occupational therapy dissertation literature review

Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences

• Defining the Research Question(s)
• Reference Resources
• Evidence Summaries & Clinical Guidelines
• Health Data & Statistics
• Patient & Consumer Facing Materials
• Images/Streaming Video
• Database Tutorials
• Crafting a Search
• Narrowing / Filtering a Search
• Expanding a Search
• Cited Reference Searching
• Find Grey Literature
• Save Your Searches
• Cite Sources
• Critical Appraisal
• Different Types of Literature Reviews
• Conducting & Reporting Systematic Reviews
• Finding Systematic Reviews
• Tutorials & Tools for Literature Reviews
• Mobile Apps for Health

What are Systematic Reviews? (3 minutes, 24 second YouTube Video)

Systematic Literature Reviews: Steps & Resources

These steps for conducting a systematic literature review are listed below . 

Also see subpages for more information about:

• The different types of literature reviews, including systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis methods
• Tools & Tutorials

Literature Review & Systematic Review Steps

• Develop a Focused Question
• Scope the Literature  (Initial Search)
• Refine & Expand the Search
• Limit the Results
• Download Citations
• Abstract & Analyze
• Create Flow Diagram
• Synthesize & Report Results

1. Develop a Focused   Question 

Consider the PICO Format: Population/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome

Focus on defining the Population or Problem and Intervention (don't narrow by Comparison or Outcome just yet!)

"What are the effects of the Pilates method for patients with low back pain?"

Tools & Additional Resources:

• PICO Question Help
• Stillwell, Susan B., DNP, RN, CNE; Fineout-Overholt, Ellen, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN; Melnyk, Bernadette Mazurek, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FNAP, FAAN; Williamson, Kathleen M., PhD, RN Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step: Asking the Clinical Question, AJN The American Journal of Nursing : March 2010 - Volume 110 - Issue 3 - p 58-61 doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000368959.11129.79

2. Scope the Literature

A "scoping search" investigates the breadth and/or depth of the initial question or may identify a gap in the literature. 

Eligible studies may be located by searching in:

• Background sources (books, point-of-care tools)
• Article databases
• Trial registries
• Grey literature
• Cited references
• Reference lists

When searching, if possible, translate terms to controlled vocabulary of the database. Use text word searching when necessary.

Use Boolean operators to connect search terms:

• Combine separate concepts with AND  (resulting in a narrower search)
• Connecting synonyms with OR  (resulting in an expanded search)

Search:  pilates AND ("low back pain"  OR  backache )

Video Tutorials - Translating PICO Questions into Search Queries

• Translate Your PICO Into a Search in PubMed (YouTube, Carrie Price, 5:11) 
• Translate Your PICO Into a Search in CINAHL (YouTube, Carrie Price, 4:56)

3. Refine & Expand Your Search

Expand your search strategy with synonymous search terms harvested from:

• database thesauri
• reference lists
• relevant studies

Example: 

(pilates OR exercise movement techniques) AND ("low back pain" OR backache* OR sciatica OR lumbago OR spondylosis)

As you develop a final, reproducible strategy for each database, save your strategies in a:

• a personal database account (e.g., MyNCBI for PubMed)
• Log in with your NYU credentials
• Open and "Make a Copy" to create your own tracker for your literature search strategies

4. Limit Your Results

Use database filters to limit your results based on your defined inclusion/exclusion criteria.  In addition to relying on the databases' categorical filters, you may also need to manually screen results.  

• Limit to Article type, e.g.,:  "randomized controlled trial" OR multicenter study
• Limit by publication years, age groups, language, etc.

NOTE: Many databases allow you to filter to "Full Text Only".  This filter is  not recommended . It excludes articles if their full text is not available in that particular database (CINAHL, PubMed, etc), but if the article is relevant, it is important that you are able to read its title and abstract, regardless of 'full text' status. The full text is likely to be accessible through another source (a different database, or Interlibrary Loan).  

• Filters in PubMed
• CINAHL Advanced Searching Tutorial

5. Download Citations

Selected citations and/or entire sets of search results can be downloaded from the database into a citation management tool. If you are conducting a systematic review that will require reporting according to PRISMA standards, a citation manager can help you keep track of the number of articles that came from each database, as well as the number of duplicate records.

In Zotero, you can create a Collection for the combined results set, and sub-collections for the results from each database you search.  You can then use Zotero's 'Duplicate Items" function to find and merge duplicate records.

• Citation Managers - General Guide

6. Abstract and Analyze

• Migrate citations to data collection/extraction tool
• Screen Title/Abstracts for inclusion/exclusion
• Screen and appraise full text for relevance, methods, 
• Resolve disagreements by consensus

Covidence is a web-based tool that enables you to work with a team to screen titles/abstracts and full text for inclusion in your review, as well as extract data from the included studies.

• Covidence Support
• Critical Appraisal Tools
• Data Extraction Tools

7. Create Flow Diagram

The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram is a visual representation of the flow of records through different phases of a systematic review.  It depicts the number of records identified, included and excluded.  It is best used in conjunction with the PRISMA checklist .

Example from: Stotz, S. A., McNealy, K., Begay, R. L., DeSanto, K., Manson, S. M., & Moore, K. R. (2021). Multi-level diabetes prevention and treatment interventions for Native people in the USA and Canada: A scoping review. Current Diabetes Reports, 2 (11), 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-021-01414-3

• PRISMA Flow Diagram Generator (ShinyApp.io, Haddaway et al. )
• PRISMA Diagram Templates  (Word and PDF)
• Make a copy of the file to fill out the template
• Image can be downloaded as PDF, PNG, JPG, or SVG
• Covidence generates a PRISMA diagram that is automatically updated as records move through the review phases

8. Synthesize & Report Results

There are a number of reporting guideline available to guide the synthesis and reporting of results in systematic literature reviews.

It is common to organize findings in a matrix, also known as a Table of Evidence (ToE).

• Reporting Guidelines for Systematic Reviews
• Download a sample template of a health sciences review matrix  (GoogleSheets)

Steps modified from: 

Cook, D. A., & West, C. P. (2012). Conducting systematic reviews in medical education: a stepwise approach.   Medical Education , 46 (10), 943–952.

