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 122 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTOther2022Participation and Functional Independence in Adults With Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieAdults with ARSACS had disrupted daily and social activities, especially housing, mobility, community life and leisure. Mobility level tracked worse independence, and motor performance related to daily activity participation.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2023A follow up survey on the impact of COVID-19 on hand therapy practice.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsHand therapists reported a slow return to normal practice with increased in-person visits and decreased telehealth use. However, most still experienced high stress levels related to safety measures, childcare, eldercare, job security, and the political climate.
• OTOther2023Narrative Theater to Examine and Mitigate Anti-Black Racism Within Occupational Therapy.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthAttending a theatrical performance depicting anti-Black racism in occupational therapy significantly reduced stigma beliefs in audience members. Attendees reported increased psychological flexibility, with White participants describing new awareness of their own complicity and Black participants feeling seen and affirmed.
• PTOTOther2023Quantitative measurement of finger usage in stroke hemiplegia using ring-shaped wearable devices.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA ring device objectively measured finger use in 20 stroke patients, showing affected hands were used less. However, this objective data did not match patients' self-reported use on the Motor Activity Log, suggesting subjective interviews may not accurately reflect real-world finger movement.
• OTOther2023Association between employment status and quality of life for individuals with intellectual or developmental disability.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDPeople with intellectual disabilities reported being satisfied with their lives despite objective conditions like low pay and limited community access. Competitive employment improved objective scores for safety and productivity compared to unemployment or work centers, but subjective satisfaction did not differ by employment status.
• OTCohort2023Driving Errors Predicting Pass/Fail On-Road Assessment Outcomes Among Cognitively Impaired Older Drivers.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthFor older drivers with cognitive impairment, three specific on-road errors predict failing a driving assessment: adjusting poorly to traffic, drifting from the lane, and regulating speed badly. These errors occurred in 98.8%, 91.3%, and 98.8% of drivers respectively, distinguishing those who failed from those who passed.
• OTQualitative2023Health Management Occupations During COVID-19: Experiences of Older African Americans With Multimorbidity.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthOlder African Americans with multiple chronic conditions said pandemic closures and fear interrupted care, medication, exercise, and social routines. OTs can target habits and community supports. Some participants also reported respite, home routines, and new connections.
• PTOTSLPOther2023A modified two-dimensional sensory organization test that assesses both anteroposterior and mediolateral postural control.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA new balance test that moves the platform sideways as well as forward and back causes much greater side-to-side sway than the standard version. This confirms it successfully challenges the body's ability to sense sideways position, filling a gap in assessing fall risk.
• PTOTSLPPilot2023The Community Rehabilitation Assessment: patient and clinician-reported outcomes in ambulatory rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPatients in ambulatory rehab showed large improvements in daily activities and walking speed. The new assessment captured these changes, but without a control group, it is unclear how much was due to treatment versus natural recovery.
• OTQualitative2023Social Networks May Shape Visually Impaired Older Adults' Occupational Engagement: A Narrative Inquiry.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthFive women with age-related vision loss described how family provided practical help for daily tasks, while friends offered companionship for leisure. Peers with similar vision loss were key for sharing specific coping strategies. Reciprocity in relationships helped them maintain a sense of independence.
• PTOTOther2023Cognitive Impairments After Stroke Do Not Attenuate Explicit Visuomotor Adaptation in Reaching and Savings With the Unaffected Arm.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke participants using their unaffected arm adapted to a 40° reaching rotation and relearned it as well as age-matched controls, despite lower cognitive screening scores. Both older groups were less accurate than young controls.
• PTOTSurvey2022The impact of COVID-19 on hand therapy practice.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsHand therapists reported more stress, smaller caseloads, and sudden telehealth use during the early pandemic period. They described PPE, reduced in-person care, and uncertainty about future. This is a self-report survey, not patient outcome evidence.
• OTOther2022Alberta Rating Index for Apps: Study of Reliability and Validity.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieA new tool for rating mental health apps showed moderate to high reliability for occupational therapists and adults with mental health conditions, but low reliability for older adults. Therapists rated apps stricter than other groups. The tool correlates moderately with existing scales.
