syndrome.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesOver 7.5 years, decreases in maladaptive behaviors in adolescents and adults with Fragile X Syndrome predicted increases in maternal positivity more strongly than the reverse. Mothers of sons and daughters with fewer behavior problems described them more positively, suggesting behavior change may precede relational improvement.
• OTSLPOther2022Elevated symptoms of executive dysfunction predict lower adaptive functioning in 3-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchToddlers with autism had higher parent-rated executive function difficulties than siblings, children with other delays, and typically developing peers. These difficulties were linked to poorer communication, socialization, and daily living skills, even after accounting for development and autism severity.
• PTOTCohort2022A further study of relations between motor impairment and social communication, cognitive, language, functional impairments, and repetitive behavior severity in children with ASD using the SPARK study dataset.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn 13,887 children with autism, parent-reported motor problems were worse when social communication, repetitive behavior, cognitive, language, or daily-living difficulties were greater. Writing, cutting, ball skills, and coordination problems were most linked to those difficulties.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2022Reducing the gap between science and clinic: lessons from academia and professional practice - part B: traditional vocal therapy techniques and modern electrostimulation and photobiomodulation techniques applied to vocal rehabilitation.CoDASTraditional voice therapies like LSVT and Vocal Function Exercises have strong evidence for improving function. Electrostimulation and photobiomodulation are promising adjuncts but lack sufficient proof to stand alone. Clinicians should prioritize traditional methods and use modern technologies cautiously as add-ons.
• OTSurvey2022Occupational Dysfunction as a Mediator between Recovery Process and Difficulties in Daily Life in Severe and Persistent Mental Illness: A Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling Approach.Occupational therapy internationalIn people with severe mental illness, greater daily-life difficulties were associated with lower recovery. Occupational dysfunction was associated with greater daily-life difficulties and lower recovery.
• OTOther2022The Application of Rehabilitation Therapy Occupational Competency Evaluation Model in the Improvement of College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship.Occupational therapy internationalThis paper mixes topics from entrepreneurship education, social work, and tour guide training without providing any clinical methods, patient data, or rehabilitation outcomes. It contains no evidence that therapists can apply to patient care.
• PTOTOther2022Visualizing the Unseen: Illustrating and Documenting Phantom Limb Sensations and Phantom Limb Pain With C.A.L.A.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesC.A.L.A. lets therapists draw a patient’s phantom limb, posture and pain on a 3D avatar. Therapists rated it usable; patients rated the representation accurate. It is a documentation tool, not a treatment.
• PTOTOther2022Motor skills predict adaptive behavior in autistic children and adolescents.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchMotor skills, especially manual dexterity, were associated with adaptive behavior scores in autistic children and adolescents even when IQ and autism severity were considered. Higher movement or manual dexterity scores went with higher daily living, communication, and socialization scores.
• OTQualitative2022A Study of Environmental Factors in Low Vision Rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesLow vision consultants described lighting as a dynamic, relational factor rather than a fixed physical setting. In home visits and lab testing, adjustments to light, space, and social context were intertwined, making it impossible to separate the effect of any single change from the others.
• OTOther2022Factors Shaping Occupational Injustice among Resettled Syrian Refugees in the United States.Occupational therapy internationalResettled Syrian refugees described language barriers, rushed self-sufficiency demands, weak agency support, and unreliable interpretation as blocking work, social life, and family roles. These contextual pressures left them in mismatched work and isolation, not personal failure.
• PTOTCohort2022Factors that affect early postoperative health-related quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal cancer: a three-center cohort study.Journal of physical therapy scienceFour weeks after gastrointestinal cancer surgery, most quality-of-life scores dropped, but mental health improved. Walking distance at four weeks and baseline vitality predicted physical function, while walking distance, income, and baseline general health predicted general health.
• OTSLPCohort2022Attention/Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescent and Young Adult Males With Fragile X Syndrome.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities42% of adolescent and young adult males with Fragile X Syndrome met DSM-5 criteria for ADHD, mostly the inattentive type. The CBCL rating scale missed nearly 20% of these cases, so relying on it alone can lead to under-diagnosis in this group.
• PTOTQualitative2022It Is "All About Relationships" in Lifestyle Programmes for Adults Living With Type Two Diabetes Underpinned by a Person/Whānau-Centred Care Approach.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesParticipants described relationships as the core of their engagement. A non-judgmental, flexible atmosphere allowed them to balance attendance with family, work, and health demands. Attendee-led education helped them process information over time, empowering them to share knowledge with whānau and community.
• OTRCT2022Effect of Occupation Performance Coaching with Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning on Children with Specific Learning Disorder.Occupational therapy internationalSix mothers coached in a combined problem-solving and learning model reported that their children with specific learning disorder improved in daily activities and executive function. The intervention was delivered to mothers, not children, and the small sample size prevents firm conclusions about efficacy.
• OTOther2022Exploring the use of activity-based group therapy in increasing self-efficacy and subjective well-being in acute mental health.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTAfter one activity group, patients' confidence in using the activity to cope was moderate to high. This coping confidence predicted general mental health self-efficacy at discharge, which in turn predicted higher life satisfaction and happiness. Enjoying the activity mattered more than just completing it.
• PTOTOther2022Impact of Sprinting and Dribbling on Shoulder Joint and Pushrim Kinetics in Wheelchair Basketball Athletes.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesSprinting in a sports wheelchair places much higher loads on the shoulder than everyday propulsion. Dribbling reduces some of these forces compared to sprinting, but the overall intensity of sports wheelchair use remains high. Training plans should account for this significant mechanical stress.
• PTOTOther2022State of the Art Physiotherapist-Led Approaches to Safe Aging in Place.Archives of physiotherapyThis Masterclass outlines a physiotherapist-led assessment framework for older adults at risk of falls, detailing specific screening tools for cognition, mood, frailty, and home safety. It describes the HOP-UP-PT intervention model, which combines exercise, motivational interviewing, and environmental modifications to support aging in place.
• PTOTOther2022Biopsychosocial factors associated with chronic low back pain-related activity limitations in Burundi.The South African journal of physiotherapyLower education, poorer abdominal endurance, and higher depression scores were the strongest predictors of activity limitations in 58 Burundian patients with chronic low back pain. These three factors explained 49% of the variance in disability.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022How Was Studied the Effect of Manual Wheelchair Configuration on Propulsion Biomechanics: A Systematic Review on Methodologies.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMost wheelchair propulsion studies fail to report enough detail about the chair's setup to allow comparison or clinical use. Researchers often change one setting without controlling others, and many use able-bodied novices rather than actual wheelchair users.
• PTOTPilot2022Developing and Implementing ICF-Based Tools for Occupational Rehabilitation Supporting the Communication and Return to Work Process Between Sickness Absentees, Clinical Team and Jobcentre Contacts.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOccupational therapists and physiotherapists found that ICF assessments alone were too slow and lacked the patient's voice. Combining them with a positive-framed questionnaire and a structured report helped jobcentre contacts make better return-to-work decisions.