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 40 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTRCT2018Reliability, validity and discriminant ability of the instrumental indices provided by a novel planar robotic device for upper limb rehabilitation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot scores from a simple reaching task were stable day-to-day in 48 subacute stroke patients and matched arm function scales. Time and speed changed on retest, so give a familiarization trial before using them to track recovery.
• PTOTOther2018The use of Xbox Kinect™ in a Paediatric Burns Unit.The South African journal of physiotherapyAdding Xbox Kinect sessions to standard physiotherapy for burned children improved enjoyment but did not significantly change discharge range of motion or home function compared to standard care alone. The intervention group showed better active movement recovery after discharge, but the study design prevents confirming the game caused this.
• PTOTQualitative2018Perceptions of Existing Wearable Robotic Devices for Upper Extremity and Suggestions for Their Development: Findings From Therapists and People With Stroke.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with stroke and therapists had different priorities for upper-limb devices. Stroke survivors wanted simple, portable assistive tools for daily life to maintain independence. Therapists wanted complex therapeutic devices to complement clinical sessions. Cost and lack of evidence hindered adoption for both groups.
• PTOTRCT2018Ergonomic behaviour of learners in a digitally driven school environment: Modification using an ergonomic intervention programme.The South African journal of physiotherapyA single 45-minute school session on posture, bag weight, and stretches, reinforced by stickers and web links, improved computer posture in adolescents over six months. The intervention group had no learners in the highest risk postural category at follow-up, unlike the control group.
• PTOTOther2017Community integration of adults with disabilities post discharge from an in-patient rehabilitation unit in the Western Cape.The South African journal of physiotherapyAdults 7 to 9 months after inpatient rehabilitation in South Africa had low community integration, especially work, recreation, social activities and mobility. The authors recommended targeting these areas.
• OTSystematic Review2017The optimal orthosis and motion protocol for extensor tendon injury in zones IV-VIII: A systematic review.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsEarly active motion after proximal extensor tendon repair gave better early finger motion and grip strength than static immobilization. Immediate relative motion protocols returned patients to light duties around 3 weeks versus 9.4 weeks with static orthoses.
• PTOTSystematic Review2017Effectiveness of edema management techniques for subacute hand edema: A systematic review.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsFor subacute hand edema after trauma, surgery, or stroke, evidence is low to moderate and mixed. Adding manual edema mobilization to elevation, exercise, and compression may help troublesome swelling, but no particular technique is proven.
• PTOTSurvey2017The relationship between physical fitness and community participation in people with spinal cord injury.The South African journal of physiotherapyPeople with spinal cord injury who pushed farther in a six-minute wheelchair test and felt less exertion afterwards reported higher satisfaction with community participation. The study did not test whether fitness training improves participation.
• PTOTSurvey2017Examination of the PROMIS upper extremity item bank.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsThe PROMIS UE CAT worked well in orthopaedic patients with upper extremity problems, but most items targeted lower function and missed higher function. Use caution when your patient may have higher upper extremity ability.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2018Implementation of disability policy framework in Namibia: A qualitative study.The South African journal of physiotherapyKey implementers in Namibia said disability policies exist but are poorly applied: rehabilitation budgets, staffing, coordination, assistive devices, sign language and Braille were often missing. Patients may face these barriers even when policy says they have rights.
• PTOTRCT2018A novel sensor-based assessment of lower limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn children with cerebral palsy, a sensor-based Modified Tardieu assessment gave more consistent knee and ankle spasticity measurements than the conventional clinician-rated method. It also measured clonus duration, but it did not test treatment outcomes.
• PTOTQualitative2018Suitability of 'Guidelines for Screening of Prosthetic Candidates: Lower Limb' for the Eastern Cape, South Africa: A qualitative study.The South African journal of physiotherapyEastern Cape clinicians generally found the prosthetic screening tool comprehensive and helpful for referral and backlog management. Some found it time-consuming and wanted changes. It is not evidence that using the tool improves patient outcomes.