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• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/ot

Occupational Therapy PP-OTD

• Welcome to the Library
• Evidence Based Practice
• OT-891 Part 1
• OT-891 Part 2

Introduction

• Writing a Lit Review
• Tools to help you Organize your Lit Review
• Dissemination
• Citation Guides This link opens in a new window

A Literature Review Matrix and a Literature Synthesis Matrix will help you organize the articles, etc. you've found along the way and will help you prepare to write your literature review.

Writing a Literature Review

Unless you have a reason to present the literature chronologically (to show development over time, perhaps), the preferred method for organizing your literature is thematically. 

Step 1 : Identify your themes.

Step 2 : Identify the articles that address those themes

Step 3 : Identify the similarities and differences among the articles within the themes

A Literature Synthesis Matrix will be especially helpful in this process.

Click on the title to go to the e-book.

Tools to Help you Organize your Literature Review

Literature Review Matrix

This type of matrix will help you see the content of all of your articles at a glance. Each row represents an article, and each column and element of the articles. Typical columns can include things like 

• Research method
• Sample size
• Theoretical framework

However, the exact columns you chose depend on the elements of each study you want to discuss in your paper. You get to decide!

Here are couple of examples to give you a better idea.

• An evolutionary concept analysis of helicopter parenting. (Lee et al., 2014)
• The use of video conferencing for persons with chronic conditions: A systematic review. (Mallow et al. 2016)

Literature Synthesis Matrix

In essence a synthesis matrix is a way to organize your literature by theme, which is generally the way writers organize their whole literature reviews. The real benefit is that it helps you identify the articles that talk about the same themes so that you can write about them together in your literature review.

North Carolina State  has a very nice description and example of the process. 

This YouTube video also explains the process.

Here is a  template  you can use (this one is in Word instead of PPT).

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• Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 3:16 PM
• URL: https://libguides.massgeneral.org/PPOTD

• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 02 August 2011

Occupational therapy and return to work: a systematic literature review

• Huguette AM Désiron 1 ,
• Angelique de Rijk 2 ,
• Elke Van Hoof 3 , 4 &
• Peter Donceel 1  

BMC Public Health volume  11 , Article number:  615 ( 2011 ) Cite this article

44k Accesses

58 Citations

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Metrics details

The primary aim of this review study was to gather evidence on the effectiveness in terms of return to work (RTW) of occupational therapy interventions (OTIs) in rehabilitation patients with non-congenital disorders. A secondary aim was to be able to select the most efficient OTI.

A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed papers was conducted using electronic databases (Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Ebsco, Medline (Pubmed), and PsycInfo). The search focussed on randomised controlled trials and cohort studies published in English from 1980 until September 2010. Scientific validity of the studies was assessed.

Starting from 1532 papers with pertinent titles, six studies met the quality criteria. Results show systematic reviewing of OTIs on RTW was challenging due to varying populations, different outcome measures, and poor descriptions of methodology. There is evidence that OTIs as part of rehabilitation programs, increase RTW rates, although the methodological evidence of most studies is weak.

Conclusions

Analysis of the selected papers indicated that OTIs positively influence RTW; two studies described precisely what the content of their OTI was. In order to identify the added value of OTIs on RTW, studies with well-defined OT intervention protocols are necessary.

Peer Review reports

Restoring the ability to work is a key element in the rehabilitation of adult patients (aged 16-65 years). The primary goal of occupational therapy (OT), as part of the rehabilitation program, is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life including the ability to work. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the "occupations' (used in terms of activities, and not only referring to employment) they want to, need to, or are expected to do. OT can involve, in order to reach the therapeutic goals, modifying the occupation itself or the environment [ 1 ]. According to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), the aims of Occupational Therapy (OT) are "... to promote, develop, restore and maintain abilities needed to cope with daily activities to prevent dysfunction. Programs are designed to facilitate maximum use of function to meet demands of the person's working, social, personal and domestic environment... " [ 1 ].

Assisting patients to return to their job is clearly an important part of the therapeutic effort of occupational therapists [ 2 ], the OT process is based on initial and repeated assessments in individual patients. Assessment includes the use of standardized procedures, interviews, observations in a variety of settings and consultation with significant people in the person's life. Functionality, the ability to perform activities in daily life, leisure and work and the possibility to participate in all aspects of life (including work) are part of the OT assessments. The results of these recurrent assessments form the basis of the therapeutic program plan, with inclusion of both short- and long-term aims of treatment. This plan must be relevant to the person's developmental stage, habits, roles, life-style preferences and the person's environment.

OT interventions, being part of the therapeutic plan, are designed to facilitate performance of everyday tasks and adaptation of settings in which the person works, lives and socializes. Interventions are directed towards developing, improving, and restoring daily living skills, work readiness, work performance, play skills, leisure capacities and enhancing educational performance skills (objectives) [ 3 ]. Re-assessments in different phases of the rehabilitation process are used to check results, and (re-)direct therapeutic goals.

Following Holmes [ 4 ], rehabilitation must focus on identifying and overcoming the health, personal/psychological, and social/occupational obstacles to recovery and (return to) work from this point of view, vocational rehabilitation reflects a wide variety of interventions, including meaningful occupations through voluntary work, sheltered work, supported employment and open employment opportunities. As a therapeutic intervention, return to work includes also patients who are assisted by their (occupational) therapists to regain access to the (premorbid) type of work.

From that point of view, vocational rehabilitation is one of the methods that can be put to use by OT on behalf of reaching the patients goals when RTW and/or regaining productivity (in a more large meaning) is at stake. In practice, vocational rehabilitation is realized through a partnership between the patient and all the rehab-team members, including OT. Especially for patients who suffer from symptoms that not only endanger their (labour-) participation while the rehabilitation process is on-going, but who risk being disabled on longer terms (because of permanent limitation of chronic problems), OT is assumed to be a relevant part of the whole rehabilitation program [ 5 ].

Since no evidence was found on behalf of breast-cancer survivors (specific population in which the researchers at first took interest), it was decided to enlarge the focus on RTW and OT for all patients confronted with long term effects of diagnose/treatment, including problems on RTW.

In the lecture of Whyte [ 6 ], held at the 57th John Stanley Coulter memorial lecture, the author stated that much discussion has been going on, on the need to enhance evidence base supporting rehabilitation practice. Within the professional group of occupational therapists, both researchers and practitioners indicate that - like Whyte points out in the conclusions of his lecture- they need to acknowledge that empirical work alone will not develop the science of rehabilitation. Therefore, attempting to add to the work that Whyte, Lee and others advocate, this review centralizes current evidence with regard to the added value of OT for patients aiming at return to work, regardless of the categories of patients to who this intervention was provided (RTW).

