THE INDEX

Every paper we have read

Each one summarised from the full article, not its abstract, and kept only if it speaks to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology or nursing. Newest first.

35,183 PAPERS · PAGE 559 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTCohort2025Is the Level of Consent to a National Research Registry Associated With Patient Outcomes After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury? A Population-Based Study From the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAfter traumatic spinal cord injury, people who gave only minimal registry consent or withdrew consent were more likely to stay longer in acute care, develop pressure injuries, and be discharged away from home. This is an association, not proof consent caused worse care.
• OTRCT2025Process Evaluation of Individual Placement and Support and Participatory Workplace Intervention to Increase the Sustainable Work Participation of People with Work Disabilities.Journal of occupational rehabilitationImplementing these employment interventions in a municipal welfare setting was difficult. Job coaches struggled to integrate with healthcare services for the IPS programme and rarely completed the structured steps required for the PWI programme.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Telerehabilitation - Historical Perspectives and Conceptual Framework in Reference to Neurological Disorders: A Narrative Review.NeuroRehabilitationThis review maps the history of telerehabilitation for neurological disorders, noting it began with speech therapy and now includes video, apps, and sensors. It identifies barriers like poor digital literacy and limited physical exam options, but does not test whether these methods improve patient outcomes.
• OTQualitative2025Lifestyle Dimensions of Public Safety Personnel Families: There's No Life Like It.Journal of occupational rehabilitationPublic safety personnel families face unique lifestyle pressures in logistics, risks, and identities. Shiftwork disrupts routines, trauma exposure causes emotional disengagement, and community expectations create tension. These factors compound normal family stressors, requiring tailored support rather than generic advice.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2025The functional secondary effect after an integrated rehabilitative intervention to learn reading and writing in a girl with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineA girl with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome improved in reading, writing, and digital communication after years of multidisciplinary therapy. Her test scores remained below norms, but she gained autonomy in daily life. This shows what one patient achieved, not that the method works for others.
• OTQualitative2025Including 'Work as a Treatment Goal' in the Care for Patients with Chronic Diseases : The Development of a Generic Care Model-A Descriptive Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitationExperts put work goals into chronic illness care. Their model adds a work-oriented plan to treatment, starts work discussions at diagnosis, and accepts partial or no return as a valid outcome. It is not tested.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Experiences with hospital-to-home transitions: perspectives from patients, family members and healthcare professionals. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Disability and rehabilitationPatients and families struggle with discharge because they don't know who to call, get overwhelmed by bad information, and feel abandoned. Professionals lack time and clear roles. Success relies on early planning, knowing exactly who coordinates care, and providing simple, timely support rather than just handing over paperwork.
• OTOther2025Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Smart Work Injury Management (SWIM) System to Assist Case Managers in Predicting the Work Disability of Injured Workers.Journal of occupational rehabilitationSWIM did not predict actual sick leave or permanent disability for 442 Hong Kong injury claims. It matched only a 4-year case manager's non-litigated sick-leave estimate.
• OTCohort2025Longitudinal associations of time-varying homeboundness and life satisfaction after traumatic brain injury.Rehabilitation psychologyAfter moderate to severe TBI, people who spent more time homebound reported lower life satisfaction. Becoming homebound between follow-up visits was also linked with lower satisfaction. Asking how often patients leave home may flag a participation problem.
• PTOTSurvey2024Barriers to and enablers of physical activity participation in lung cancer survivors.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationMost lung cancer survivors in this survey did not meet exercise guidelines, citing fatigue and breathlessness as main barriers. Despite this, 63% were interested in community exercise programs, preferring walking and exercising alone. Higher income and self-efficacy were linked to more activity.
• PTOTCohort2024The Kinematics of 3D Arm Movements in Sub-Acute Stroke: Impaired Inter-Joint Coordination is Attributable to Both Weakness and Flexor Synergy Intrusion.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn sub-acute stroke, impaired arm coordination is driven by both weakness and flexor synergy intrusion. Weakness alone can lower Fugl-Meyer scores without synergy presence, meaning clinical scales may reflect distinct underlying deficits depending on the patient.
• PTOTRCT2024Feasibility of a home-based home videogaming intervention with a family-centered approach for children with cerebral palsy: a randomized multiple baseline single-case experimental design.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEleven children improved on at least one chosen upper-limb daily activity after an 8-week home program that included videogame play, weekly monitoring calls and family goal setting. Only three of 13 met their weekly active playtime goal for six weeks.