• OTSLPQualitative2023Deaf Identity Under Pressure: Experiences of Deaf Persons in Iceland.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationSix culturally Deaf Icelanders described their identity as tied to a shrinking community. They feared sign language extinction due to cochlear implants and felt isolated by the small group size, with some seeking connection abroad.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2023Transitions for older people with intellectual disabilities and behaviours that challenge others: A rapid scoping review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDOlder adults with intellectual disabilities and behaviours that challenge others often move in crisis when future planning, needs assessment and specialist support are late or missing. Early person-centred planning, communication supports and access to specialist teams are described as key.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Changes in physical function of frail elderly females in the one-year long-term care prevention program.Journal of physical therapy scienceFrail women attending a one-year community care prevention program maintained walking speed, balance, and overall function, but grip strength significantly decreased. The program focused on lower limb exercise, leaving upper limb strength unaddressed.
• PTOTOther2023The Swedish King's Parkinson's disease Pain Scale: Validation and pain prevalence in persons with mild-moderate severity Parkinson's disease.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe Swedish King's Parkinson's Pain Scale correlates strongly with visual pain scores and captures pain independently of balance. In mild-moderate Parkinson's, 57% reported pain, mostly musculoskeletal. Use this scale to identify pain types that require specific rehabilitation strategies.
• PTOTCase-Control2023Muscle Strength, Oxygen Saturation and Physical Activity in Patients with Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome Compared to Asymptomatic Controls.International journal of sports physical therapyPatients with chronic exertional compartment syndrome had lower resting oxygen saturation and quit treadmill tests 3.5 minutes earlier than controls, but showed no differences in muscle strength or daily activity. Pain levels, not physiological deficits, distinguished the groups.
• OTSLPCohort2023How do autistic people fare in adult life and can we predict it from childhood?Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchOnly 5% of autistic young adults lived independently, and many needed support from family or services. Childhood IQ and adaptive skills could forecast living situation and employment, but not mental health or friendships.
• OTPilot2023Measuring Arm and Hand Joint Kinematics to Estimate Impairment During a Functional Reach and Grasp Task after Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke participants with similar arm function scores showed very different joint movement patterns on a sensor glove. The glove can map arm and hand joint movement patterns, but this small pilot did not test whether it improves therapy.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Resting energy expenditure in adolescents with Down syndrome: a comparison of commonly used predictive equations.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRThe Institute of Medicine equation accurately predicted resting energy expenditure in adolescents with Down syndrome, matching measured values. Other common equations overestimated or underestimated needs by up to 140 kcal per day. Use IOM for weight management, but monitor individual responses carefully.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2023Environmental determinants for participation among stroke survivors in Africa, a scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStroke survivors in Africa faced severe environmental barriers to participation. Inaccessible transport, buildings, and homes restricted mobility and therapy access. While family support was often positive, societal stigma and lack of assistive devices hindered reintegration. These factors drove survivors to self-imposed isolation.
• OTQualitative2023Knowing and accepting oneself: Exploring possibilities of self-awareness among working autistic young adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceWorking autistic adults described self-awareness as a skill they actively build, not a deficit. They learn from past experiences to manage energy, rely on informal support for daily tasks, and use diagnosis to understand their own functionality rather than just fitting neurotypical norms.
• OTOther2023Eye-tracking control of an adjustable electric bed: construction and validation by immobile patients with multiple sclerosis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe eye-tracking bed-control system let patients with MS change bed positions, but they were slower and less efficient than controls. Practice helped, and seven of 16 who could use it preferred it.
• OTQualitative2023Occupation's Role in Inclusion of Spanish-Speaking Older Adults in a Senior Center.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthSpanish-speaking elders described feeling included when the senior center proactively offered regular activities in Spanish, staff learned their interests, and bilingual staff made first contact. When English-only information assumed they would ask, they did not connect.
