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 63 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCase Report2020Effect of cold oral stimulation on orthostatic hypotension in multiple system atrophy: a case study.Journal of physical therapy scienceHolding an ice cube in the mouth while standing did not prevent blood pressure from dropping in a woman with multiple system atrophy. It changed heart rate variability markers but did not alter blood pressure or heart rate compared to standing without stimulation.
• OTOther2020Looking into the Content of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM): A Danish Cross-Sectional Study.Occupational therapy internationalDanish clients prioritized many issues that were basic tasks or actions rather than full occupations. This blurs the line between what the client wants to do and the underlying skills needed, risking that the assessment measures performance components instead of the intended construct of occupational engagement.
• PTOTOther2020Women's health guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineWomen with spina bifida should be referred to physical and occupational therapy early in pregnancy to plan mobility, self-management and baby care. These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
• OTQualitative2020The Influence of Culture on Occupational Therapy Practice in Jordan.Occupational therapy internationalJordanian OTs found clients often reject independence-focused ADL training, viewing it as shameful or useless when family assistance is culturally expected. They also faced barriers from limited resources and a medical model preference, though strong family cohesion and Islamic values sometimes supported engagement.
• OTOther2020Initial Development of the Activity Card Sort-Advancing Inclusive Participation from a Homeless Population Perspective.Occupational therapy internationalParticipants found the new card-sorting tool useful for discussing sensitive, nonsanctioned occupations like substance use. It helped identify activities people had given up due to homelessness, offering therapists a structured way to explore these topics without assuming they are irrelevant.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2020Quality of life: Guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineBowel incontinence and pain consistently lower quality of life in spina bifida, while physical function often does not. Prioritize bowel program effectiveness and pain management. Use perception-based measures, not function-based tests, to avoid scoring disability as poor quality of life.
• PTOTOther2020Mobility guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineMobility guidance for spina bifida is mostly expert consensus, not tested interventions. It suggests assessing neurologic level, using appropriate braces or wheelchairs, and monitoring skin, pain, and function across ages.
• OTOther2020Effects of a Cognitive-Functional Intervention Method on Improving Executive Function and Self-Directed Learning in School-Aged Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Single-Subject Design Study.Occupational therapy internationalChildren with ADHD improved on executive function tests and homework reports after an occupational therapy programme teaching stop, plan, and review. With no comparison group, this shows possible change, not proof of effectiveness.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2020Verbal Semantics and the Left Dorsolateral Anterior Temporal Lobe: A Longitudinal Case of Bilateral Temporal Degeneration.AphasiologyA woman with right-sided brain degeneration initially lost the meaning of faces and places but kept her word knowledge. This suggests checking non-verbal semantics and social behavior early, even when standard language tests look normal.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Nutrition, metabolic syndrome, and obesity: Guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineExpert consensus guidelines for nutrition in spina bifida advise against using standard BMI charts due to altered body composition. Clinicians should monitor growth trajectories instead and focus on bowel health and strengths-based weight conversations rather than weight loss alone.
• OTSurvey2020Examining the Specificity of Forms and Functions of Aggressive Behavior in Boys With Fragile X Syndrome.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesCaregivers reported aggression in adolescent boys with fragile X syndrome and other developmental disabilities was mostly linked to gaining attention or items, or escaping tasks. Scratching and biting were more common in fragile X syndrome, but functions were not syndrome-specific.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Neurosurgery guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineMost neurosurgical care for spina bifida relies on expert consensus rather than high-quality evidence. Therapists should monitor for shunt failure and tethered cord signs like pain or lost milestones, as clinical decline can occur even when brain imaging looks stable.
• OTSystematic Review2020A Systematic Review on Clinimetric Properties of Play Instruments for Occupational Therapy Practice.Occupational therapy internationalMost play instruments used in occupational therapy have limited evidence for their accuracy and are not commercially available. The Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale is the most established tool, but it only measures observable skills, not the child's internal enjoyment or motivation.
• PTOTCohort2020Factors Associated With Walking in Older Medical Inpatients.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn older medical inpatients, assigned bedrest and devices or treatments that hampered walking were the strongest barriers to daily step count. Higher baseline physical performance predicted more walking, while pain and fatigue did not significantly reduce activity.