For different groups of patients, the importance of RTW is increasing both for personal and societal reasons [ 7 ]. Early RTW programs represent a bridge towards employment for an injured worker. Wright argued that OT practitioners are ideally suited to guide that transition [ 8 ]. Evolution in the medical treatment of different pathologies (e.g. cancer, AIDS) initiated evolutions in rehabilitation programs offered to patients. As part of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation effort, OT focuses on restoring activity and participation (including labour participation). Restoring and/or maintaining activities and participation of clients in different dimensions of life (self-maintenance, productivity and leisure) [ 9 ] is the main goal for occupational therapy interventions (OTIs). Occupational therapists should deliver evidence-based services in order to ensure quality in the input of OT within the whole rehabilitation program. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of OTIs in terms of RTW is particularly useful, as it can be used to develop specific programs targeting RTW.

Primary goal of this review was to assess the effect of OTIs on RTW and if effects are found, to describe what OT aspects contribute to the effects. Secondary aim was to select the most efficient OTI for an intervention to promote RTW. Subsequently, this review focussed on the following questions:

What are the effects of OTIs in vocational rehabilitation on RTW?

What aspects of ot contribute to these effects.

Evidence-based information not only will stimulate professionals in rehabilitation teams to optimize the quality of services these professionals provide (and more specifically the work of occupational therapists). It will also support the quality of patient outcomes in terms of preventing loss of income, decreasing the number of sick-leave days, and increasing quality of life [ 10 ].

Five electronic databases (Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Ebsco, Medline (Pubmed), and PsycInfo) were used to search for pertinent articles published between 1980 and September 2010. The patient population/problem (P), intervention (I), comparison (C), and outcome (O), or PICO technique, was used to find relevant information and to formulate relevant questions that best match the capabilities of database search engines. Using the PICO elements as guideline, focus of this review could be rigorously maintained on patients suffering from an injury or illness that causes temporary incapacity to work and on patients participating in rehabilitation programs including OT.

Identification of studies

Figure 1 shows the selection process of articles for full-text analysis (n = 26). Inclusion criteria were:

Search strategy . *: Criteria used to exclude selected studies. • Studies in which the term "occupational therapy" did not occur in title and/or abstract. • studies that did not contain "occupational therapy" and "return to work" in the title, abstract and/or key-words. • Studies in the field of "occupational medicine/occupational rehabilitation" that discussed return to work (RTW) but did not mention occupational therapy (OT). **: Exclusion-criteria: • No correct reference information mentioned (no authors name indicated, lists of articles from congress books,...). • Doubles (studies that appeared in multiple electronic sources). ***: After screening with PICO items, reviews and descriptive studies were excluded but intervention studies were included. ****: studies excluded after analysing the full text (role of OT in RTW process), excluding those studies that did not explicitly mention OT as a part of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme.

The studies had to be either randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies and written in English;

The participants had to be patients of working age (18-65 years) that had participated in a rehabilitation program;

The OTI had to be a part of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program aiming at RTW, regardless of the patient population the intervention was provided for.;

The interventions examined had to be RTW multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs that included OT (i.e. the therapeutic efforts had to be part of a defined program whose specific goal was to help patients re-enter or remain in the work force);

The outcome measures had to measure work-related outcomes such as RTW, sick leave, or employment status;

Studies were published between 1980 till September 2010.

Vocational rehabilitation studies that did not explicitly describe or mention OT involvement were excluded (see Figure 1 ).

A preliminary pilot study used to determine how to direct the literature search, showed that OT was often part of multidisciplinary teamwork or program described under "vocational rehabilitation". Therefore, "vocational rehabilitation" was added to the search terms "occupational therapy" and "return to work" (see Figure 1 ).

By screening the titles, abstracts, and keywords for the terms "occupational therapy" and "return to work" potential studies were identified. Studies published in German [ 11 – 13 ] were also included. Additionally, using the names of researchers authoring relevant studies, a "snowball search" was used by screening the reference lists of selected articles for pertinent references. Additional research material suggested by OT experts was screened too.

Data extraction

Data extraction from the included papers was performed by one researcher (H.D.) and checked for accuracy by the other authors. Disagreement in data extraction was resolved by consensus. As the structure and content of the OT programs remained vague, except for the study of Lambeek et al., the authors were invited by e-mail between October and December 2010 to provide more information. From 3 studies additional information was provided [ 14 – 16 ].

Quality assessment

Quality assessment was performed by evaluating methodological quality of the studies [ 17 – 19 ]. Internal validity, study methodology, and external validity were assessed.

Internal validity

The criteria used to check internal validity were the quality of the sampling, the quality of randomisation and experimenter blinding, sufficient number of participants for statistical evidence, and description of confounders and bias. Three levels of scoring were used: (A) when the number of participants was sufficient to produce reasonably acceptable statistical power, randomisation was carried out carefully for RCTs (including blinding) and it was described whether (and in which way) confounders and bias were taken into account; (B) when all criteria were met as far as practically possible, but some compromises were necessary or when a description of how confounders and bias were treated was lacking; (C) all other cases.

Methodological quality

Criteria used for the methodological evaluation were appropriateness of data analysis, loss-to-follow-up/selective loss-to-follow-up, intention-to-treat analysis/per protocol analysis, and compliance. Three levels of scoring were used: (A) when all of these criteria were described in the article and treated appropriately; (B) when appropriate data analysis was carried out and some but not all of the criteria were described in the article or some comments could be made on the methodological approach; (C) when appropriate data analysis was carried out, but the methodology was not described or was poorly described.

External validity

Criteria used to evaluate external validity were whether the conclusions were applicable to situations in other geographic areas, importance (quantitative) of the populations for which the conclusions are likely to be applicable, and scope of generalizability (non-specificity of the sample). Three levels of scoring were used: (A) RCT studies that were likely to be applicable to large populations and likely to be geographically independent; (B) cohort studies that were likely to be generalizable and/or that examined somewhat specific populations; (C) studies that examined very specific populations (e.g. traumatic brain injury in military personnel on duty).

