TOPIC

Adult rehabilitation research

Everything we have read on adult rehabilitation. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,091 PAPERS · PAGE 22 OF 22 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTQualitative2026Exploring the emotional labour of occupational therapists when interacting with clients.The British journal of occupational therapyFourteen UK occupational therapists described managing what they show clients: holding back frustration, putting on enthusiasm, and rationalizing a client's abuse to seem sincere. They said the rules are unwritten, context-dependent, and emotionally demanding.
• OTSystematic Review2026Family-Centered Occupational Therapy Consultation for Children Under 18 Years Old: A Scoping Review.Occupational therapy internationalEight of twelve studies found improved child participation or parent confidence after OT consultation. Three found no clear benefit. The evidence is thin, mostly small studies, and says little about cerebral palsy, ADHD, speech disorders, or teenagers.
• OTQualitative2026Exploring the implementation of an ICF-based instrument and guideline for interprofessional collaboration in the return-to-work process.Work (Reading, Mass.)Occupational health professionals who trialled an ICF-based tool described it as helpful for describing work capacity in context and for sharing understanding across professions. They recommended removing the numeric scoring and said digital integration into their records is a prerequisite for use.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Cognitive Impairments and Health System Outcomes in Inpatient Rehabilitation: A Comparison of Patients With Stroke and Those With Type II Diabetes Mellitus.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationIn inpatient rehab, whether a patient had stroke or diabetes did not predict their functional outcomes or readmission. What did predict them was how well they could function when they arrived and how many medical problems they carried.
• PTOTRCT2026The impact of persistent post-concussion symptoms and exercise intolerance on patient-specific functioning after mild traumatic brain injury: a biopsychosocial perspective.Journal of rehabilitation medicineA 12-week aerobic exercise programme added to usual rehabilitation did not improve patient-reported activity limitations beyond what was seen in the control group after mTBI. Both groups improved over 6 months.
• OTCohort2026Examination of Total Hours of Volunteering or Informal Helping Among Older Adults and Risk of Future Functional Disability Using Data From a Large Panel Study.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationMore hours helping others was linked to lower risk of daily-activity difficulty in 2,434 adults 65+, but the association disappeared once baseline cognitive and physical capacity and existing health conditions were included. Those capacity measures stayed significant.
• OTPilot2026Virtual reality for activities of daily living rehabilitation after acquired brain injury.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesVR-based ADL practice added to usual therapy was associated with a 9.4-point gain on the NADL (max 66) and further improvement at 3 months. No control group, so the gains cannot be attributed to VR alone.
• OTQualitative2026Psychological and behavioral processes in stroke survivors with recovery exceeding prognostic expectations: a qualitative study of positive deviance.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOccupational therapists described stroke patients who exceeded recovery predictions as maintaining their pre-stroke identity, setting their own goals, building confidence from small wins, and actively using family and peer support. These are processes therapists can foster, not fixed traits.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Applications of ICF-Based Assessments and Interventions in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review.NeuroRehabilitationICF-based stroke assessments cover 84.8% of UK guideline topics, but interventions cover only 45.5%. Both skew toward body function and activity. Participation and environmental factors are barely addressed in either.
• OTQualitative2026A mixed-methods study of how cancer-related fatigue affects occupational participation and engagement, and is managed in daily life.The British journal of occupational therapyCancer-related fatigue hit leisure and social activities hardest, leaving participants with only basic daily tasks. Most had low confidence in managing it, and the loss of valued activities caused grief and a sense of losing their identity.
• OTSystematic Review2026Exploring Occupation-Based Interventions for Sleep Within OTPF: A Systematic Review.Occupational therapy internationalMost occupation-based sleep interventions focus on getting ready for sleep: routines, education, and adjusting the sleep environment. Sustaining sleep and handling nighttime needs are largely absent from the literature. Eight of ten included studies reported a positive effect.
• OTPilot2026Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation-Delivered LSVT-BIG on Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Single-Subject Experimental Study.Occupational therapy internationalAll three chronic stroke patients got faster on the Timed Up and Go, moved more blocks in the Box and Block test, and scored higher on daily living and occupational performance after 16 remote LSVT-BIG sessions over 4 weeks. With only three people and no comparison group, this is a signal, not proof.
• OTOther2026Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of the ADL Taxonomy Questionnaire in Persons With Stroke: A Rasch Analysis.Occupational therapy internationalThe Persian ADL Taxonomy is a valid, reliable tool for assessing daily living participation in stroke survivors, with strong agreement with the MBI and stable scores over time, though a few items around communication, reading, and travel need cautious interpretation.
