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 183 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTQualitative2026What Works (or Doesn't) in Return to Work after Physical Injury? A Qualitative Study on the Perspectives of Trauma Patients and Health Care Professionals on Barriers and Facilitators in Return to Work.Journal of occupational rehabilitationTrauma patients described hospital care as ignoring work entirely, leaving them to figure out reintegration alone. They valued therapists who actively protected them from overstretching and helped adjust schedules rather than just treating physical function.
• PTOTCohort2026Prevalence and Characteristics of Prehabilitation Utilization Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Elective Inpatient Lower Extremity Joint Replacement.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOnly 9.53% of older Medicare patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement received prehabilitation. Most received a single outpatient physical therapy visit. Pre-frail patients and those with more chronic conditions were less likely to receive these services.
• PTOTRCT2026Cross-lagged assessment between indices of leisure time physical activity and domains of quality of life after electrical stimulation training in persons with spinal cord injury: An exploratory trial.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationAfter 24 weeks of electrical stimulation exercise, leisure-time physical activity predicted improvements in psychological and social quality of life, but not physical or environmental quality of life. The study was too small to confirm these patterns or prove the exercise caused the changes.
• PTOTCohort2026Impact of COVID-19 positive status on outcome for individuals with stroke treated in acute inpatient rehabilitation.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationIn stroke rehabilitation, COVID-positive patients stayed longer, had lower mobility at admission and discharge, and were less likely to go home while receiving more therapy. Self-care gains, falls, and satisfaction were similar.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Patient engagement in inpatient rehabilitation: A scoping review of measures and evolving conceptualizations.Rehabilitation psychologyClinicians mostly rate engagement by watching patients, which misses why someone holds back. Patients rarely rate themselves, and no measure captures the interaction between patient and therapist. This gap makes it hard to target interventions for low engagement.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Self-management in youth with spina bifida: predictors of health and quality of life outcomes.Disability and rehabilitationHigher self-management in young adults with spina bifida lowered the odds of diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis, and improved quality of life. However, self-management did not reduce recent urinary tract infections or pressure injuries. Mental health declined with age, with females reporting worse outcomes.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026Mapping Vocational Rehabilitation Interventions for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review.Journal of occupational rehabilitationEuropean vocational rehabilitation programmes for chronic low back pain varied widely in duration, intensity and components. Physiotherapists and medical specialists were common, but team collaboration and return-to-work measures were often unclear. Treat programme labels as descriptive, not proof of effect.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026A socioecological approach to understanding and positively affecting the intersectionality between disability, race and ethnicity, climate change, and rehabilitation outcomes: A scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationClimate events disrupt rehab care for people with disabilities, especially those with mobility, temperature regulation, or ventilator needs. The review found no tested interventions, only expert recommendations for disaster planning, telerehabilitation, and policy advocacy to protect continuity of care.
• PTOTRCT2025Boot Camp: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial of Intensive Upper-Limb Rehabilitation After Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIntensive group therapy improved arm movement and daily function more than usual care. However, only 74% of participants managed the full 90 hours. Clinicians should expect high dropout risk when prescribing this intensity to chronic stroke survivors.
• PTOTCase-Control2025Diffusion Tensor Imaging Findings in Cerebral Sensorimotor Areas in Patients After Spinal Cord Injury Correlate With Neurophysiological Deficits.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPatients with chronic spinal cord injury showed lower fractional anisotropy in sensorimotor brain areas compared to healthy controls. In patients with tetraplegia, these brain changes correlated with worse leg movement and lower muscle response to magnetic stimulation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Traumatic Brain Injury in Those With Preexisting Disability: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Psychosocial Function.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAdults with pre-existing disability who sustained a TBI with loss of consciousness reported significantly more days of poor mental and physical health and higher loneliness compared to those without such TBI. Employment rates did not differ between the groups.
• PTOTRCT2025Modulating Brain Excitability with Cardiovascular Exercise in Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairTwelve weeks of cycling improved brain excitability in the injured hemisphere for both high-intensity and moderate-intensity groups. Neither intensity was superior. Upper limb function did not change, so these brain measures are not yet proof of physical recovery.
• OTOther2025Research Letter: Interview Versus Self-Administration of Retrospective Brain Injury Identification.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationSelf-administered online screening for past brain injury matched telephone interview results for most people. Clinicians can use the online form to save staff time, but should be aware it may miss some other acquired brain injuries.