• OTRCT2020The Effects of a Recollection-Based Occupational Therapy Program of Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Occupational therapy internationalMild Alzheimer's patients in a daycare centre who did a 24-session occupational therapy programme combining recollection with physical, horticultural, musical, artistic and daily-living tasks showed fewer memory complaints, better cognition, lower depression scores and higher quality-of-life scores than usual activities.
• OTQualitative2020Is a tailored work-related support intervention feasible in everyday clinical practice? The experience of healthcare professionals and patients with cancer.Work (Reading, Mass.)Healthcare professionals and patients found early work-related support feasible and useful, but consultation time was a major barrier. Oncology nurses felt underprepared for complex work issues, while occupational physicians lacked funding and integration into routine care.
• PTOTCohort2020Interaction between locomotion and three subcategories for patients with stroke demonstrating fewer than 37 points on the total functional independence measure upon admission to the recovery ward.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn severe stroke patients, walking ability did not improve all self-care equally. Greater gains in walking were linked to better dressing and toileting, but not eating or bathing. Therapists should target specific self-care tasks rather than assuming walking training fixes them all.
• PTOTOther2020Quantitative evaluation of subjective posture recognition by physiotherapists using a 3D motion capture.Journal of physical therapy sciencePhysiotherapists' subjective 'good' and 'bad' sitting postures showed distinct spinal displacement patterns, but their 'normal' posture did not align clearly with either. This suggests clinicians may default to comfortable, potentially poor postures rather than recognized good ones.
• PTOTQualitative2020Integrating Technology Into Clinical Practice for the Assessment of Balance and Mobility: Perspectives of Exercise Professionals Practicing in Retirement and Long-term Care.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationExercise professionals in retirement and long-term care view technology-assisted balance assessment as a useful adjunct, not a replacement. They prioritize tools that allow modular task selection to accommodate residents with cognitive or physical limitations, and value objective data for tracking progress and communicating with families.
• OTOther2020Crosscultural Validation of the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised in an Italian Population.Occupational therapy internationalAn Italian version of the community integration questionnaire was stable when 50 healthy adults repeated it after 14 days. Only the home participation section scored consistently. It has not been checked in people with disability.
• PTOTCohort2020Performance Measures for Short-Term Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients of Working Age: Results of the Prospective Observational Multicenter Registry OutCaRe.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationDuring short-term cardiac rehab for patients under 65, smoking status, blood pressure, exercise training load, well-being, depression, physical health and self-rated health prognosis changed and were recorded often enough to track immediate outcomes.
• OTOther2020Design of an ergonomic gestural interface for professional road cycling.Work (Reading, Mass.)This paper is a design study for a cycling interface, not clinical research. It reports on how seven cyclists prefer to use micro-gestures on handlebars in a lab setting. There are no patient outcomes or therapeutic findings here to inform clinical practice.
• OTSLPQualitative2020"Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left with No Clean-Up Crew": Defining Autistic Burnout.Autism in adulthoodAutistic adults described burnout as long-lasting exhaustion, lost skills, and lower sensory tolerance after chronic stress and unsupported expectations. They named relief in accepting support, breaks, reduced masking, and accommodations.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Sexual health and education guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicinePeople with spina bifida often lack specific sexual health education and face higher risks of abuse. Guidelines advise clinicians to discuss sexuality routinely, teach consent and safety skills early, and address bowel or bladder continence to support healthy relationships.
• OTRCT2020Long-term employment status and quality of life after cancer: A longitudinal prospective cohort study from diagnosis up to and including 5 years post diagnosis.Work (Reading, Mass.)Among cancer survivors employed at diagnosis, 48 of 65 were employed at 5 years. Those employed reported better overall quality of life, physical functioning, and pain. This is an association, not proof employment caused better quality of life.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2020What's in a Building? A Descriptive Survey of Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Buildings in Victoria, Australia.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMost Victorian inpatient rehabilitation buildings are not purpose-built, with half originally designed for acute care or other uses. Newer and private facilities have more single-bed rooms, while gym locations vary widely from the ward, potentially affecting patient movement.