• PTOTOther2018Reference values of intrinsic muscle strength of the hand of adolescents and young adults.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsIn adolescents and young adults, intrinsic hand muscle strength differed by sex and hand dominance, but age alone did not appear to influence strength.
• OTOther2018Coactivation index of children with congenital upper limb reduction deficiencies before and after using a wrist-driven 3D printed partial hand prosthesis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with congenital partial hand reductions had higher wrist flexor coactivation on the affected side. After 6 months using a 3D printed wrist-driven prosthesis, flexor coactivation fell by 70% affected versus 30% non-affected; no clear strength gain was shown.
• OTOther2017Developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration: Incidence, associations and co-morbidities.The British journal of occupational therapyParent reports showed 32% of children with DCD had definite sensory processing difficulties and 56% had some problems. Motor scores did not line up with sensory scores. Children with DCD plus ASD had more definite total sensory difficulties.
• PTOTSLPPilot2017Analyzing State Autism Private Insurance Mandates for Allied Health Services: A Pilot Study.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthState autism insurance laws vary widely in age caps and service limits, often restricting coverage for occupational therapy and other allied health services. Therapists must check specific state mandates for treatment caps and provider licensure requirements to understand what services private insurance will actually pay for.
• OTOther2017Identification of Sensory Processing and Integration Symptom Clusters: A Preliminary Study.Occupational therapy internationalChildren with sensory processing challenges formed three groups. All had overresponsivity. Groups with craving or underresponsivity alongside overresponsivity had more motor, discrimination, and behavior symptoms.
• OTSurvey2017Relationships between Caregiving Stress, Depression, and Self-Esteem in Family Caregivers of Adults with a Disability.Occupational therapy internationalFamily caregivers of adults with disability reported more stress when depression was higher, and lower self-esteem when financial or psychological stress was higher. Older spousal caregivers with no paid work and long caregiving hours reported more stress.
• PTOTRCT2018Reliability, validity, and clinical feasibility of a rapid and objective assessment of post-stroke deficits in hand proprioception.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot test of finger position sense took about 12.3 minutes and was repeatable on the stroke-affected hand, but it did not match bedside sensory tests and was not repeatable on the less affected hand.
• OTSLPCase-Control2018Convergent thinking and traumatic brain injury: an investigation of performance on the remote associate test.Brain injuryPeople with moderate-to-severe TBI were 2.45 times less likely to solve remote associate problems than healthy people. In the TBI group, poor problem-solving tracked with verbal memory and processing speed, but not executive function tests.
• PTOTNarrative Review2018Rehabilitation robots for the treatment of sensorimotor deficits: a neurophysiological perspective.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot-assisted therapy can increase repetitions and standardize training, and may help walking recovery, but many devices lack clinical evaluation and superiority over dose-matched conventional therapy is not established.
• OTOther2018Examining Anosognosia of Neglect.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthStroke survivors with neglect frequently lack insight into their own deficits. Personal neglect, such as grooming or dressing, showed the highest rate of unawareness at up to 83.3%. Assessors rated neglect severity significantly higher than patients did, indicating a substantial gap in self-awareness.
• OTQualitative2017Enablers and challenges to occupational therapists' research engagement: A qualitative study.The British journal of occupational therapyOccupational therapists delivering dementia research found paperwork, videoing, recruitment and a new intervention overwhelming. Peer and management support, protected funded time, and positive attitudes helped them stay involved.
• OTQualitative2017Integrating Occupational Therapy Specific Assessments in Practice: Exploring Practitioner Experiences.Occupational therapy internationalTherapists in Sweden and Japan said occupation-based assessments made intervention planning clearer, but time, space, and team culture often pushed them to quicker, less occupation-focused tools.
• OTSurvey2017Further Validation of the Norwegian Self-Efficacy for Therapeutic Mode Use.Occupational therapy internationalAmong 111 occupational therapy students, confidence in concrete therapeutic behaviors tracked closely with confidence in named therapeutic modes. The N-SETMU scale may help assess students' confidence, but not proof of actual skill.