• OTOther2022Characterizing Cognition in Everyday Life of Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Decline.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthOlder adults who felt their thinking was worsening but scored normal on tests reported less memory satisfaction, more everyday planning and working memory problems, and completed fewer real-world tasks than healthy adults. This suggests asking about daily tasks, not only test scores.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Implementing the Get SET Early Model in a Community Setting to Lower the Age of ASD Diagnosis.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPImplementing the Get SET model in community pediatric practices lowered the average age of autism diagnosis to 22.9 months. Screening tool use rose from 15% to 74%, and referrals increased from 24% to 79%. However, only 22% of diagnosed children started ABA therapy.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Switching attention deficits in post-stroke individuals with different aphasia types.AphasiologyPeople with non-fluent aphasia made more errors and responded slower than controls when switching attention between tones. People with fluent aphasia also made more errors but responded at normal speeds. These deficits occurred even without language tasks, suggesting attention problems are distinct from language loss.
• PTOTQualitative2023Perspectives of users for a future interactive wearable system for upper extremity rehabilitation following stroke: a qualitative study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTherapists and stroke survivors want wearable systems that adapt to each person's specific impairment level and goals. They prioritized devices that track both the quality and quantity of movement, capturing compensatory trunk motions during functional tasks like dressing or cooking.
• OTCohort2023The cognitive profile of middle-aged and older adults with high vs. low autistic traits.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchMiddle-aged and older adults with high autistic traits performed worse on working memory and complex attention tasks than matched peers. They reported more cognitive decline, but this self-report difference disappeared when depression symptoms were controlled. Informant reports showed no group differences.
• PTOTSLPPilot2023Cognitive-motor dual-task interference in adults with sickle cell disease.Gait & postureMost adults with sickle cell disease slowed down when walking and talking. They often prioritized the conversation over their gait. This dual-task assessment was feasible and acceptable. It may help identify functional decline earlier in this population.
• OTPilot2023Feasibility of a new homebased ballistocardiographic tool for sleep-assessment in a real-life context among workers.Work (Reading, Mass.)A new bed-based sleep sensor captured usable data in 70% of nights after initial setup problems were fixed. It matched diary reports for time in bed but not total sleep time. Nearly half of users felt the assessment itself disturbed their sleep, limiting its readiness for routine use.
• OTOther2023Development of a Swedish short version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognitive screening in patients with stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe short Swedish MoCA, at a score of ≤12, correctly identified 97.41% of stroke patients with cognitive impairment, but it is a screening test, not a diagnosis.
• OTQualitative2023Stakeholders' Expectations of Return-to-Work After Spinal Cord Injury: A 1-Year Follow-Up.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthWorkers with spinal cord injuries felt pressured to match their pre-injury productivity, while employers struggled to adjust expectations to new physical and cognitive limits. Both groups bypassed rigid insurance regulations to make part-time work sustainable, hiding the true schedule from authorities.
• OTSystematic Review2023Patient and Public Involvement in Occupational Therapy Health Research: A Scoping Review.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthPatient and public involvement in occupational therapy research varied widely in how it was done and when it happened. None of the included studies formally evaluated the impact of this involvement, though researchers reported anecdotal benefits to study design and ethics.
• PTOTOther2023Assessing real-world gait with digital technology? Validation, insights and recommendations from the Mobilise-D consortium.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA lower-back wearable could identify walking bouts, steps, and cadence reasonably well in real life, but stride length was unreliable, especially for slow or short bouts.
• OTSystematic Review2022Indigenous Peoples and Occupational Therapy in Canada: A scoping review.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieMost Canadian occupational therapy literature on Indigenous Peoples is reflective grey literature, not primary research. Of eight empirical studies, only two used Indigenous methodologies or had Indigenous leadership. Partnership is a dominant theme, but concrete strategies and community-led evidence remain scarce.
• OTOther2022Parents' and Therapists' Satisfaction with Four Early Childhood Power Mobility Devices.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieParents and therapists were generally satisfied with four power mobility devices after a single trial, but satisfaction varied by device. After a 6-month loan, parent satisfaction decreased slightly but remained high, while therapist satisfaction stayed stable.