• PTOTOther2020Comparing Home Upper Extremity Activity with Clinical Evaluations of Arm Function in Chronic Stroke.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationHome accelerometer data correlated with clinical arm impairment scores, but not consistently with self-reported use. Some patients with good clinical scores used their affected arm very little at home. Clinical tests alone may miss habitual non-use.
• OTSurvey2020Occupational Therapy in Haiti: A Pilot Study to Identify Intervention Methods Used during Short-Term Medical Missions.Occupational therapy internationalOccupational therapists on short-term missions to Haiti relied mostly on patient and caregiver education, not telehealth. They identified language barriers and short trip durations as the main obstacles to ensuring clients continued their care after the team left.
• OTSystematic Review2020Occupational Therapy Research in Schools: A Mapping Review.Occupational therapy internationalMost school-based occupational therapy research focuses on children with disabilities and uses individual, rather than collective, interventions. Handwriting and motor rehabilitation dominate the field, particularly in the US, leaving gaps in addressing broader social inclusion and diverse student needs.
• PTOTCohort2020Prevalence and clinical characteristics associated with peripheral neuropathy amongst persons on HAART in Busia County, Kenya.The South African journal of physiotherapyPeripheral neuropathy is highly prevalent in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy, affecting nearly seven in ten. Pain and numbness in the feet are the most common symptoms, strongly linked to the underlying illness rather than age or gender, suggesting a need for routine screening in this population.
• OTCohort2020Learning and Development of Diagnostic Reasoning in Occupational Therapy Undergraduate Students.Occupational therapy internationalOccupational therapy students get better at spotting performance problems as they progress, but struggle to link symptoms to causes. Few can build a full diagnosis, relying on single variables instead of complex interactions, which risks misdirected treatment.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Optimal foot-position of caregiver based on muscle activity of lower back and lower limb while providing sit-to-stand support.Journal of physical therapy scienceWidening the stance helped the front leg do the work but shifted load to the back muscles. A moderate stance used the front leg effectively without increasing back strain. These findings come from five young men lifting a 10 kg doll, not actual patients.
• OTOther2020The study of the validity and reliability of the Occupational Self-Assessment-traditional Chinese version.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTThe traditional Chinese Occupational Self-Assessment scored consistently across four areas for 593 clients with mental illness, but the environment domain did not fit as a separate domain. OTs can use self-performance, habituation and volition scores to understand client-reported strengths.
• OTSLPOther2020Does decreased visual attention to faces underlie difficulties interpreting eye gaze cues in autism?Molecular autismAdolescents with autism struggled to identify what others were looking at, but not because they looked less at faces. Time spent looking at faces did not predict accuracy. Interventions targeting increased face looking may not improve understanding of gaze cues.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Community Rehabilitation Outcomes for Different Stroke Diagnoses: An Observational Cohort Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn 61 adults, 12 months of staged community stroke rehabilitation improved overall function, abilities and participation, but not mood and interpersonal adjustment. Stroke type shaped which areas improved and where deficits remained.
• PTOTCohort2020Musculoskeletal Pain Outcomes Pre- and Post Intrathecal Baclofen Pump Implant in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Prospective Cohort Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn 32 children with cerebral palsy, parent-reported musculoskeletal pain duration and constant pain decreased after baclofen pump implant. Pain intensity, episode frequency, interference, and spasticity did not change.
• PTOTSurvey2020The physical impact of long bone fractures on adults in KwaZulu-Natal.The South African journal of physiotherapyAdults with lower limb fractures reported greater difficulty walking and running than those with upper limb fractures. Older adults with lower limb fractures had significantly higher disability scores. Falls and car accidents caused similar levels of physical limitation.
• PTOTPilot2020Developing a Facilitators Scale in the Context of Travel: ReTRIP.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationA new scale for people with spinal cord injury separates travel barriers into two distinct types: what the industry provides (accessibility, staff help) and what the individual brings (planning, problem-solving). These two factors are weakly linked, meaning you should assess them separately rather than combining them into a single score.