Evidence was gathered about the effect of OTIs in vocational rehabilitation on RTW by analysing peer-reviewed papers on OTIs that focussed on RTW. The search focussed on RCT and cohort studies, initially obtaining 1532 titles of potentially pertinent papers (see Figure 1 ). For the 251 articles that met the inclusion criteria, abstracts were analysed for the explicit use of OT as a part of the rehabilitation interventions aiming at RTW. Of these articles, 26 were selected for further full-text review. These papers were subjected to further analysis using the inclusion criteria mentioned. This review focussed on studies that specifically and explicitly focussed on OT as part of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. This strict inclusion criterion did lead to finally withhold six studies.

Studies selected

Six papers [ 14 – 16 , 20 – 22 ] finally met the quality criteria. These six studies included 899 patients older than 18 years (active age) that participated in rehabilitation programs aimed at RTW. All studies included patients - suffering from differing problems - who had jobs at the time of the research project in which they participated and patients were supported by social security system and/or private insurances. The patients were evaluated after the program (1 week to 42 months after discharge). Three of the studies were RCTs; the remaining three were cohort studies. Methodological characteristics and quality are presented in Table 1 .

One of the selected studies was of high quality (A score) for all the items. Two selected studies showed good internal validity (score B), and 3 showed moderate internal validity (score C). Four studies were of moderate methodological quality (score C), and only two studies--Vanderploeg et al. [ 16 ] and Lambeek [ 14 ] --were of high quality (score A). Three studies--Jousset et al. [ 20 ], Schene et al. [ 15 ] and Lambeek et al. [ 14 ] and Vanderploeg et al. [ 16 ] did have limited external validity (score C) because they focussed on very specific target groups. Potential bias from selecting patients in insurance-paid programs was recognised by Vanderploeg et al.[ 16 ]and Lambeek et al. [ 14 ], but not specifically mentioned by the other studies.

Although all studies in this review focussed on RTW and the role of OT in that process, analysis showed many differences which hindered comparison of the studies and their results. All studies showed an effect on RTW in a program in which OT is involved, although large heterogeneity is found. Studies differed in type of intervention, patient type involved, operational definition of the notion RTW and in follow-up period.

Outcome measures and definition of return to work

All of the selected studies denoted RTW as an outcome measure but their definition of RTW and what RTW involves varied widely (Table 2 ).

Concluding whether a given intervention has (successful) effects regarding its goal (RTW) depends on the definition of "successful RTW" (see table 2 ). In the studies reviewed here, both the definition of successful RTW, which ranged from part-time to full-time employment, and the time of follow-up, which ranged from 1 week to 42 months, differed substantially. In the study of Joy et al. [ 21 ], successful RTW was measured in terms of the percentage of RTW compared to the situation before participants entered the program. Although the other selected studies also compared different forms of treatment including OT, they did not demonstrate precisely how each professional discipline contributed to RTW.

All OTIs affected RTW. Jousset et al. [ 20 ] found significantly lower mean numbers of self-reported sick-leave days in the functional restoration group who took part in OT. Joy et al. [ 21 ] suggested that multidisciplinary programs (including OT) such as work-hardening and functional restoration may be of benefit in helping the patients identify and resolve issues that often contribute to disability exaggeration leading to greater RTW success independent of any changes in a patient's overall pain level. This parallels the findings of Lambeek et al. [ 14 ], who also concluded that disability decreased although improvement of pain did not differ between both groups. Schene et al. [ 15 ] found that adding OT to the usual treatment increased and accelerated work resumption of people suffering from depression. OT, however, did not accelerate recovery from depression. Results of the work of Sullivan et al. [ 22 ] revealed that a risk-factor-targeted intervention administered by physical therapists and occupational therapists can have a meaningful impact on RTW following whiplash injuries. The impact of their program was most pronounced for the subgroup of subjects who scored in the risk range on all psychosocial variables targeted by the program. Vanderploeg et al. [ 16 ] added (measured by in-person evaluations and structured telephone interviews at 1 year after the programs) the amount of help that the participating patients with traumatic brain injury received and details on any vocational activity over the year since completing the study protocol to their RTW measure. Their study found no difference in RTW between patients that received cognitive didactic and those who received functional experiential approaches during traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.

Effects of OTIs in rehabilitation programs regarding RTW are recognisable, but large differences in settings, design, in- and exclusion criteria, disciplines concerned in the study-programs, and in outcomes made it difficult to determine the extent to which OT contributions to these interventions affected RTW (see table 3 ). The different OTIs, integrated in the multidisciplinary intervention are:

• Jousset et al. mention "work simulation" as part of the Functional Restoration Program but do not specify what exactly the content of that part of the program was, in which settings it was performed or what the specific approach of the occupational therapist was [ 20 ].

• Lambeek et al. [ 14 ] mention the contribution of occupational therapists in the description of the study, but in the specifications of different types of therapeutic services, provided in primary and secondary care, the description "occupational therapist" is not used. Nevertheless, the additional description of the protocol of the "integrated care " used in the study, point outs very clearly in what way occupational therapy was used. The main part of the work of the occupational therapist included in the study of Lambeek et al. [ 14 ] is to provide a workplace intervention. Being a member of the multidisciplinary team, the OT takes part in gathering patient information. In the additional report [ 23 ], a detailed OT protocol is included and supported by an "occupational therapist flow chart", thus indicating the OTI time-span. Every four weeks (telephone) conferences with the clinical occupational physician, physical therapist and medical specialist need to take place. The protocol mentions the issues that need to be discussed and the timeframe for the OTI.

• The content of a therapeutic program item like "work hardening" is mentioned in the work of Joy et al., but is not clear what the therapeutic actions are, what type of approach is used, what activities are performed [ 21 ].

• The program of Schene et al. [ 15 ] provides three individuals visits in the last phase. The information, separately published in the intervention protocol, clarifies precisely the content of the program [ 24 ].

• The OT part of the program of Sullivan et al contains "increasing activity involvement" but it is not specified in the study-report what precisely the therapeutic actions of the occupational therapist were [ 22 ].

• Vanderploeg et al. [ 16 ] mention that the OT was part of the multi-disciplinary team, but do not give further details on the content of the input of OT. The additionally provided information [ 25 ] gives more specific information on the research protocol, however, no specification of the precise content of the occupational therapy part of the program was indicated [ 25 ]. The protocol clarifies how the whole team had to collaborate but does not offer a detailed description of the specific actions of each discipline involved.

