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 30 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTCohort2017The Association Between Activity Limitation Stages and Admission to Facilities Providing Long-term Care Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationOlder Medicare beneficiaries with mild activity limitations were more likely to enter long-term care within a year. Risk rose with stage, and any ADL or IADL limitation was associated with higher risk.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2017Needs of Stroke Survivors as Perceived by Their Caregivers: A Scoping Review.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationCaregivers most often reported environmental needs, especially support, services, safety and accessibility, after discharge. They also noted psychosocial, physical, cognitive and speech needs. This review maps those needs. It does not test whether meeting them improves outcomes.
• OTOther2017Evaluating Disability Insurance Assistance as a Specific Intervention by Physiatrists at a Cancer Center.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationPhysiatrists at a cancer center completed disability paperwork for 58 patients, and 45 were approved or renewed. Deconditioning/fatigue was often recorded as a work-limiting impairment. With no comparison group, this cannot show the paperwork caused approval.
• OTQualitative2016Implementing a collaborative return-to-work program: Lessons from a qualitative study in a large Canadian healthcare organization.Work (Reading, Mass.)Managers and union return-to-work coordinators supported a new healthcare return-to-work program but described tensions: unclear coordinator roles, generic plans focused on restrictions, co-worker burden, confidentiality worries, budget pressures, distrust of independent medical assessments, and low confidence supporting mental health returns.
• OTOther2016The impact of handwriting difficulties on compositional quality in children with developmental coordination disorder.The British journal of occupational therapyChildren with DCD wrote lower-quality free writing than matched peers. Handwriting speed and misspelling rate were linked to writing quality, so occupational therapists should look beyond legibility when handwriting problems appear.
• OTCohort2016Factors Influencing Rehospitalisation of Patients with Schizophrenia in Japan: A 1-year Longitudinal Study.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTIn 44 discharged patients with schizophrenia, a one-to-one OT package of motivational interviewing, self-monitoring, individualized visits, handicraft activities, individualized psychoeducation, and discharge planning plus group OT and outpatient adherence were associated with lower 1-year rehospitalisation. The study cannot show which parts caused this.
• OTSLPSurvey2017Estimated Prevalence of the Target Population for Brain-Computer Interface Neurotechnology in the Netherlands.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn the Netherlands, locked-in syndrome was estimated at 0.73 cases per 100 000 people. Most patients lived at home, and many communicated with basic eye-blink or letter systems rather than advanced devices.
• OTQualitative2017Opportunities and barriers for successful return to work after acquired brain injury: A patient perspective.Work (Reading, Mass.)Ten people with acquired brain injury who had returned to work described individually adapted rehabilitation, balanced motivation, and understanding of cognitive and social needs as important. Barriers included fatigue, memory problems, low self-esteem, and unhelpful workplace attitudes.
• PTOTOther2017KAPS (kinematic assessment of passive stretch): a tool to assess elbow flexor and extensor spasticity after stroke using a robotic exoskeleton.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robotic elbow stretch test found abnormal movement responses in people after stroke, including some without clinical spasticity. It may reveal resistance missed by Ashworth and Tardieu scores, but it is not yet a routine clinical tool.
• OTOther2017Using a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to determine product usability: A test case.Work (Reading, Mass.)A fuzzy method for scoring software usability produced a single overall score of 86.07 and smaller uncertainty ranges than percentage methods in a 16-user test of network management software.
• OTOther2016Tactile Perception for Stroke Induce Changes in Electroencephalography.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTActive touch raised brain-wave activity more than passive touch in people with left-hemisphere stroke, especially right prefrontal and parietal areas. Right-hemisphere stroke showed no clear difference. This was a brain-wave lab finding, not a functional outcome.
• OTPilot2016Effectiveness of Earmuffs and Noise-cancelling Headphones for Coping with Hyper-reactivity to Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTFor children with autism spectrum disorder, earmuff use was linked to better individual behaviour goal scores than no device. Noise-cancelling headphones did not show the same result, and several children refused devices. Results are preliminary.
• OTOther2016Reliability and Validity of the Activity Participation Assessment for School-age Children in Korea.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTA 38-item Korean questionnaire about how often school-age children do home, school, social, sport, and self-care tasks was stable over 2 weeks. Parents reported lower participation for children with intellectual disability than for nondisabled children. It may guide OT conversations, not prove treatment benefit.
• OTSurvey2016Impact of Cognitive and Psychological Symptoms on Work Productivity and Quality of Life among Breast Cancer Survivors in Hong Kong.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTEmployed breast cancer survivors did not show greater overall work productivity loss or lower overall quality of life than healthy women. They reported more work-related cognitive symptoms, and those symptoms were linked to lower quality of life.
• OTOther2016Theory of Mind Deficit is Associated with Pretend Play Performance, but not Playfulness, in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTIn 20 verbal children with autism, theory of mind was linked to pretend play performance, but not consistently to playfulness. Autism severity was linked to play elaborateness and some playfulness scores.