• PTOTOther2025Loss of Joint Individuation and Abnormal Synergy Post Stroke in Upper Limb Movements.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke survivors showed severe loss of joint individuation, particularly in the wrist. When trying to move the wrist, the shoulder and elbow involuntarily coupled. Higher spasticity correlated with worse coupling. This quantifies the 'abnormal synergy' seen in clinical exams.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Facilitating Return to Work through a Broader Perspective on Vocational Rehabilitation: Insights from Patients with Stress-Related Disorders.Journal of occupational rehabilitationPatients with stress-related exhaustion said successful return to work required workplace and organisational changes, not just individual coping. They needed managers with authority to adjust tasks, clear structures, and influence over their own pace and environment.
• PTOTCohort2026Cluster Analysis Reveals Subgroups with Different Risk Profiles and Sickness Absence Patterns in an Occupational Health Cohort.Journal of occupational rehabilitationEmployees who felt their work was appreciated and had good workplace atmosphere had the lowest sickness absence. Those reporting worsening work ability and musculoskeletal pain had the highest risk of long-term absence, while cardiovascular risk factors predicted absence even when symptoms did not hinder work.
• OTCohort2026Return to Work or Not: The Paths to Psychiatric Disability and Back.Journal of occupational rehabilitationAmong 18,373 people granted a first disability pension for mental disorder, 98% of permanent pensioners remained on pension, while temporary pensioners moved to work, unemployment, study, or remained on pension.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Disability, Job Satisfaction, and Workplace Accommodations: Evidence from the Healthcare Industry.Journal of occupational rehabilitationHealthcare workers with disabilities report worse workplace experiences, including higher turnover intentions and lower support, than those without. Accommodation requests are common for both groups, but denial or partial granting harms job satisfaction and commitment regardless of disability status.
• PTOTCohort2026Focal extracorporeal shockwave therapy in shoulder calcific tendinopathy: A retrospective observational study of sonographic prognostic factors.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationPatients with shoulder calcific tendinopathy and subacromial bursitis had significantly worse pain and function after shockwave therapy than those without bursitis. All patients without bursitis met the threshold for meaningful improvement, compared to only 5 of 7 with bursitis.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Quantifying Exercise Intensity to Predict Changes in Walking Capacity in Individuals with Chronic Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationTraining speed predicted walking gains in chronic stroke, but heart rate did not. Walking at a patient's fastest speed yielded larger improvements than their normal pace. Clinicians should target speed, not just heart rate, to maximize endurance and velocity.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing Workplace Interventions Supporting Young Workers' Safety, Work Environment and Health: A Scoping Review of Qualitative and Mixed-Method Studies.Journal of occupational rehabilitationImplementing workplace safety interventions for young workers (ages 15-29) succeeds when the program fits the specific job context and has strong management support. It fails when staff face high workloads, time pressure, or irregular shift hours that prevent participation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Mental and Physical Well-Being of Informal Stroke Caregivers Compared With Noncaregiver Family and Friends.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationInformal stroke caregivers had worse physical and mental health than non-caregiver family and friends 90 days after the stroke. They reported more depression symptoms, fatigue, and sleep difficulties, even after adjusting for the stroke survivor's severity and both groups' demographics.
• OTRCT2026Reducing burden and anxiety for caregivers of veterans with traumatic brain injury and dementia: Randomized controlled trial of the resources for enhancing all caregivers' health-Hope intervention.Rehabilitation psychologyREACH Hope lowered 3-month caregiver burden versus waitlist for caregivers with baseline Zarit burden scores of 21 or higher, with greater benefit at higher burden. Anxiety also improved when baseline GAD-7 scores were 13 or higher; depression, self-efficacy, and safety risks were not improved.
• OTSystematic Review2026Present but Overlooked: A Scoping Review of Instruments and Approaches for Measuring Presenteeism Related to Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use.Journal of occupational rehabilitationMost studies measuring how alcohol and drug use affects work performance use indirect comparisons rather than asking workers directly. This inconsistency in tools and recall periods makes it hard to compare results or accurately assess workplace interventions.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Multidisciplinary rehabilitation and follow-up for children hospitalized with traumatic brain injury.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineOver half of children hospitalized with traumatic brain injury had new functional impairments requiring fresh referrals at their first follow-up clinic. Earlier inpatient therapy consultations were associated with discharge to home, but this was a single-center observational study.