Whether OT had a meaningful role in the outcome of the different programs, is not only a result of the OT contribution itself, but also of the composition of the services offered by the multidisciplinary team concerned in the program (see tables 3 and 4 ).

Remarkable in the selected studies was the mixture of terms used to describe multidisciplinary teams. The disciplines concerned in "multidisciplinary rehabilitation" across the six studies show that a great variety of disciplines is involved in RTW programs. Moreover, many of the authors failed to differentiate between occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and physical therapy. Lambeek et al. [ 14 ] however, describe precisely the contribution of each discipline in the multidisciplinary team, including a flow chart of the process in which each of those team members was involved in the integrated care protocol.

Recognizing the role that OT plays in the overall therapeutic effort (by using the WFOT definition of the profession [ 1 ]), is not obvious, but for experienced OT's nevertheless very well recognisable in the papers by Jousset [ 20 ], Joy, Sullivan [ 22 ] and Vanderploeg [ 16 , 25 ]. This finding supports the statement of Lee and Kielhofner that specific evidence of OTIs is lacking.

Schene et al.'s [ 15 ] conclusions show that a holistic approach (e.g. psychosocial intervention combined with physical therapy) is useful for preventing loss of capacities (and thereby loss of the ability to work). Moreover, Sullivan et al. [ 22 ] suggested that a holistic approach can increase successful RTW by 25%. Vanderploeg et al. [ 16 , 25 ] determined the contribution of OT (cognitive-didactic versus functional-experiential approaches) during different stages of the therapeutic process. Referring to the definition of OT used in this review, the cognitive-didactic approach can be considered as the OTI in the Vanderploeg et al. study [ 16 ]. Although they did not find significant differences after one year of rehabilitation, they found that participants in the cognitive-didactic program showed better post-treatment cognitive performance.

The primary aim of this systematic review was to identity the effectiveness in terms of Return to Work (RTW) of Occupational Therapy Interventions (OTIs) in rehabilitation patients with non-congenital disorders. In general, findings show results in favour of using OT in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation when targeting RTW. The effect of OT, measured at follow-up in terms of the number of sick-leave days or in terms of employment status, showed good results.

A great deal of the literature (1027 of 1532 articles) fitted the search terms but did not examine interventions that specifically and explicitly included OT. The selected literature (1532 preliminary results) contained a lot of descriptive studies, qualitative research and reviews. Therefore, using a strict set of inclusion criteria, the search was focussed on RCTs or cohort studies, leaving descriptive literature aside. As a result, this review is based on six studies and reveals that better RTW results are achieved when rehabilitation focuses on functionality using OT, as already suggested by the WFOT and confirming the reasoning of Wright.

Since a large variety of interventions, with different patient-populations were performed by the occupational therapists of these programs used in the studies, it was difficult to compare - and thereby generalise - the results of these studies. In order to do so, both uniform terminology and specific, detailed descriptions of the therapeutic content of the OTIs would be needed. This supports the statement of Lee and Kielhofner [ 2 ], as they point out the lack of well-described definitions in the field of OT research. Research efforts indicate that performing or simulating patients' "work activity" during rehabilitation can be very valuable in assisting them to restore their labour-participation [ 26 – 28 ]. Therefore, it would be very beneficial for constructing "good practice" to determine in further research efforts exactly what sort of interventions an OT program needs to implement in order to be as successful as possible, as provided in the work of Lambeek et al. [ 23 ] and Schene et al. [ 15 ].

Schene et al. [ 15 ] demonstrated that, in comparison to a psychosocial intervention alone, adding OT increases RTW for people suffering from major depression. Results of Lambeek et al. [ 23 ] tend to support this statement regarding RTW for patients suffering from low back pain. Jousset et al. [ 20 ] showed a decreased number of sick-leave days in workers with low-back injuries.

There are thus indications that OT is a key element in the therapeutic program. Nevertheless, the scientific evidence on which these OTIs would be based, can only - to ensure solid evidence - be retrieved from two studies. In literature, occupational therapists report many challenges in adopting and implementing evidence-based principles to practice. According to Lee and Kielhofner, research indicates that current OT practice is still not strongly grounded in theory, occupation and evidence [ 2 ]. They state that, although occupational therapists provide a range of work-related interventions, specific evidence related to OT in the area of vocational rehabilitation remains somewhat limited [ 2 ].

Lee and Kielhofner found that published works tend to focus on issues of scholarship rather than implications for practice, thereby often limiting the practical implementation of the findings into OT practice. Nevertheless, Lee and Kielhofner also state that experiences (of some authors of projects in which occupational therapists are involved) indicate that simultaneous consideration of theory and evidence is advantageous to achieve occupation-focuses best practice [ 2 ].

Simultaneous addition of other interventions on the other hand, such as care management and physical therapy (graded activity) [ 18 ], clog the precise effect of the OTI. In their report, Lambeek et al. [ 14 , 23 ] do not comment on a possible cross-over or a mutual re-enforcing effect of components of the integrated care program as effected by respectively the clinical occupational physician, the physical therapy and the OT. They do, however, in the discussion part of their report, regret the fact that the study design was not suitable for assessing the effectiveness of the individual components of the integrated care intervention (integrated care management, workplace intervention, and graded activity). In this study the randomization compared usual care to a workplace intervention, in which the medical team was enlarged by the employer, aiming at identifying the barriers and coming up with solutions. Average patient contact for providers was the same for the occupational medicine physician and the occupational therapist with approximately 17 sessions with the physical therapist. Clearly, an unambiguous identification of the OTI was not possible. The study indicates the fact that OT can/does have a role to play when RTW is at stake. Lambeek et al. [ 14 ] presume that a factorial design, and additional qualitative research focussing on the experience of healthcare professionals and patients, could give more insight into the effective components of the intervention.

In the protocol used in Schene et al. [ 15 ], the authors specify the socio-economical context in which the intervention took place. Referring to the Dutch legislation and the care that can be provided within that legal framework, de Vries and Schene [ 24 ] clarify how "care as usual" needs to be understood; this information was lacking in other studies.