• OTOther2017Effect of task-oriented activities on hand functions, cognitive functions and self-expression of elderly patients with dementia.Journal of physical therapy sciencePeople with mild dementia in a hand-based activity program improved in grip, pinch, coordination, visual, spatial, visuomotor, and attention scores, and in self-expression; the control group did not show such improvement.
• OTSLPQualitative2017Maternal experience raising girls with autism spectrum disorder: a qualitative study.Child: care, health and developmentMothers of verbally fluent girls with autism described delayed diagnosis, disbelief from others, and few resources about girls. They also described adolescence bringing social, puberty, and safety worries, and a changed mother-daughter bond.
• OTSurvey2017The Role of the Broader Autism Phenotype and Environmental Stressors in the Adjustment of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn siblings of autistic children in Taiwan and the UK, mothers linked higher autism-like traits in the sibling to more reported difficulties, but the siblings' own reports did not. The idea that stress and traits combine was only weakly supported.
• OTSLPCohort2017Prognostic models for identifying adults with intellectual disabilities and mealtime support needs who are at greatest risk of respiratory infection and emergency hospitalisation.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdults with intellectual disabilities who need mealtime support and had prior respiratory infection, epilepsy or caregiver-reported swallowing problems were linked to respiratory infection. Increasing mealtime support needs and epilepsy were linked to emergency hospitalisation for eating and drinking problems.
• OTQualitative2017A qualitative evaluation of occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for people with inflammatory arthritis: Patients' views.The British journal of occupational therapyPeople with inflammatory arthritis who had one-to-one occupational therapy work rehabilitation described practical advice, pacing, joint protection and being listened to as helping them cope at work. Of 32 interviewed, 27 reported not reading the written pack.
• OTSLPNarrative Review2017Outcome Measures for Clinical Trials in Down Syndrome.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesMany outcome measures for Down syndrome trials are only promising, and no language measure is fully validated. SLPs should not assume these scores detect change until Down syndrome-specific norms and testing are available.
• OTQualitative2017Qualitative Experience of Sleep in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthPeople with spinal cord injury described poor sleep linked to pain, positioning, pressure-ulcer care, bladder routines, medications, environment and anxiety. They also connected it to daytime fatigue and missed valued activities.
• PTOTOther2017The Arm Movement Detection (AMD) test: a fast robotic test of proprioceptive acuity in the arm.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robotic test that took about twelve minutes separated stroke survivors with impaired arm position sense from those without. It also detected age-related changes in movement detection threshold, but it did not test treatment benefit.
• PTOTPilot2017Comparison between sEMG and force as control interfaces to support planar arm movements in adults with Duchenne: a feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn three adults with Duchenne, the best arm-support control depended on residual arm strength. Surface muscle-signal control was usable by all and preferred by two. Passive-like force control worked only for the strongest participant.
• OTSLPQualitative2017"Putting on My Best Normal": Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost participants described camouflaging their autism as effortful and exhausting. They masked stimming, copied others, and rehearsed conversations to fit in or connect, often delaying diagnosis and hiding support needs.
• PTOTOther2017A comparison of the function, activity and participation and quality of life between down syndrome children and typically developing children.Journal of physical therapy scienceDown syndrome children had more difficulty in body function, activity and participation, and lower parent-reported quality of life than typically developing children. In the Down syndrome group, function, activity and participation, and quality of life scores were related.
• PTOTSystematic Review2017A Systematic Review on the Effect of Mechanical Stretch on Hypertrophic Scars after Burn Injuries.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTBurn scar stretch, massage and splint trials were mixed, and each was combined with other burn care. Do not treat any single component as proven.
• OTOther2017Leisure-time Physical Activity of Polish White-collar Workers: A Cross-sectional Study.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTOnly 41% of white-collar workers met ACSM recommendations, versus 68% under WHO, because they did not exercise on enough days.
• OTOther2017Using a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to determine product usability: A proposed theoretical framework.Work (Reading, Mass.)No clinical outcome is reported. The paper proposes a mathematical framework for product usability evaluation.
• OTNarrative Review2017An Ecological Framework to Support Small-Scale Shared Housing for Persons with Neurocognitive Disorders of the Alzheimer's and Related Types: A Literature Review.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTSmall-scale shared housing often showed better quality of life, daily activity, social engagement, and less physical restraint use than traditional long-term care. Cognitive results were mixed, and no study proved the housing model works better.
• PTOTCohort2017"Long-term stability of stimulating spiral nerve cuff electrodes on human peripheral nerves".Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn people with implanted spiral nerve cuff electrodes, most stimulation contacts still produced motor or sensory responses, and stimulation settings changed little over 5 to 11 years.
• OTOther2017Rehabilitation Research at the National Institutes of Health: Moving the Field Forward (Executive Summary).The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationConference summary of NIH rehabilitation research priorities. No study methods or outcomes are reported, so there is no finding to act on.
• OTOther2017Electromyographic Activity of the Upper Limb in Three Hand Function Tests.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTThe box and blocks test used more shoulder and upper arm muscles than the pegboard tests, which behaved alike. The study measured healthy students, so it does not show what these differences mean for patients.