• PTOTCohort2026The role of cognitive load on motor performance of the ipsilesional arm in stroke survivors with severe hemiparesis.Topics in stroke rehabilitationAdding cognitive load to a reaching task slowed reaction time and worsened accuracy for all participants. Those with right hemisphere damage moved less efficiently than those with left hemisphere damage, but only when the task became mentally demanding.
• PTOTCohort2025The Effectiveness of the Back At work After Surgery (BAAS) Work-Integrated Care Pathway on Return to Work for Patients Receiving Knee Arthroplasty: A Study of Three Comparative Cohorts in the Netherlands.Journal of occupational rehabilitationPatients receiving the BAAS work-integrated care pathway returned to work sooner than those receiving usual care. The median time to first return to work was 27 days for BAAS versus 52 and 43 days for usual care groups. Full return to work also occurred earlier with BAAS.
• OTCohort2025Impact of Probable Deployment Traumatic Brain Injury on Post-9/11 Veteran's Productive Activity Participation After Service: A TVMI Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationVeterans with probable military TBI were significantly less likely to hold paid jobs and more likely to engage only in unpaid labor, such as caregiving or volunteering. This suggests a shift away from paid employment rather than total withdrawal from productive activity.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025How important are working relationships for stroke self-management? A qualitative study with healthcare professionals in community stroke teams.Clinical rehabilitationClinicians said trust, clear expectations, shared goals and family networks helped working relationships and self-management, but they also often led goal setting and confused self-management with ongoing rehab.
• PTOTRCT2025Forced-Rate Aerobic Cycling Improves Locomotor Function and Gait Biomechanics in Individuals With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationForced-rate aerobic cycling combined with upper extremity task practice did not significantly improve treadmill gait speed compared to task practice alone. However, the cycling group showed significant gains in overground walking distance and specific gait mechanics like paretic step length and hip power.
• PTOTOther2025The added value of sensor-based tests in explaining the variance in walking and ADL independency after stroke: An exploratory study.Clinical rehabilitationConventional tests like the Berg Balance Scale explained far more variance in ADL independence and walking ability after stroke than sensor-based measures. Sensors added minimal predictive value, suggesting existing clinical assessments remain sufficient for monitoring recovery.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Safety of videoconferencing for physical rehabilitation and exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationVideoconferencing for physical rehabilitation showed no difference in adverse events compared to in-person care. One study-related event occurred every 410 sessions remotely versus every 414 in person. Most trials lacked rigorous safety reporting, so certainty is low.
• PTOTQualitative2025Acceptability of a programme for safer mobility (INTEGRATE): Perspectives of people with Parkinson's disease and their care-partners.Clinical rehabilitationPeople with Parkinson's and care-partners found a home-based fall prevention programme acceptable because therapists tailored it to their specific impairments and involved them in decision-making. Barriers included fatalistic beliefs, stigma about home modifications, and difficulty forming new habits.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Rehabilitation needs prior to adjuvant chemotherapy in a rural Swedish population.Journal of rehabilitation medicineBefore starting chemotherapy, many cancer patients and their families reported anxiety, depression, and unmet needs. Families often had higher unmet needs than patients, especially for information and coordination. Screening both groups early is necessary, as their needs differ and are not always obvious.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Associations among aerobic physical activity, mild traumatic brain injury history, and health-related quality of life in military service members and Veterans: A LIMBIC-CENC study.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationMilitary service members and veterans who met aerobic exercise guidelines reported better quality of life than inactive peers. This benefit held regardless of how many mild traumatic brain injuries they had sustained. Exercise is associated with better outcomes, but this study did not prove that starting exercise causes improvement.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026Outcome measures in prehabilitation interventions for total hip and knee arthroplasty: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationTrials testing pre-surgery exercises for hip and knee replacements use vastly different outcome measures, making it hard to compare results. Patient-reported scores and length of stay are most common, but few trials align with recommended core domains or define prehabilitation clearly.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2025Utilizing Smart Televisions as Assistive Technology to Enhance Communication and Social Lives of Older Adults: Systematic Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesOnly 30 small, varied studies examined smart TVs as familiar communication aids for older adults, mostly prototypes or usability tests; little long-term evidence of improved social well-being.