In occupational therapy literature, different authors have been mentioning the importance of "work" as a life-domain that cannot be neglected by the therapeutic programs offered by occupational therapists [ 29 – 34 ]. Gibson and Strong [ 35 ] stated that occupational therapists can play a major role in work rehabilitation for RTW by assessing and rehabilitating workers with a disability injury. Kinébanian & Le Granze indicate that Lee and Kielhofner [ 2 ] described and synthesised evidence about work-related OTIs the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) [ 36 ]. MOHO-based work programs have been shown to have positive impact in improving vocational outcomes for a broad range of clients, including persons with chronic illness [ 2 , 7 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 37 , 37 – 40 ]. Studies included in the work of Lee and Kielhofner [ 2 ] point to the need for further research to more fully examine the effectiveness of programmes involving different diagnostic groups.

The authors of this review agree with Lee and Kielhofner [ 2 ] that occupational therapists should put more effort in clearly documenting the specific therapeutic actions they deliver in the RTW process, as provided by Schene et al. [ 24 ] and Lambeek et al. [ 14 , 23 ]. Therapeutic actions such as work hardening, work simulation, preparation for work reintegration, contacting the place of work, starting work in individual sessions, exploration of work problems, support and evaluation of work resumption need to be described more precisely in order to document the specific content of OT actions and to be able to repeat these actions. When efforts of occupational therapists are described and taken into a precise protocol, taking the work of Schene et al. and Lambeek et al. as inspiration [ 14 , 15 , 23 ], comparison is facilitated.

As occupational therapists try to restore the abilities of their patients during the rehabilitation process, they need well-constructed evidence pertinent to the unique situations they may encounter. This supports both the occupational therapist and the patient to construct a therapeutic pathway that fits the unique and individual reality of the patient.

By pointing out both the base evidence for "good practice" and the need to construct valid and reliable OTIs, this review sheds light on how occupational therapists need to work in order to develop adequate therapeutic answers for patients' needs. As this systematic review is set up as a part of a research project, aiming on a RCT on OT and RTW, we also try to assist in overcoming the indicated shortcomings. Far too long, OT's have focused on practice "in the field", without publishing practical- or research results on their work. As - following the evolution the input of the WFOT - in more and more countries, not only bachelor-level research is done, but OT's are participating in research on master of PhD level, one can expect that more research (both qualitative and quantitative) will be published.

In the systematic search we carried out, the aim was to identify studies in which OT was involved, trying to find indication for further research. Except for the study of Vanderploeg et al. [ 16 ] no other publication could be found in which OT was separately measurable. This indicates the need for a (relatively young) profession like OT to clarify the effects that OTI can have in strengthening the work of the team and delivering benefit for patients on specific issues (function, activity and participation) in lives domains like self-care, leisure and productivity.

Using uniform terminology will clarify the existing confusion that stems from the use of different terms and content (e.g., occupational therapy versus physical therapy; return to work versus work resumption versus job re-entry). Eliminating this confusion can help caregivers and patients to get a clear notice of what service they can claim when an occupational therapist is included and what results they may expect when an OTI. Finally, in order to clarify and construct evidence supporting the value of OT in restoring labour participation for rehabilitation patients, much research still needs to be done.

The goal of this systematic review was to analyse the effectiveness in terms of Return to Work (RTW) of Occupational Therapy Interventions (OTIs), in order to construct evidence for OTIs programs providing RTW assistance for rehabilitation patients. Descriptive literature and information from experienced practitioners in the field of OT reveal that occupational therapists are increasingly involved in assisting patients in restoring their workability. This systematic review provides sufficient evidence that rehabilitation programs that included OTIs do contribute to RTW, but it is not clear yet what the effective ingredients are, except for work place interventions [ 14 ]. Only six studies met the inclusion criteria and varied regarding population, outcome measure, or had weak descriptions of the methodology used. Thus, a univocal indication of "good practice" of an OTI aiming at RTW is lacking. Even though, the results of this review contribute to clarifying what steps need to be taken to construct the evidence needed and, even more, can stimulate occupational therapists and researchers in their efforts to continue the work that needs to be done.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Gary Kielhofner and Renee Taylor for their stimulating support for this paper. We also thank C. Kuiper for delivering additional material for this review and researchers of Maastricht University (Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences) for their feedback.

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All authors were involved in the process of setting up the strategy for this study. PD supervised the study. HD carried out the research work itself, the other authors screened retrieved papers on in- and exclusion criteria and they also appraised the quality of the retrieved studies. The draft of the manuscript was supervised by PD, AdR & EvH.

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Désiron, H.A., de Rijk, A., Van Hoof, E. et al. Occupational therapy and return to work: a systematic literature review. BMC Public Health 11 , 615 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-615

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Occupational Therapy Guide: Literature Reviews

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Occupational Therapy Dissertation Writing Guide – Examples and Tips by Experts

Accidents, disabilities and mental health issues affect the lives of millions of people globally. It makes it harder for them to do daily life activities. As an occupational therapist, you will be helping people of all ages so they can live as fully as possible. This subject has grabbed the attention of numerous learners, and so have the research activities. Writing an occupational therapy dissertation provides evidence-based practices in the field. The pertinent research helps to ensure that the treatment you are using works. However, it allows the researchers to explore complex clinical practices.

A report by Statista on January 23, 2024, says that there are 43.1 thousand occupational therapists in the United Kingdom. Another report by Yahoo Finance reports that the occupational therapy software market size is expected to increase by USD 87,435.59 thousand by 2027. The total increase in CAGR in this forecast would be 10.91%.

These facts state the prominent increase in the demand for such practitioners. Many students who enrol in this department need to write an occupational therapy dissertation. This way, they can introduce evidence-based knowledge to the rest of the world. If you are also a researcher who is supposed to write a dissertation sooner after completing research work, this guide is meant for you. Keep reading to learn some expert tips and details, as well as related examples. However, before talking about the topic, we need to know the key ideas of the subject.

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is the healthcare profession in which practitioners are trained to improve the mental and physical performance of patients. They will help you to identify the strengths and weaknesses that you face in performing your daily life activities.

Consequently, they can provide practical solutions that help in improving your independence and participation in daily activities. Many techniques and types of equipment are used to operate such practices.

How Do You Write an Occupational Therapy Dissertation? Top 5 Expert Tips

If you are a master’s student, sooner or later, you will have wondered how to write a dissertation. The process is complicated and involves researching, writing, and finally defending it. Writing occupational therapy dissertations demonstrates your mastery of the subject. But how do you write one? Find below insights into the process.