• Other2024Research Letter: Characterizing Lifetime Mild TBI Exposure Among Female and Male Military Service Members and Veterans in the LIMBIC-CENC Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAmong 2323 deployed service members and veterans, 82% reported at least one lifetime mild TBI, and 71% of those had multiple. Men reported more lifetime mild TBIs, more mild TBIs during service, and more blast exposure than women.
• PTOTCohort2024Telemedicine impact on patient disparities and physician practice patterns in cancer rehabilitation: A multicenter retrospective study.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationTelemedicine visits resulted in fewer referrals for physical and occupational therapy than in-person visits. Prescribing medications was equally likely in both settings. Older patients and those identifying as Black or White were less likely to receive telemedicine care.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Incidence and outcomes of pediatric patients with dual diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury and brain injury on an inpatient rehabilitation unit.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationPediatric patients with spinal cord injury and suspected brain injury showed no significant difference in functional recovery compared to those with spinal injury alone. However, agitation and attention problems appeared only in the suspected brain injury group, suggesting these symptoms may signal an undiagnosed concurrent condition.
• PTOTSurvey2024The hidden crisis: Long COVID's association with housing stability and home accessibility among people with disabilities.Disability and health journalAmong adults with disabilities surveyed, those reporting Long COVID more often had unstable housing, cost worries, poor home conditions, and homes that did not support them. Therapists should ask about home access and money when planning care.
• Pilot2024Documenting Compliance and Symptom Reactivity for Ambulatory Assessment Methodology Following Concussion in Adolescents and Young Adults: Feasibility of the Mobile Neurocognitive Health (MNCH) Project.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationPatients aged 13 to 25 with concussion completed about 71% of daily phone surveys over 7 days; the 7:30 AM survey was least completed. Most said symptoms did not rise much after surveys, and nearly all who rated the app found it easy.
• PTOTCohort2024Nonopioid analgesic use in older patients admitted for orthopedic rehabilitation.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationOlder patients in orthopedic rehab who received nonopioid pain meds were younger, had higher BMI, and prior opioid use. They got higher opioid doses than those who did not receive nonopioids, suggesting these drugs were not used to spare opioids.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2024Employing the International Classifications of Functioning, Disability, and Health to identify relevant categories for disability evaluation in older adults from the research perspective: a systematic review.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineResearch on older adults' disability focuses almost entirely on self-care, mobility, and housework. Mental functions appear frequently, but environmental factors are largely missing from existing measures. This gap suggests current evaluations overlook how physical and social surroundings act as barriers or facilitators to daily life.
• PTCohort2024Function and activity capacity at 1 year after the admission to intensive care unit for COVID-19.Clinical rehabilitationAt 1 year after ICU admission for COVID-19, 78 participants were assessed: 24.4% had impaired right grip, 29.5% had slow walking, 21.8% had limited mobility, and 5.1% had impaired balance.
• PTOTOther2024Early Daily Activity: Development and description of an occupation-based intervention for surgically repaired distal radius Fractures.Clinical rehabilitationEarly Daily Activity is a new protocol for wrist fracture rehab that replaces prescribed exercises with light daily tasks like cooking or folding laundry. It has not been tested for effectiveness, so use it only as a structured framework for discussion, not as proven care.
• Cohort2024Effects of Blast- and Impact-Related Concussion on Persistent Sleep Problems.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationMarines who had blast-related concussion were more likely to report sleep problems six months after deployment than Marines who did not. Impact-related concussion also raised that likelihood. Sleep trouble at return was the strongest reported link.
• PTOTCohort2025Racial disparities in prosthesis abandonment and mobility outcomes after lower limb amputation from a dysvascular etiology in a veteran population.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationOverall prosthesis abandonment was low, but rural Black veterans abandoned their prostheses far more often than others. Urban Black veterans were less likely to achieve advanced mobility. Depression strongly worsened these disparities in both groups.
• OTCohort2025Transitioning vision rehabilitation patients from over-the-counter magnifiers to prescribed aids.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyMost patients who bought their own magnifiers found them unhelpful, yet clinicians successfully prescribed better aids to them. Trying an over-the-counter magnifier predicted a higher chance of receiving and keeping a prescribed optical or electronic device, rather than blocking further care.