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Transcutaneous spinal stimulation paired with visual feedback facilitates retention of improved weight transfer toward the affected side in people post-stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding spinal stimulation to visual feedback during treadmill walking helped people post-stroke keep more weight on their affected leg after the session ended. Visual feedback alone improved weight transfer briefly, but the gain faded once the feedback stopped.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Validity, safety, usability, and user experience of virtual reality gamified home-based exercises in stroke.Clinical rehabilitationPhysiotherapists and stroke survivors found three of five VR games safe and usable for home rehab. Users rated Basketball and Flowers as engaging but noted all games lacked clear setup instructions and guidance for therapists to tailor exercises to patient needs.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Differential effects of sport type on brain versus orthopedic injury and sports benefits in the adolescent brain cognitive development study.Brain injurySoccer and American football linked to higher mild brain injury risk in 9-10 year olds. Climbing showed higher brain injury risk than broken bones. Sports participation associated with better behavior and cognition in children with prior brain injury, though causality cannot be determined.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2025Cognitive and Psychological Symptoms in Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional Neuroimaging, Neurophysiology, and Intervention Studies.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationPost-COVID cognitive and mood symptoms are common, but brain tests show inconsistent changes that do not reliably predict impairment. Brain stimulation and cognitive training gave mixed improvements in small studies, so they are not proven treatments.
• PTOTRCT2025Nigral stimulation for freezing of gait: kinematic gait parameters inform optimization of stimulation frequency.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding nigral stimulation to standard subthalamic stimulation did not improve freezing of gait more than subthalamic stimulation alone. Individual responses varied widely. However, wearable sensors tracking stride length and swing time correlated strongly with clinical improvement, suggesting kinematics can guide personalized programming.
• PTOTCohort2025Rates of Employment and Return to Work After Spinal Cord Lesion Onset in Israel.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationEmployment after spinal cord lesion in Israel was 33.1%, lower than Western rates. Prior employment, education, and daily function predicted work, not injury level. Patients cited motivation and support as aids, but disability and pain as barriers.
• OTRCT2025Responsivity of Concussion Symptom Domains to a Mind-Body Intervention for Young Adults With a Recent Concussion and Anxiety: A Pilot RCT.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationYoung adults with recent concussion and anxiety reported lower cognitive, physical, affective and sleep symptoms after both a mind-body toolkit and an active health education program. This small trial cannot separate treatment effects from natural recovery.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Building Bridges: Establishing a Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Knowledge Mobilization Strategy.NeuroRehabilitationForty-three stakeholders agreed on three priorities for MS rehabilitation in Canada: creating a best-practice guideline, building knowledge mobilization tools for clinicians, and establishing a national network. Five key topics were selected: disease course, fatigue, mobility, mood, and cognition.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026How is wakeful rest operationalized and measured in daily life among adults with and without long-term conditions? A systematic scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationRest is not just stopping activity. Adults with long-term conditions prioritize physical, emotional, and social rest for recovery, while healthy adults focus more on mental detachment. Existing pain scales measure rest as avoidance, not restoration, so they may misguide pacing advice.
• PTOTRCT2025Mixed methods analysis of an interdisciplinary intervention to promote balance confidence in lower limb prosthesis users.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAn interdisciplinary intervention combining virtual reality balance training with cognitive behavioral therapy significantly improved balance confidence and gait self-efficacy in lower limb prosthesis users. Participants showed large gains in these areas, though physical activity levels unexpectedly decreased.
• PTOTSurvey2025Quality of life among lower limb prosthetic users in Jordan: a cross-sectional study using the Arabic SF-36.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesJordanian prosthetic users reported strong social functioning and emotional well-being but low physical functioning and general health. Older age and higher-level amputation were linked to worse physical scores, while women reported better emotional adjustment than men.
• PTOTCohort2025The Weak Relationship Between Ankle Proprioception and Gait Speed After Stroke: A Robotic Assessment Study.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAnkle proprioception showed only a weak relationship with gait speed after stroke. One measure of dynamic error correlated with walking distance, but most tests found no significant link. Motor impairment did not correlate with proprioceptive error.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2025Effects of Nordic Walking in people with respiratory diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of rehabilitation medicineNordic walking did not beat other exercise on six-minute walk distance in the main analysis. It outperformed no exercise, but the positive result relied on removing one outlier study. All included trials had high risk of bias.