• OTCohort2018Does a regular Wessex Head Injury Matrix assessment identify early signs of infections in people with Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness?Brain injuryIn people with prolonged disorders of consciousness, WHIM behavioural scores often dropped when infection was present. It happened in 17 of 21 retrospective and 15 of 22 prospective patients, but vegetative-state scores may not change.
• OTRCT2018Activity-Based Goals Generated by Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthOlder adults with mild cognitive impairment generated 55 activity-based goals with an occupational therapist, averaging 4.23 goals each. Most goals concerned instrumental daily tasks, especially exercise, not basic self-care, education, or work.
• OTSLPOther2018Quantitative evaluation of handwriting: factors that affect pen operating skills.Journal of physical therapy scienceTracing accuracy depends on pen pressure variability, not just force or speed. Pressing harder increased wrist angles and reduced accuracy, while writing faster also reduced accuracy. For therapists, measuring how much pen pressure fluctuates may be more useful than total force when assessing handwriting control.
• OTOther2018The use of evidence-based guidance to enable reliable and accurate measurements of the home environment.The British journal of occupational therapyA measurement booklet helped occupational therapists and older people complete 90% of previously missing measurements, and 80.55% of those were within the accepted 50 mm margin. Formal accuracy improvement was seen only for stair length, chair depth and chair width.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Should I stay or should I go? A prospective investigation examining individual factors impacting employment status among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).Work (Reading, Mass.)Among employed people with multiple sclerosis, those considering leaving work had higher physical fatigue, lower self-efficacy, and relied more on behavioral disengagement than humor. This pattern appeared early in the disease course, suggesting psychosocial factors drive job decisions before physical disability peaks.
• PTOTCohort2018Does Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Have an Added Value to Clinical Assessment in Predicting Upper-Limb Function Very Early After Severe Stroke?Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAdding TMS to the SAFE clinical test did not improve 6-month upper-limb prediction. At 11 days, SAFE plus TMS was better than TMS alone, but not better than SAFE alone.
• OTCohort2018Hand luggage in the train toilet.Work (Reading, Mass.)No participant used the high train toilet hook. Travellers kept hand luggage on their bodies, and the body was the most common place. A lower hook was used only occasionally.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Difference in independent mobility improvement from admission to discharge between subacute stroke patients using knee-ankle-foot and those using ankle-foot orthoses.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients prescribed knee-ankle-foot orthoses had smaller mobility improvements than those prescribed ankle-foot orthoses, but they also started with more severe impairments. The orthosis type alone did not cause the difference; initial severity and age were strong predictors of recovery.
• PTOTOther2018Examining Guided and Directed Cues in Strategy Training and Usual Rehabilitation.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthIn 20 inpatient stroke rehabilitation video sessions, strategy training used more guided cues than usual occupational or physical therapy: 42.5% guided versus 3% to 4%. It also used fewer cues per minute. This describes therapist behavior, not patient outcomes.
• OTOther2018Sleep disturbances are associated with specific sensory sensitivities in children with autism.Molecular autismIn children with autism, more severe touch hypersensitivity was linked to more reported sleep problems. Auditory and visual sensitivities were not. Controls showed a similar touch link plus vestibular. This is an association, not proof touch causes poor sleep.
• PTOTRCT2018Effects on work ability, job strain and quality of life of monitoring depression using a self-assessment instrument in recurrent general practitioner consultations: A randomized controlled study.Work (Reading, Mass.)Adding structured depression self-assessment to GP visits improved patients' perceived work ability at 3 months and increased perceived social support at 12 months. However, it did not reduce job strain, improve quality of life, or shorten sick leave compared to usual care.
• PTOTSurvey2018Recovery, work-life balance and work experiences important to self-rated health: A questionnaire study on salutogenic work factors among Swedish primary health care employees.Work (Reading, Mass.)Primary care staff who reported recovery, work-life balance, and positive work experiences rated their health higher. Recovery during working hours was related to higher health ratings regardless of recovery outside work. This was an association, not proof of cause.