• OTOther2017Inhibition of Parkinsonian tremor with cutaneous afferent evoked by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 8 people with Parkinson's disease, electrical stimulation on the back of the hand reduced resting tremor during stimulation by 61.56% on average, but tremor returned after stimulation and some trials worsened. This is a small lab finding, not a proven treatment.
• OTOther2017National Institutes of Health Research Plan on Rehabilitation.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationThis is an NIH research priority plan for rehabilitation. It lists future research questions and funding directions, with no patient outcomes or evidence to change practice.
• OTOther2017Application of the Korean Version of the Modified Barthel Index: Development of a keyform for use in Clinical Practice.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTA keyform built from Korean rehabilitation patients' Modified Barthel scores maps how hard daily living tasks are and suggests short and long term goals. It did not test whether those goals were feasible or meaningful.
• OTSLPCohort2017Evaluating the quality of peer interactions in children and adolescents with autism with the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS).Molecular autismTeacher reports of withdrawn or disconnected play lined up with parent reports of friendship quality. More severe repetitive behaviors and lower verbal ability were linked to less peer connection. It did not match parent reports for all kinds of play behavior.
• OTOther2017Autistic traits affect interpersonal motor coordination by modulating strategic use of role-based behavior.Molecular autismWhen two adults had to grasp objects together, adults with more autistic traits waited less for a partner and adjusted less to the assigned role. Coordination suffered, but accuracy stayed similar.
• OTOther2017Improved prosthetic hand control with concurrent use of myoelectric and inertial measurements.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding inertial sensor data to muscle signals improved offline hand-movement decoding and real-time prosthetic hand control in mostly able-bodied users. The amputee result came from a single participant.
• PTOTSLPOther2017General Pediatrician-Staffed Behavioral/Developmental Access Clinic Decreases Time to Evaluation of Early Childhood Developmental Disorders.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPA general pediatrician access clinic saw children under 5 sooner for developmental evaluation: 159 days instead of 327 for already scheduled patients, and 11 days for new callers.
• OTCohort2017Childhood Predictors of Young Adult Social Functioning in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents reported lower social functioning in young adults with 22q11.2DS than in control peers, but self-reported social functioning did not differ. Childhood internalizing symptoms predicted lower parent-reported social functioning later, while general intelligence and executive skills did not.
• OTSurvey2017Factors Influencing Occupational Therapists' Decision to Supervise Fieldwork Students.Occupational therapy in health careOccupational therapists were more willing to supervise fieldwork students when they felt prepared, had onsite mentorship, and had supervisor support. The study did not show that continuing education units were a strong factor in the model.
• OTPilot2017Restoring effective sleep tranquility (REST): A feasibility and pilot study.The British journal of occupational therapyAn occupational therapist-led 8-week CBT-I program was feasible to deliver: eight veterans completed baseline and seven completed treatment and post-assessment. Seven reported less insomnia, fewer nightmares, fewer dysfunctional sleep beliefs and better social participation. The study does not show it works.
• OTOther2017Assessment of unilateral neglect in stroke: Simplification and structuring of test items.The British journal of occupational therapyIn stroke inpatients with known neglect, structured feeding, dressing, item location, and cancellation tasks showed little neglect, while naturalistic observation captured neglect. Simplifying and structuring tasks may let patients compensate, so use occupation-based observation.
• OTOther2017Article Commentary: A Psychospiritual Integration frame of Reference for Occupational Therapy. Part 2: Transformative Occupations and the Change Process.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTNo patient results are reported here. A spirituality-informed occupational therapy framework and transformative occupations are proposed, not tested interventions.
• OTQualitative2017Exploring Cultural Competence amongst OT Students.Occupational therapy internationalSouth African occupational therapy students described language and culture as tightly linked. A majority felt culturally incompetent, yet described using body language, research, learning client languages, and extra time to adapt therapy. Translators were reported to weaken rapport.
• PTOTNarrative Review2017Telerehabilitation: Review of the State-of-the-Art and Areas of Application.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesRemote rehabilitation systems can be feasible for some cardiac, neurological and physiotherapy patients. No standard protocols exist, and many systems were tested in small studies.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2017Outcomes of safe patient handling and mobilization programs: A meta-analysis.Work (Reading, Mass.)Across 44 healthcare sites, safe patient handling and mobilization programs were associated with lower worker injury rates. Injuries after programs were 0.44 times the before-program rate. The reduction was largest in intensive care units.
• PTOTCohort2017Prediction of prognosis of upper-extremity function following stroke-related paralysis using brain imaging.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 12 stroke patients with partly intact motor tract fibers, a diffusion MRI tract ratio was related to upper-limb motor and use scores at 3 months. Two cases did not follow this pattern, and all received physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
• OTQualitative2017Integrating Musculoskeletal Sonography Into Rehabilitation: Therapists' Experiences With Training and Implementation.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthThe two occupational therapists described learning and using musculoskeletal ultrasound as linked skills in operating the machine, capturing images, and reading the images. Time, patient factors and concerns about diagnosis and communication limited implementation.