However, if this guide does not address all of your related queries because you are fresher and have not written a dissertation before, then seeking dissertation writing help from an expert can better assist. Professionals can craft customised, quality content that can boost your grades. Now, if you want to give it a shot, some expert tips mentioned below can make the process easier for you.

1. Manage Your Time Effectively

You already know the immense diversity of dissertations for occupational therapy projects. You will be working on it for at least one year. In this span, you have to manage time for data collection, analysis, and writing. So, if you start randomly without making any plan, you are likely not to complete it within the given deadline. ST Cloud State University provides some time management tips for dissertation writing.

Plan and set realistic goals.

Develop your plan.

Start your writing process as early as you can.

Save your time proofreading and editing by strictly following the guidelines.

Work on writing for certain hours of the day and complete specific tasks.

Make a weekly and monthly worksheet.

Prioritise your writing process over any other task.

Limit other activities other than writing.

For instance, if you are about to start your occupational therapy dissertation from scratch, instead of jumping into the writing process, spend some time making a planner. Divide it into various sections, such as when to read the literature, when to review journal articles, and how the editing process should be done. You have to break it into small, manageable tasks that are helpful for staying on track.

2. Specify A Clear Research Question

There are no set criteria for writing your research question. Different disciplines have different requirements and sets of priorities. A good research question in an occupational therapy dissertation should be a mix of the following.

It must be clear and focused to explain what the writer is supposed to convey to the reader.

Don’t make it too broad that it is difficult to bind up in your dissertation. Also, it should not be too narrow, so you can’t write enough on it.

It should not be easily answered in one line, such as yes or no. Instead, it must accompany some details.

You can easily access the related data to compile solid arguments regarding.

Make it critically analytical rather than descriptive.

To craft a good research question, the below 5 steps must be considered.

Know the requirements of your thesis writing.

Choose the topic of your interest.

Conduct thorough research.

Narrow down the topic ideas.

Craft your research question.

Occupational Therapy Dissertation Research Questions

Students are mostly uncertain about choosing their research topic, which is likely to be driven by recent literature. Before you choose any research question, consider your research objectives. Ask yourself why you need to discuss this topic. Considering the storm of information available, it becomes difficult for students to choose a topic.

That’s why we presented important occupational therapy dissertation ideas in the list below, which can help you narrow down the list of topics.

Is minor therapy effective for stroke patients with gait disorders?

What are the common risks associated with ankle sprains in adult athletes?

What are the most prevalent post-hurricane health needs of an elder having chronic health conditions?

Does outdoor physical activity improve the m.h status of an adult who is suffering from clinical depression?

Does pet therapy provide benefits in social interaction?

Which therapy is effective for children suffering from autistic disorder spectrum?

3. Understand The Research Methodology

It is a good idea to understand your research methodology and explain to the reader why you chose it particularly. Generally, there are two approaches to writing an occupational therapy dissertation.

You can either follow up on empirical research or a literature review. Empirical research involves gathering and analysing your collected data using the method of your choice. However, in the literature review, you will compare the existing research methodologies. To carry out empirical research, you will need extensive knowledge of research methods.

Follow the below tips to choose the right research methodology for your study.

Understanding the options available in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods based on the nature of research.

Understand the nature of research objectives.

Consider the existing literature.

Know the disciplinary norms.

Know the limitations of the method.

For instance, when writing on occupational therapy dissertation research projects, you can work following methods:

Formal data structure analysis approach (FDSA)

Grounded theory

Phenomenology.

4. Critically Engage with The Literature

An occupational therapy dissertation writing involves more than citing the sources of information. Rather, it involves critically analysing the information and connecting it to how it relates. Here are some of the steps involved in conducting a critical evaluation of the available sources.

Understand the research objectives that can provide you with the research context.

Review whether the literature is relevant to your research or not

Evaluate the literature research process.

Good literature covers a broad range of sources.

Know the credibility of resources. Check the authority of the author.

Note the publication dates to check the accuracy. Look for the latest data.

Examine whether the literature review covers a wide range of aspects.

Identify the literature gaps and highlight the contradictions and debates in existing literature.

Check whether the data present is organised or coherent.

Look for the potential limitations in the knowledge and address them critically.

Make sure that the data is properly backed up by the referencing.

Verify whether the data aligns with the overall theme of your discussion.

5. Seek Help When You Need It

Finally, if you are still struggling with the occupational therapy dissertation writing, then ask for help when needed. Yes, it’s an independent project, but if it seems difficult, then there is nothing wrong with asking for assistance. Your supervisor will be a great support throughout your research journey. He can provide you with constructive feedback to help you write a good document. Other than this, you can also use a UK-based dissertation writing service .

It’s common for students to be stuffed with research activities and writing on the last days of the semester. Managing both simultaneously becomes nerve-wracking. That’s why it is appreciated that you ask a professional to do the writing job for you so that you can calmly focus on research activities.

Occupational Therapy Dissertation Topics For 2024

In occupational therapy, selecting the dissertation topic is about identifying an area of interest. The topic must be suitable for your domain. The list below provides some of the best occupational therapy dissertation ideas from the latest journals. It will encourage you to choose an appropriate topic for your project.

Evaluate the effectiveness of group therapy in occupational therapy.

Discuss the client-centric approaches in occupational therapy.

Analyse the effectiveness of occupational therapy in chronic pain management.

Assess the employment and independence of people who are deaf and low-functioning.

Investigate the role of occupational therapists in adolescent mental health.

Study occupational therapy in multi-culture context: issues and strategies.

Investigate strategies to manage the problem behaviours associated with dementia.

Occupational Therapy Dissertation Examples

The occupational therapy dissertation writing process is not difficult, especially after this comprehensive guide. However, if you go through the previous samples, you can better comprehend the details that we have described above. The Eastern Kentucky University provides thesis samples written in the department in previous years.

What Do Occupational Therapists Do?

Anyone who intends to consider the future as an occupational therapist has many options. Such practitioners use therapeutic techniques to rehabilitate and maintain the patient’s motor skills. As a result, it will overall increase their professional or daily life activities efficiency. It differs from other healthcare professions, such as nursing or physical therapy. Here, the practitioner is concerned about the whole individual’s well-being rather than treating a particular injury.

What Is the Difference Between PT And OT?

Physical therapy (PT) helps the patient to move their body. It helps them to manage their pain, improve endurance, enhance motion, and develop some gross motor skills. On the other hand, occupational therapy (OT) is solely concerned with improving a patient’s ability to perform daily tasks.