• OTSurvey2022Executive functions and household chores: Does engagement in chores predict children's cognition?Australian occupational therapy journalChildren who do more self-care and family-care chores, like making their own meal or helping with dishes, show better working memory and inhibition. Pet-care chores did not predict these cognitive skills. This is an association, not proof that chores cause better executive function.
• OTQualitative2022Healthy Mothers Healthy Families, Health Promoting Activity Coaching for mothers of children with a disability: Exploring mothers' perspectives of programme feasibility.Australian occupational therapy journalMothers of children with disabilities valued brief health coaching from their child's OT, feeling 'seen' rather than just a caregiver. They found the accountability helpful but noted the programme required their own effort to change habits, and did not replace medical care.
• OTQualitative2022'I'm institutionalised … there's not much I can do': Lived experience of housing related delayed discharge.Australian occupational therapy journalTen consumers waiting for housing described being institutionalised by a total loss of choice. They could not control basic routines, access meaningful activities, or arrange their own discharge, leading to reduced well-being and anticipated difficulties transitioning back to the community.
• OTCase-Control2023Prism Adaptation Treatment for Right-Sided and Left-Sided Spatial Neglect: A Retrospective Case-Matched Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationPatients with right-sided neglect gained more on the neglect severity scale than those with left-sided neglect after prism adaptation. However, functional independence gains and discharge outcomes were identical between the two groups.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Translation and adaptation of the stroke-specific quality of life scale into Swahili.The South African journal of physiotherapyA stroke quality-of-life questionnaire was translated into Swahili and checked with 32 people with stroke. 46 of 49 items were understood, and average scores were 82 for English and 81 for Swahili on a 49 to 245 scale, though vision items needed revision.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2023Caregivers' perception of adults with Down syndrome willingness to participate in research.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRCaregivers report that adults with Down syndrome are willing to participate in research, particularly non-invasive studies like surveys and observational trials. Willingness drops sharply for invasive procedures like injections, and older adults are perceived as less interested in participation.
• PTOTCohort2023An Initial Assessment of the Decline With Age for the 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT) in Chinese Older Adults With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn 525 Chinese older adults with COPD, six-minute walk distance dropped sharply as disease severity increased and with advancing age. Mean distance fell from 317 meters in mild disease to 168 meters in very severe disease, with further decline after age 70.
• PTOTCohort2023Hours and costs of formal and informal care following Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury sustained through Motor Vehicle Accidents: A Cross-sectional Study.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePeople with spinal cord injury used more care hours and cost more annually than those with brain injury. Informal care by family or friends made up the largest share of costs for both groups, exceeding formal paid services.
• OTSLPQualitative2023Self-advocates with Down syndrome research the lived experiences of COVID-19 lockdowns in Aotearoa New Zealand.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDPeople with Down syndrome relied heavily on family for support and information during lockdowns, with most lacking professional assistance. While isolation from friends caused distress, participants used technology like Zoom to stay connected and generally reported resilience and positive adaptation.
• OTOther2023Activity and Participation, Bimanual Function, and Prosthesis Satisfaction are Strong Predictors of General Well-Being Among Upper Limb Prosthesis Users.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationFor upper limb prosthesis users, feeling able to take part in social roles, doing two-handed tasks, being satisfied with the prosthesis, and having less pain interference were linked to better well-being. Daily wear time was not linked to well-being.
• PTOTPilot2023Remote Delivery of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the Upper Extremity: A Pilot Study to Assess Feasibility, Reliability, and Validity.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationRemote administration of the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity test showed poor reliability and validity compared to in-person testing. Total scores disagreed significantly between therapists and between remote and in-person methods, meaning current remote protocols cannot accurately replace standard assessment.
• OTSurvey2023Radiographers' musculoskeletal health in Western Switzerland: WRMSDs symptoms prevalence and risk factors.Work (Reading, Mass.)Radiographers in Western Switzerland reported musculoskeletal symptoms very often, especially neck and low back. Awkward postures, force, inadequate equipment, stress, and being a woman were associated with symptoms.