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 107 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPQualitative2022Back to life: Is it possible to be myself again? A qualitative study with persons initially hospitalised due to COVID-19.Journal of rehabilitation medicineSix months post-hospitalization, patients valued gradual return-to-work and interdisciplinary rehab but felt abandoned as family patience waned over invisible symptoms. Some reported post-traumatic growth, while others grieved personality changes. This highlights the need for sustained support and tailored pacing.
• PTOTOther2022Physical activity enjoyment, exercise motivation, and physical activity in patients with heart failure: A mediation analysis.Clinical rehabilitationEnjoyment fully explains the link between motivation and physical activity in heart failure. A patient's motivation only translates into movement if they find the activity enjoyable. Clinicians should prioritize patient preference for enjoyment over generic motivational strategies.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2022Intensive Multi-Disciplinary Outpatient Rehabilitation for Facilitating Return-to-Work after Acquired Brain Injury: A Case-Control Study.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePatients in a coordinated daytime hospital programme were more likely to return to over half their previous work level than those in standard outpatient care. However, neither the primary outcome nor the overall return-to-work rate reached statistical significance, so this is a promising trend rather than proof of benefit.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Headaches in Traumatic Brain Injury: Improvement Over Time, Associations With Quality of Life, and Impact of Migraine-Type Headaches.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationHeadaches in traumatic brain injury patients generally improved over five years, but those with mild TBI had more severe and frequent headaches than those with moderate or severe injuries. Patients with migraine-type headaches reported worse quality of life, and those with moderate to severe headaches did not show significant improvement over time.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities of determining the ventilatory thresholds in subjects with a lower limb amputation and able-bodied subjects during a peak exercise test on the combined arm-leg (Cruiser) ergometer.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationDetermining the first ventilatory threshold on a combined arm-leg ergometer is reliable enough for group-level exercise prescription but not for individual cases. The second threshold was often impossible to identify, making it unreliable for clinical use.
• PTOTRCT2023Elbow flexion contractures in neonatal brachial plexus palsy: A one-year comparison of dynamic orthosis and serial casting.Clinical rehabilitationAfter one year, a dynamic night orthosis and serial casting reduced elbow contractures in children with brachial plexus injury by a similar amount. Serial casting worked faster in the first few months, but the difference disappeared by 54 weeks. Functional outcomes and adherence were comparable.
• PTOTCohort2023Footwear characteristics and foot problems in community dwelling people with stroke: a cross-sectional observational study.Disability and rehabilitationEvery one of the thirty people with chronic stroke in this study had at least one foot problem, yet most wore slippers indoors. Half of those indoor shoes were ill-fitting. Clinicians should check footwear and foot health directly, as patients often miss these issues.
• OTSLPQualitative2023Learning to flourish in a new reality: a thematic analysis of couples' experience of participation in a positive psychology intervention post-stroke.Disability and rehabilitationCouples after stroke described ReStoreD activities as giving them ways to notice feelings, slow down, spend intentional time together, and talk about difficult things. Some care-partners felt sadder seeing what they missed, so it is not a relationship fix.
• OTQualitative2023"I grabbed my stuff and walked out": Precarious workers' responses and next steps when faced with procedural unfairness during work injury and claims processes.Journal of occupational rehabilitationWorkers with insecure jobs often did not resist at first because they were confused, then fought back with anger, or quit claims or jobs after feeling unsupported. Winning appeals left them determined but wary.
• PTOTCohort2023Perceived Injustice as a Determinant of the Severity of Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms Following Occupational Injury.Journal of occupational rehabilitationIn 187 workers off duty after injury, stronger feelings of unfairness were linked to worse post-traumatic stress symptoms over 6 weeks. Women reported more severe pain and stress symptoms. This does not prove injustice caused symptoms.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2023Why Questionnaire Scores Are Not Measures: A Question-Raising Article.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationQuestionnaire scores are counts of behaviors, not true measures of ability. A higher score does not guarantee a patient has more of the trait being tested. Clinicians should treat raw scores as rough approximations, not precise metrics, when judging patient progress or comparing groups.
• OTSurvey2023Work limitations as a moderator of the relationship between job crafting and work performance: results from an SEM analysis of cross-sectional survey data.Journal of occupational rehabilitationJob crafting predicted better work performance only through higher engagement. Having work limitations weakened the link between job crafting and performance. Self-directed job changes alone may not overcome the barriers faced by workers with disabilities.