• OTSurvey2026The Impact of Time Use in Different Occupation Areas on Time Deficiency Among Mothers Depending on the Presence of Children With Disabilities.Occupational therapy internationalMothers of children with disabilities feel significantly more time-pressed than mothers of typically developing children. Their extra caregiving time comes at the cost of personal care and paid work, and protecting time for basic self-care is associated with feeling less time-pressed.
• PTOTPilot2026Introduction of Nurse-Led Rehabilitation Services for Patients With Stroke After Discharge to Improve Self-Care Management in Bangladesh: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesNo significant difference between the nurse-led group and usual care on functional independence, self-efficacy, social participation, or caregiver burden at 3 months. Both groups improved, and the control group also received external rehabilitation, so the null result does not mean the intervention failed.
• OTSurvey2026Exploring occupational therapists' perceptions, current practices and confidence levels in supporting return to work after stroke: A mixed-methods study.The British journal of occupational therapyUK occupational therapists feel confident in their stroke return-to-work role, but practice skews toward physical and cognitive impairment work. Work-specific assessments and employer engagement are used rarely; confidence drops to 47% for employer-related tasks. Most learned on the job and want targeted training.
• OTOther2026Reliability of Ultrasound Muscle Assessment in People With Critical Illness Performed by Occupational Therapy Students and Occupational Therapists.Occupational therapy internationalAfter 8 hours of training, occupational therapy students and therapists measured ICU patients' muscle thickness by ultrasound with excellent agreement both between and within examiners, across five muscle groups. One student's biceps measurement was only 'satisfactory'.
• OTQualitative2026Performance of Daily Living Activities of Autistic Children With Sensory Processing Difficulties: Caregivers' Perceptions.Occupational therapy internationalStrong aversion to textures and poor motor planning made every daily task (bathing, feeding, dressing, hygiene, toileting) require constant adult help, according to caregivers of autistic children aged 3–8.
• OTSurvey2026Occupational Performance and Quality of Life in Individuals With Cardiovascular Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Study.Occupational therapy internationalPeople with cardiovascular conditions rated their daily performance in the lower-moderate range, with self-care (especially mobility, sleep, and stairs) hit hardest. Better physical health predicted better performance; better psychological health predicted greater satisfaction.
• OTSystematic Review2026A Systematic Review of International Evidence to Inform Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Total Knee Replacement in the Korean Health System.Occupational therapy internationalOT after knee replacement is most strongly linked to shorter hospital stays, with weaker evidence for better daily function, mood, and community reintegration. Most of the 51 studies reviewed were observational and low quality, so no single OT activity can be credited with these gains.
• PTOTCohort2026Retrospective observational analysis of limitations in activities of daily living in a large cohort of patients with clinical obesity.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineFull dependence in daily tasks among obese adults in rehabilitation was associated with older age, higher weight, and lower muscle strength; continence and toileting were the most affected activities (n=3,229).
• OTPilot2026Implementation and outcomes of a novel occupational therapy service in a nursing home.Australian occupational therapy journalResidents in a nursing home who received individualised occupational therapy over up to 36 weeks reported clinically meaningful gains in both performance and satisfaction with their chosen activities, with median improvements of 2 and 2.3 points on a 1-to-10 scale.
• OTCohort2026Sex Differences in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Transportation Modes by Driving Status Among Older Adults.Occupational therapy internationalCurrent drivers aged 75–80 in Japan did more everyday activities and reported better health than non-drivers. Among non-drivers, the sex gap was in transport mode (men cycled more, women were driven by others more) not in activity frequency.
• OTOther2026Strategy Use Among People With Parkinson's Disease During the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationCrossing off items, entering fixed appointments first, crossing off free day, and self-checking related to higher accuracy for people with Parkinson's, but more strategies meant longer time with no efficiency gain. For those with mild cognitive impairment, strategy use did not relate to performance.
• OTCohort2026Occupational Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Occupational therapy internationalICU occupational therapy (cognitive, upper-limb, and daily-living training) was delivered safely, one adverse event in 656 sessions, but 65.2% of patients did not complete the planned five sessions, mostly due to transfer out of the ICU. No effectiveness was measured.
• OTQualitative2026Transferring Occupational Therapy Knowledge to Village Health Volunteers to Enhance Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults in Community-Based Elder Care: A Qualitative Study.Occupational therapy internationalPractical strategies across six ADL domains (seated dressing to cut fall risk, oval-lipped cups for stroke patients, bamboo grab bars) emerged from ten experienced OTs in Chiang Mai, alongside a hands-on training model for village health volunteers using simple language and local materials.
• OTCohort2026Neuropsychological consequences three years post-covid-19 are persistent and have great impact on everyday activities.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThree years after COVID-19, 10 of 12 cognitive tests still showed below-expected performance in this group of 59 working-age adults, and 77% reported ongoing cognitive impact on daily life. Fatigue scores were unchanged from 18 months.