• PTOTCohort2025Disability severity and risk of new or recurrent intimate partner violence - Evidence from a cohort study in rural Pakistan.Disability and health journalIn rural Pakistan, mothers with medium or high disability severity faced a higher risk of psychological, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence in the following year compared to those with low severity. The risk was elevated for all violence types, suggesting disability severity predicts future IPV.
• Qualitative2025Unpacking how trust, communication and flow interact to sustain quality relationships between disabled people, family and support workers: a realist qualitative study.Disability and rehabilitationDisabled people, families and support workers described three interlocking conditions for sustainable support: open communication about boundaries, trust built through consistent competent care, and a sense of flow where roles are clear. Each group needed different resources to achieve these.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Centering the person in development of a model of care for people with Parkinson's disease: a qualitative study.Disability and rehabilitationPeople with Parkinson's and their care partners described feeling overwhelmed by fragmented care. They wanted a single coordinator to manage referrals, clear information on daily life and medications, and community groups to reduce isolation and stigma.
• Survey2025Medical schools producing the most physical medicine and rehabilitation residents: An analysis of matriculating residents from 2017 to 2021.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationOsteopathic schools produced most PM&R residents. Interest groups and rotations, not home programs, were key factors. Osteopathic students matched into PM&R at 2.87% versus 1.20% for allopathic students.
• Other2025A dearth of disability-related competencies in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Milestones 2.0.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationDisability was absent from training milestones in 37.5% of the 32 medical and surgical specialties. In 19 of the 32 specialties, disability appeared as a potential barrier to communication, and no specialty had disability-related milestones for systems or practice improvement.
• Narrative Review2025Posttraumatic osteoarthritis after athletic knee injury: A narrative review of diagnostic imaging strategies.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationNo imaging test reliably detects early posttraumatic knee arthritis in athletes. Radiographs miss early changes and grading is inconsistent. MRI is better but lacks standardization. Ultrasound is user-dependent and underestimates cartilage loss compared to MRI.
• PTOTSurvey2025Clinician perceptions of a novel wearable robotic hand orthosis for post-stroke hemiparesis.Disability and rehabilitationMost therapists said they would use this prototype hand device for both therapy and daily tasks. They preferred supervised clinical settings over home use and wanted setup to take under five minutes. This reflects their opinions on a video demonstration, not proven patient outcomes.
• SLPCohort2025Quantitative ultrasound of submental and masticatory muscles in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineUltrasound scans showed that muscles used for chewing and swallowing in children with cerebral palsy are structurally abnormal, appearing brighter on the scan. These changes were found even in children who eat and drink safely, suggesting the scan may detect subtle issues missed by standard observation.
• OTPilot2025Development and pilot administration of the amputation-related pain and sensation assessment tool.Disability and rehabilitationAn illustrated tool helped 50 Veterans with lower limb amputation describe residual limb pain, phantom limb sensation, and phantom limb pain. Many used overlapping words, so pictures may help clinicians sort the experiences. It is not yet tested for reliability or validity.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Socioeconomic factors in inflicted traumatic brain injury: Examining the area deprivation index.Rehabilitation psychologyIn children with inflicted brain injury, a neighborhood deprivation index did not predict death, intensive care stay, or follow-up visits. Hispanic/Latino children lived in more deprived neighborhoods. Older children were more likely to die, stay longer in intensive care, and have fewer visits.
• SLPQualitative2025"I don't really know how to help her." Family caregivers' capabilities, opportunities and motivations to provide hearing support to long-term care home residents with dementia.Disability and rehabilitationFamily caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia feel unable to support hearing because they lack knowledge of alternatives to hearing aids and clear responsibility. They want guidance on communication techniques and devices, but face barriers like poor audiology access and staff collaboration.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2024What factors at discharge predict physical activity and walking outcomes 6 months after stroke? A systematic review.Clinical rehabilitationPhysical capability at discharge predicts walking and activity outcomes up to six months after stroke, but explains only part of the result. Cognitive function and pre-stroke activity levels also contribute significantly. Clinicians should assess these factors to tailor discharge planning and anticipate needs for ongoing care.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2024Relationships between physical activities performed under free-living conditions and non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationIn people with Parkinson's, more everyday physical activity was associated with better cognition and fewer anxiety, depression or apathy symptoms, but not with sleep, fatigue or pain. These are associations, not proof that activity improves symptoms.