• PTOTCohort2023Post-fracture rehabilitation pathways and association with mortality among adults with cerebral palsy.Clinical rehabilitationIn adults with cerebral palsy discharged home after a fracture, starting outpatient physical or occupational therapy within 6 months was associated with lower 1-year mortality. Each additional week of therapy correlated with a 13% unadjusted and 16% adjusted reduction in mortality risk.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Post stroke intervention trial in fatigue (POSITIF): Randomised multicentre feasibility trial.Clinical rehabilitationTelephone-delivered CBT for post-stroke fatigue showed no significant benefit over a leaflet at six months. Both groups improved similarly. The intervention was feasible to deliver but adherence was low, with only 59% of the intervention group attending four or more sessions.
• PTOTSurvey2022Worldwide Survey of Clinician Practice on use of Adjunctive Therapies Following Botulinum Toxin Injection for Spasticity.Journal of rehabilitation medicineClinicians worldwide mostly prescribe home exercise, stretching, and splinting after botulinum toxin for spasticity. The main barriers are lack of time, money, and evidence, not patient refusal. Practice patterns are largely uniform across settings.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Barriers to Enrollment in Post-Stroke Brain Stimulation in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairOnly 1.9% of acute stroke patients qualified for a brain stimulation trial. Most exclusions were due to strict study criteria like prior strokes or age, not safety concerns. This suggests future trials need broader eligibility to improve enrollment rates.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022How do stroke survivors and their caregivers manage post-stroke fatigue? A qualitative study.Clinical rehabilitationStroke survivors and caregivers described managing post-stroke fatigue through acceptance, pacing, rest, diaries, goals, and talking with family. Strategies varied by person, and many said clinicians had not discussed fatigue or its management.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Skeletal Muscle Changes in the First Three Months of Stroke Recovery: A Systematic Review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn the first three months after stroke, muscle strength on the affected side generally increased while muscle thickness decreased. These small-to-moderate strength gains occurred despite muscle wasting, suggesting early recovery may rely more on neural changes than muscle growth.
• PTOTQualitative2022Living With Cervical Spinal Cord Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTen people with cervical spinal cord injury described how the pandemic forced difficult trade-offs between infection risk and essential caregiving. They found telemedicine helpful for routine care but inadequate for hands-on therapy, while isolation and loss of support severely impacted mental health.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022Supporting Sexual Functioning and Satisfaction During Rehabilitation after Spinal Cord Injury: Barriers and Facilitators Identified by Healthcare Professionals.Journal of rehabilitation medicineHealthcare professionals identified awkwardness and lack of training as key barriers to discussing sexual health in spinal injury rehab. They recommended normalizing the topic through standardized assessments, creating sex-focused patient resources, and actively including partners in care.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Physical therapy for facial nerve paralysis (Bell's palsy): An updated and extended systematic review of the evidence for facial exercise therapy.Clinical rehabilitationFacial exercise therapy is supported by recent evidence for improving facial function in Bell's palsy. However, the review could not combine data because studies varied widely in design, patient severity, and whether exercises were given alone or mixed with other treatments.
• PTOTOther2023Spasticity-related pain in children/adolescents with cerebral palsy. Part 2: IncobotulinumtoxinA efficacy results from a pooled analysis.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineChildren with cerebral palsy reported less spasticity-related pain after incobotulinumtoxinA injections, with relief deepening over four cycles. By the fourth cycle, 33.8% were pain-free during hard tasks. Without a placebo group, some improvement may reflect natural variation rather than the drug alone.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Injury Profiles of Police Recruits Undergoing Basic Physical Training: A Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitationInjury risk during police training was significantly higher for female recruits and those aged 30 or older. Lower limb and shoulder injuries caused the most time away from training, suggesting prevention efforts should target these areas and high-risk groups.
• PTOTCohort2023Acute Occupational and Physical Therapy for Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdults with COVID-19 who received therapy often had impaired activity tolerance, balance, strength, and cognition. ICU patients improved on mobility and daily activity scores by discharge, but gains were not compared with patients who did not receive therapy.
• OTSurvey2023Initial Evidence for Reliable and Valid Use of Scores on the 8-Item Econ-QOL Short Form to Measure Economic Quality of Life in Caregivers of Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationThe 8-item Econ-QOL short form seems a dependable way to ask caregivers of persons with TBI about economic quality of life. It identified caregivers below or possibly below the poverty line as having worse economic well-being.