• OTSystematic Review2026An occupational perspective of the lived experience of individuals with Alopecia Areata: A scoping review.The British journal of occupational therapyA scoping review of 11 qualitative studies maps how alopecia areata disrupts daily life (school, work, self-care, relationships) across the lifespan. It identifies unmet occupational needs and calls for OT involvement, but tests no treatment and offers no evidence that any intervention works.
• OTPilot2026Functional Needs Assessment Tool for estimating population-level functional difficulties and the need for services and assistive products: pilot testing in Western Uganda.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA new population-level survey tool for identifying who needs rehabilitation services was found workable in rural Uganda, but its screening questions for self-care and thinking need tightening before it can be used at scale. It is not yet a validated clinical assessment.
• OTSystematic Review2026Ecological Momentary Assessment of Daily Activities in Individuals With Neurological Disorders: Scoping Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesOnly 20 studies (2012–2024) have used real-time smartphone prompts to track daily activities in neurological patients. Most ask only 'what are you doing' without capturing meaning or context, and no agreed-upon best design exists.
• OTOther2026Updating and validating the Domestic and Community Skills Assessment.Australian occupational therapy journalThe DACSA-3, a revised IADL assessment for mental health clients, has been reviewed by experts who confirmed it covers the right tasks. But it has not been tested for reliability or whether scores actually reflect real-world performance, so treat it as a non-standardised tool.
• OTOther2026Critical Reflection on the Use in Canada of the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement.Occupational therapy internationalThis is one academic's opinion piece proposing three tweaks to the CMOP-E, a theoretical model taught in Canadian OT programmes. It is not a research study and provides no evidence to change how you assess or treat a patient.
• OTQualitative2026Exploring Challenges: A Qualitative Study on Occupational Therapy in Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Settings.Occupational therapy internationalA qualitative study from Iran's largest psychiatric hospital identifies five systemic barriers to occupational therapy in acute wards. Sedated patients, safety vigilance, understaffing, poor space, and other staff not understanding OT's role. It does not test whether OT works.
• OTPilot2026Optimizing Teacher-Occupational Therapist Collaboration: A Multimethod Knowledge Translation Initiative.Child: care, health and developmentA small pilot of virtual OT–teacher collaboration training showed mixed results: some self-set goal scores improved, but the broader collaboration-attitude scale barely moved. Too small and self-selected to tell whether this works for most school teams.
• OTCase Report2026Cognitive-Functional Intervention for Adults With ADHD (Cog-Fun-A): An Extreme Case Series Analysis.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthThree adult men with ADHD received 15 weekly OT sessions; two improved meaningfully, one barely changed. The authors point to motivation, routine stability, and self-attribution as possible differentiators. With three people and no statistical testing, this cannot establish whether the treatment works.
• OTSystematic Review2026Scoping Review of Occupational Therapy for Distal Radius Fractures, Including Complications.Occupational therapy internationalA scoping review found only five studies of occupational therapy for wrist fractures, and those focused almost entirely on range of motion and grip strength rather than on the daily activities and participation that occupational therapists are trained to address.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Brain-computer interface for upper limb functional recovery post-stroke: a meta-analysis of improvement in upper limb motor function and changes in neurophysiological markers.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBCI training added to standard stroke rehab improved upper limb movement scores across 16 trials. The benefit was clearest in the subacute phase; in chronic stroke it did not reach significance. Consider BCI as an adjunct for subacute upper limb rehab, not a replacement.
• OTSystematic Review2026Occupational Therapy in Return-to-Work Processes After Stroke: A Scoping Review of Ongoing Therapeutic Support and Implications for Work-Treatment Balance.Occupational therapy internationalAcross 58 studies of stroke survivors returning to work, therapeutic support was variably integrated with employment. OT roles extended beyond individual rehab into employer liaison and workplace adjustment. Fatigue was the second most common barrier but was rarely measured.
• OTPilot2026Feasibility of a Home-Based Occupational Positioning Program for Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Preliminary Study.Occupational therapy internationalA home-based positioning program for children with spastic cerebral palsy was feasible (high attendance, high satisfaction, no dropouts) but with only 5 children and no control group, it cannot tell you whether the program actually improves function.
• OTSurvey2026A profile of occupational therapy practice in Australia for people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.Australian occupational therapy journalSixty-three Australian occupational therapists described how they work with people diagnosed with BPD. Trauma-informed care and occupation-based approaches dominated, but time constraints, funding gaps, and fragmented services were the top barriers to delivering consistent, evidence-based practice.
• OTCohort2026Investigation of Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the Extended Barthel Index in Inpatients With Acute to Subacute Stroke in China.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTIn stroke inpatients, a 4-point gain on the 64-point Extended Barthel Index is the smallest improvement a patient notices; 6 points is what a family member would call meaningful. A 2-point drop is what a therapist would call slight decline.