• PTOTSLPPilot2020Intrarater Test-Retest Reliability of Hip Abduction, Internal Rotation, and External Rotation Strength Measurements in a Healthy Cohort Using a Handheld Dynamometer and a Portable Stabilization Device: A Pilot Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationA handheld dynamometer with a PVC stabilization device measured hip strength reliably in healthy athletes. Changes greater than 5.09 N within a day, or 13.41 N between days, likely reflect true strength change rather than measurement error.
• OTSLPOther2020Dissecting the phenotypic heterogeneity in sensory features in autism spectrum disorder: a factor mixture modelling approach.Molecular autismAutistic children and adults grouped into three sensory severity levels rather than distinct sensory patterns. The severe group had more social-communication, repetitive behaviour and adaptive functioning difficulties.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Adapting the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to Identify and Quantify Development Among Children With Evidence of Zika Infection.Infants and young childrenA modified screening protocol allowed clinicians to quantify severe developmental delays in infants with congenital Zika infection. Children with microcephaly showed profound delays, with median developmental ages far below their biological ages, while those without microcephaly scored closer to peers.
• OTOther2020Work analysis tool for higher education: Development and validation of the german student measure WA-S Screening.Work (Reading, Mass.)A new survey measures university students' study conditions across eight subscales. It reliably links work overload and low skill fit to burnout, and lecturer feedback to engagement. Use it to identify systemic stressors, not to treat individual patients.
• PTOTCohort2020Relationship between upper limb motor function and activities of daily living after removing the influence of lower limb motor function in subacute patients with stroke: A cross-sectional study.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTUpper limb motor function correlates with total ADL independence, but this link weakens significantly once lower limb function is accounted for. Only specific self-care tasks and stair climbing remain associated with upper limb strength after removing lower limb influence.
• OTCase Report2020Prism adaptation treatment for spatial neglect post brain tumour removal: A case report.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTA woman with left spatial neglect after brain tumour surgery tolerated prism adaptation during occupational therapy. Some neglect measures improved, especially daily function, but one case cannot show the treatment caused the change.
• OTPilot2020Effects of peripheral nerve stimulation on paralysed upper limb functional recovery in chronic stroke patients undergoing low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and occupational therapy: A pilot study.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTAdding peripheral nerve stimulation to occupational therapy improved hand motor scores, but the primary measure of functional object manipulation showed no difference between groups. The benefit was seen only in a secondary hand-specific test.
• OTQualitative2020What are psychosocial risk factors for entrepreneurs to become unfit for work? A qualitative exploration.Work (Reading, Mass.)Entrepreneurs reported six psychosocial risk factors: financial stress, conflicts of interest, high responsibility, long hours, management issues, and administrative burdens. They identified stress resistance, flexibility, and good leadership as key traits for coping with these demands.
• OTRCT2021Cognitive oriented strategy training augmented rehabilitation (COSTAR) for ischemic stroke: a pilot exploratory randomized controlled study.Disability and rehabilitationAdding cognitive strategy training to task-specific stroke rehab showed no advantage over task-specific training alone. Both groups improved similarly on primary outcomes, though dropout was high. The added cognitive components did not produce measurable gains in activity performance or maintenance at follow-up.
• PTOTCohort2021Sociodemographic and clinical correlates of device-measured sedentary behaviour in multiple sclerosis.Disability and rehabilitationPeople with MS spend nearly 9 hours a day sedentary. Those who are older, have progressive MS, or higher disability spend even more time sitting in long, uninterrupted bouts. Self-report likely underestimates this burden, so objective monitoring is needed to target interventions.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020The development of a manual-based digital memory notebook intervention with case study illustrations.Neuropsychological rehabilitationThree individuals with memory impairment used a digital notebook after 5–6 home sessions. Two reported improved daily function and memory; one did not, possibly due to app bugs and longer follow-up. All three reported better coping self-efficacy. This is a pilot case series, not evidence of efficacy.
• PTOTCohort2020Disability and Pain are the Best Predictors of Sick Leave After a Distal Radius Fracture in Men.Journal of occupational rehabilitationMen with distal radius fracture who reported more disability and pain one week after injury were more likely to have longer sick leave. Early symptoms tracked work loss more closely than fracture severity or treatment.