• PTCohort2024Connecting Practice to Data: Implementation Strategies to Increase Collection of Core Outcome Measures in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationA quality improvement project increased the collection of core functional outcome measures for brain injury patients from 86.5% to 100% of admissions. This was achieved through staff training, environmental changes, and regular feedback. The improvement was sustained for up to four years.
• PTOther2024Mixed-Methods Analysis of Provider-Documented and Patient-Reported Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms Among Veterans With Neurogenic Bladder.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationVeterans with neurogenic bladder often reported urine color, cloudiness, sediment, or smell as UTI signs. Participants said fever drove provider diagnosis. Urine changes alone are not enough to diagnose UTI.
• Other2024The TBI Model Systems Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage Index (TBIMS-NSDI): Development and Comparison to Individual Socioeconomic Characteristics.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationCensus data can describe neighborhood disadvantage after TBI, and a person-neighborhood comparison shows when someone's income, education, or unemployment does not match their neighborhood. No patient outcomes were tested.
• Narrative Review2024Designing studies and reviews to produce informative, trustworthy evidence about complex interventions in rehabilitation: a narrative review and commentary.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThis paper is a methodological commentary, not a clinical trial. It discusses how to design research for complex rehabilitation interventions but provides no evidence on whether specific treatments work for patients.
• PTOTCohort2024Learning-to-learn as a metacognitive correlate of functional outcomes after stroke: a cohort study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineStroke survivors who improved their motor learning speed during a brief computerized task achieved greater gains in daily independence. This link was strongest in younger participants. The association weakened with age, suggesting learning capacity may decline as a predictor of recovery in older adults.
• PTOTCohort2024Accuracy of Physiotherapist Predictions for Independent Walking After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPhysiotherapists accurately predicted if stroke patients would walk independently by 26 weeks but were poor at predicting when. The TWIST tool was more accurate than clinicians for early recovery timeframes. Experience and confidence did not improve prediction accuracy.
• SLPCohort2024Characterizing the Association Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Discontinuation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in a Commercially Insured Adult Population.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAdults with a traumatic brain injury were 13% more likely to stop taking medications for opioid use disorder compared to those without. Type of medication mattered more: oral naltrexone had a 63% higher risk of discontinuation than buprenorphine.
• Cohort2024Shorter Telomere Length Is Associated With Older Age, Poor Sleep Hygiene, and Orthopedic Injury, but Not Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, in a Cohort of Canadian Children.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationSaliva telomere length did not separate children with mild traumatic brain injury from those with orthopedic injury. It was shorter in older children and in those with poor sleep hygiene, and the orthopedic injury group had shorter telomeres after adjustment.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024Considerations for developing complex post-stroke upper limb behavioural interventions: An international qualitative study.Clinical rehabilitationExperts and stroke survivors agreed that upper limb recovery needs complex, personalised interventions where engagement, content, dose, and the therapist's skill interact. They warned against treating any single element in isolation, emphasizing that real-world participation matters as much as impairment scores.
• PTOTCohort2024Identifying discriminant factors between phantom limb pain, residual limb pain, and both in people with lower limb amputations: a cross-sectional study.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationPeople with above-knee amputations had 2.7 times higher odds of phantom limb pain alone compared to those with below-knee amputations. However, having both phantom and residual limb pain did not worsen functional independence or walking participation compared to having just one type of pain.
• PTOTCohort2025Peripheral neuropathy prevalence and effect on mobility 12 months after prosthesis prescription among individuals with dysvascular lower extremity amputation.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationVeterans with dysvascular lower limb amputation and peripheral neuropathy were less likely to achieve independent basic and advanced mobility with a prosthesis 12 months after prescription. The risk was higher for those with transfemoral amputation or major depressive disorder. Screen for neuropathy and depression early in rehabilitation.
• PTOTCohort2025Predictive utility of self-efficacy in early stroke rehabilitation.Topics in stroke rehabilitationIn 30 stroke patients, higher self-efficacy on admission predicted greater functional independence gains during inpatient rehab. This link held for the whole group but disappeared once age and stroke timing were considered. It only predicted recovery in those with moderate to severe arm weakness.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025A Directed Content Analysis for Greatest Problems Among People With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPeople with TBI identified financial management and relationship adjustments as their greatest recent problems. Unlike other groups, their top concerns were emotional and cognitive abilities rather than just participation barriers. This suggests care should prioritize addressing mood, family dynamics, and daily functioning challenges alongside physical rehabilitation.