• OTPilot2018Towards a Treatment for Intolerance of Uncertainty for Autistic Adults: A Single Case Experimental Design Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFour autistic adults completed an adapted uncertainty programme, and all attended every session. Confidence in handling a chosen uncertain situation generally increased for three participants, but changes were inconsistent and this was not an efficacy trial.
• OTOther2018Lessons learned from women in leadership positions.Work (Reading, Mass.)There is no clinical finding to act on. This is a leadership commentary about women in professional workplaces.
• PTOTRCT2018Early Shortening of Wrist Flexor Muscles Coincides With Poor Recovery After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPatients whose arm recovery after stroke was poor already had shorter wrist flexor muscles and stiffer wrist tissue around week 4 or 5. Reflex torque differences appeared later, around week 12. With 36 patients, this cannot show that shortening caused poor recovery.
• OTOther2018Cross-cultural adaptation of the Work Role Functioning Questionnaire 2.0 to Norwegian and Danish.Work (Reading, Mass.)The WRFQ 2.0 was adapted into Norwegian and Danish, and 40 Norwegian workers back at work after sick leave reported high work functioning. The translated questionnaire is available, but full validation is still needed.
• OTQualitative2018Perceptions about Authentic Leadership Development: South African Occupational Therapy Students' Camp Experience.Occupational therapy internationalTwelve South African OT students described leadership development as a journey of self-awareness and resilience. They critiqued current leaders for corruption and inequality, viewing camps as spaces to build confidence and connect personal values with professional purpose.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Relationship between the use of lower extremity orthoses and the developmental quotient of The Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development in children with Down syndrome.Journal of physical therapy scienceChildren with Down syndrome who used lower limb orthoses had significantly lower Postural-Motor developmental scores than those who did not. The study found an association, not that orthoses caused motor delays.
• OTCohort2018Lifelong Parenting of Adults With Developmental Disabilities: Growth Trends Over 20 Years in Midlife and Later Life.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesParents of adults with developmental disabilities had more depressive symptoms, poorer health, and fewer social visits at age 71 than comparison parents. Those living with their adult child showed rising depression over time.
• OTCohort2018The Course of Self-Efficacy for Therapeutic Use of Self in Norwegian Occupational Therapy Students: A 10-Month Follow-Up Study.Occupational therapy internationalAfter an introductory workshop on therapeutic use of self, 89 occupational therapy students' confidence in relationship skills rose at the 3-month follow-up and remained higher at the 10-month follow-up. The rise was self-report, without a control group.
• OTPilot2018Decoding the grasping intention from electromyography during reaching motions.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEMG during reaching predicted grasp types better in later phases than early. The tested algorithms did not clearly differ. In one real-time test, all-phase training was faster and more accurate than final-phase training.
• OTQualitative2018Experience of sleep disruption in primary Sjögren's syndrome: A focus group study.The British journal of occupational therapyFocus group participants with primary Sjögren’s syndrome described unrefreshing sleep, night awakenings and dryness disrupting sleep. They found CBT-I ideas acceptable when clinicians explained the rationale, though sleep restriction received a mixed response.
• PTOTRCT2018Assisting hand function after spinal cord injury with a fabric-based soft robotic glove.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNine people with spinal cord injuries lifted objects more successfully while wearing a soft robotic glove operated by a researcher. The glove improved hand function scores and lift force, but participants could not put it on themselves.
• OTQualitative2018Critical factors for the return-to-work process among people with affective disorders: Voices from two vocational approaches.Work (Reading, Mass.)People with depression or bipolar disorder who were unemployed said a dedicated employment specialist helped them feel believed in and more hopeful about work. Traditional step-by-step services felt fragmented, impersonal, and discouraging.
• PTOTOther2018Information Management for the Assistive Technology Provision in Community: Perspectives of Local Policymakers and Health Service Providers.Occupational therapy internationalCommunity records for assistive devices had no database, and details were limited to name and gender. Most devices given to 289 people with disabilities were second-hand, borrowed, and low-tech mobility items.