• PTOTQualitative2023Developing A Conceptual Framework for Early Intervention Vocational Rehabilitation for People Following Spinal Cord Injury.Journal of occupational rehabilitationEarly vocational rehab for spinal cord injury works by building hope through consistent team messaging and trusting relationships. Speed and direction are governed by the patient, not the clock. No time pressure to return to work may help, but evidence is limited to New Zealand's compensation system.
• PTOTCohort2023Natural Course of Muscular Strength, Physical Performance, and Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMost hospitalized COVID-19 patients improved over 12 weeks, but sit-to-stand speed remained slow in many. Hand grip strength was normal in almost all, so lower-limb function lagged behind.
• OTRCT2023A study of prisms and therapy in attention loss after stroke (SPATIAL): A feasibility randomised controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationAdding brief prism adaptation training to routine occupational therapy for stroke patients with spatial inattention showed no benefit. The intervention was feasible and acceptable to patients and therapists, but the authors concluded it is not worth pursuing in a larger trial.
• OTSurvey2023Positive Organizational Psychology Factors as Serial Multiple Mediators of the Relationship between Organization Support and Job Satisfaction Among Peer Support Specialists.Journal of occupational rehabilitationPerceived organizational support was linked to higher job satisfaction in peer support specialists, but this link was fully explained by three workplace factors: autonomous motivation, work engagement, and organizational commitment. Direct support alone did not predict satisfaction once these factors were accounted for.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Telehealth and Remote Interventions for Children With Cerebral Palsy: Scoping Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesEvidence for telehealth in children with cerebral palsy is scarce and of poor quality, primarily from underpowered pilots. While aggregate results suggest telehealth may match or improve face-to-face care for hand function, clinical recommendations are not possible due to methodological flaws and inconsistent outcome measures.
• PTOTPilot2022Muscle adaptations in acute SCI following overground exoskeleton + FES training: A pilot study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAdding exoskeleton and electrical stimulation to standard care helped six people with acute spinal cord injury build leg muscle volume. It also improved static balance. However, the study was too small to prove these changes were real or to confirm the treatment works.
• PTOTCohort2022Increasing the Amount and Intensity of Stepping Training During Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Improves Locomotor and Non-Locomotor Outcomes.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPrioritizing high-intensity stepping in inpatient stroke rehab improved walking speed and distance compared to usual care. This occurred without hurting balance or transfer scores. However, falls increased in the high-intensity group. The study was non-randomized and relied on historical controls.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Varus Knee Limits Pain Relief Effects of Laterally Wedged Insoles and Ankle-Foot Orthoses in Medial Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePatients with less severe knee varus alignment experienced greater pain relief from both laterally wedged insoles and ankle-foot orthoses. A mechanical axis deviation under approximately 14.5 mm predicted a positive response to either device with over 80% sensitivity.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Effects of Different Montages of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Haemodynamic Responses and Motor Performance in Acute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineFive daily sessions of dual-montage tDCS before physical therapy improved lower-limb strength and walking speed more than other tDCS types or sham. Upper-limb function did not differ between groups. Brain blood flow measurements showed no significant changes in any group.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Association Between Anxiety Symptoms, Depression Symptoms, and Life Satisfaction Among Individuals 1 Year After Spinal Cord Injury: Findings From the SCIRehab Project.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAnxiety symptoms alone did not predict life satisfaction once depression was considered. However, depression moderated the link, meaning anxiety became significant when interacting with depression levels. Clinicians should monitor both anxiety and depression together to understand quality of life after spinal cord injury.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Facilitators and barriers to patient-centred goal-setting in rehabilitation: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationProviders often believe they are patient-centred but remain directive, creating a barrier to goal-setting. Patients feel unprepared and excluded from the team. The review identifies provider attitudes and lack of time as the primary obstacles, suggesting interventions must target provider beliefs and workflow, not just patient education.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2022Compliance with Upper Limb Home-Based Exergaming Interventions for Stroke Patients: A Narrative Review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineHome exergaming compliance varies widely because prescriptions are inconsistent and technical barriers are common. Patients often exceed time limits if allowed, but drop out due to pain, fatigue, or hardware failure. Successful programmes need familiarization, remote support, and realistic dosing to sustain engagement.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022A meta-synthesis of individual, interpersonal, and systemic factors impacting resilience after traumatic brain injury.Rehabilitation psychologySurvivors of traumatic brain injury describe resilience as shaped by three levels. Individual barriers include cognitive decline and identity loss, countered by behavioral strategies like task breakdown. Interpersonal factors involve stigma and isolation, mitigated by strong support networks. Systemic barriers include lost employment and poor service access, eased by vocational support and accessible community resources.
• PTOTQualitative2022Recovering from COVID-19 - A Process Characterised by Uncertainty: A Qualitative study.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePeople recovering after hospital treatment for COVID-19 described fluctuating symptoms, everyday tasks becoming hard, and strategies such as pacing, planning, reminders, and asking for help.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2022Competing at the Cybathlon championship for people with disabilities: long-term motor imagery brain-computer interface training of a cybathlete who has tetraplegia.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA pilot with tetraplegia improved BCI race times during training but slowed down before competition. The authors link this drop to stress and unstable relaxation signals, suggesting future training must focus on maintaining calm states under pressure.
• PTOTSurvey2023Factors Influencing Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationDuring the early pandemic, 26.3% of older adults said physical activity was worse, while most reported no change in home or housework mobility. Walking volume, falls, pain, health, assistance, comorbidities, fear of falling, and pleasant neighborhoods were linked to better mobility.
• OTQualitative2023"I noticed that when I have a good supervisor, it can make a Lot of difference." A Qualitative Study on Guidance of Employees with a Work Disability to Improve Sustainable Employability.Journal of occupational rehabilitationEmployees with work disabilities mostly liked their supervisors' guidance, but wanted clearer communication, appreciation, and growth opportunities. Most did not notice changes after supervisor training, so this study cannot show the training worked.
• PTOTCohort2023Does Consulting an Occupational Medicine Specialist Decrease Time to Return to Work Among Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients? A 12-Month Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitationConsulting an occupational medicine specialist within three months of total knee replacement did not speed up return to work. Patients who saw a specialist returned to work later than those who did not, especially those with high preoperative expectations of their work ability.
• PTOTCohort2022Return-to-Work Following Occupational Rehabilitation for Long COVID: Descriptive Cohort Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesOnly 53% of workers with long COVID returned to work after rehabilitation, and 93% of those who did required modified duties. Having modified duties available at admission was the strongest predictor of returning to work. Symptoms improved modestly, but function and PTSD did not.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Factors influencing the length of stay in a unit with mixed rehabilitation and psychiatric care after a suicide attempt by jumping: a cohort observational retrospective study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineLonger hospital stays after suicide jumps were driven by physical severity, not just psychiatric diagnosis. Patients with longer acute care stays, continence issues, or sphincter disorders stayed significantly longer. Behavioral dependence and unemployment also predicted longer stays. Arm mobility limits were linked to shorter stays.
• OTSLPCohort2022Complexity of Participation Post-Stroke: Longitudinal Assessment of Community Participation, Positive Affect, Social Support and Functional Independence.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThree months after stroke rehab, religious or spiritual activity, happiness, social cognition, and socializing outside the home were the strongest links to more social support and motor independence at 12 months. This was observational, not a treatment test.
• PTOTCohort2022Hip subluxation in Italian cerebral palsy children and its determinants: a retrospective cohort study.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationHip displacement worsens fastest in early childhood and around puberty. Standing and walking devices with weight relief were linked to lower migration, especially when combined with botulinum. Surgery reduced displacement, but soft tissue surgery did not prevent progression long-term.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022The effects of rehabilitation therapy duration on functional recovery of patients with subacute stroke stratified by individual's age: a retrospective multicenter study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineLonger daily rehabilitation was linked to better functional recovery in stroke patients aged 70 and older, but not in those under 70. This suggests older adults may benefit more from increased therapy duration, while younger patients might already be receiving enough.
• PTOTSurvey2022Identifying the most proximal multi-level factors associated with meeting each of the 24-h movement behavior recommendations in a sample of autistic adults.Disability and health journalAutistic adults with more comorbidities had lower odds of meeting sleep guidelines. Those with greater daily living independence and who attended more group activities were more likely to meet physical activity guidelines. These are correlations from a survey, not proof that changing these factors improves health.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Italian version of the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire in individuals with peripheral facial palsy.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThe Italian Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire is reliable and valid for patients with facial palsy. A change in score must be at least 14 points to reflect true improvement, helping clinicians distinguish real recovery from measurement error.