How Is Occupational Therapy Given?

To treat mental and social disabilities, the therapist uses every activity and exercise to do the treatment. For instance, to improve the children’s school performance, they help kids in playing games that consequently aid in enhancing their productivity. The whole therapy is done in three parts.

Evaluation: It helps in accessing the needs of the patient.

Intervention: It involves clients’ engagement in occupations

Outcomes: These results are established by using assessment tools. It describes what clients can achieve after the therapy.

Writing an occupational therapy dissertation is a dire need for many students graduating this year from the Department of Occupational Therapy. After a year of academic excellence, it’s time to introduce some real-time findings in the field. Students conduct research activities to add valuable knowledge to the existing literature. The researched data is presented to the reader by compiling it in a dissertation writing template.

The above context is meant for the same purpose. We have discussed some expert tips so that you can maintain decorum while writing. For this purpose, manage your time, clearly state the research question, choose the best research methodology, critically evaluate the literature, or, if needed, ask for expert help. This way, you can finally come up with the winning document.

Last but not least, if the guidelines are complex or you are busy with other tasks, then seeking help with occupational therapy dissertation from experts is a better option. Their experts will, with their wealth of experience, provide you with original and unique content.

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What is a literature review.

A literature review is a study of the existing literature, journal articles, books, reports and other information and evidence published on a given topic. It is a critical and evaluative account of any published work around a research field, including a description and analysis of existing knowledge of the topic, the identification of any gaps in the existing body of knowledge, and - where appropriate - an explanation of how your research might further develop current understanding of the subject. 

A literature review is  not  simply a description or summary of each individual paper. It should instead be structured around the findings of the articles considered, and is therefore an opportunity to identify common themes and issues as well as highlighting opposing arguments.

• Literature reviews Further information from Skills for Learning on the purpose, structure and style of literature reviews.

Literature searching

• Your question
• Developing a search strategy
• Identify resources & search
• Academic writing
• Referencing

When you are given an assignment question make sure you fully understand what is being asked on you. Refer to the guidance in your module handbook or lecture slides for further information, or discuss it with your tutors.

1. Identify the 'question' word(s)

You could use the Research your question section of the Skills for Learning website to help you.

2. Identify core concepts/keywords

What is the main focus of the question?

3. Identify synonyms or related terms

Explore the impact of hydrotherapy on rehabilitation of patients following a stroke

'Explore' is the question word - it's what you have to do

On the next tab you will find tips and tricks to help you develop your search strategy and make your searching more efficient.

Once you have identified your keywords, synonyms and related terms you can start to construct a search strategy.

4. Use search tools 

• Phrase searching uses speech marks to help you search for phrases, e.g. "water therapy" 
• Truncation uses the asterisk to help you search for terms with variant endings, e.g. nurs* = nurse, nurses, nursed, nursing 

5. Combine terms using AND, OR and NOT 

• AND - for combining different concepts
• OR - for identifying research that use synonyms or related terms. You need to put the similar terms in brackets. 
• NOT - use when you want to exclude a term (use with caution as it can eliminate useful results too)

(hydrotherapy OR water therapy) AND (stroke OR cerebrovascular accident)

Most resources have an 'advanced search' feature which can help you to combine your searches.

• Search strategy plan You can use this document to help you plan how you are going to search for information for your assignment(s).

6. Identify appropriate resources to search

   a. Reading lists - are there any core textbooks that your tutors recommend on your topic?

        Check your modules in MyBeckett

    b. Use Discover to find additional books and eBooks

   c. Use Discover to search our ejournals and other subscriptions

   d. Use databases  to help you focus your results - see the Databases tab of this guide

You can search most databases in exactly the same way, the search screen may just look a bit different.

To help you refine your results and make them more manageable look for limiters such as 'Publication date' or 'Resource type'.

You may want to record the databases you have searched, the search terms you have used and any limits applied - this information highlights that your searching is systematic and methodical, and will be helpful for writing up your methodology (if required).

• Search log template This is just one example of how you may want to record your searches

It's important that you think critically about the sources you want to use in your assignments. Evaluate what you find and make a judgment about whether it is appropriate to be used or if any flaws need identifying in your discussions.

Some research methodologies are more robust and are higher on the hierarchy of evidence.

• A nurses’ guide to the hierarchy of research designs and evidence This article provides a breakdown of the components of the hierarchy, or pyramid, of research designs. Its intention is to simplify the components of the hierarchy to enable novice readers of research to better understand the differing approaches and levels of evidence.
• Centre for Evidence Based Medicine This site covers all aspects of EBM including links to Critical Appraisal Tools.
• Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) This provides a checklist for different types of research to help you gauge its trustworthiness.
• How to read a paper This website provides links to articles discussing how to read and critque different types of papers. The articles have been written by Trish Greenhalgh who is a respected author in this field.
• Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 1: quantitative research This article is from the British Journal of Nursing and provides guidance on critiquing and evaluating quantitative research.
• Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 2: qualitative research. This article is from the British Journal of Nursing and provides guidance on critiquing and evaluating qualitative research.
• PRISMA PRISMA is an evidence-based reputable set of items for reporting in systematic reviews. Although it is aimed at authors, it is also of use to literature and research reviewers.
• Skills for Learning The Skills for Learning webpages contain advice, resources and activities on university study, academic writing, maths and IT skills

For more information about referencing, including the full Leeds Beckett Harvard guide - please visit our Referencing & Plagiarism pages.

• Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism by Karen Fisher, Catherine Parkin, Maria Simões & Jennie Winterburn Last Updated Mar 19, 2024 6768 views this year

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• Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy (Theses and Dissertations)

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Refining the psychometric properties of the trinity student profile - a self-report measure of occupational performance difficulties within the student role in higher education. , a stakeholders perspective on the 'kickstart to recovery' football programme in a community mental health service , the development and feasibility of the occupational therapy-led `work and cancer' intervention for women living with and beyond breast cancer , an investigation into an occupation-focused self-management programme for college students experiencing mental health difficulties. , assessment of older adults' decision-making capacity in relation to independent living: the role of occupational therapy .

Occupational therapy and return to work: a systematic literature review

Affiliation.

• 1 Department of Occupational, Environmental and Insurance Medicine, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, B3000 Leuven, Belgium. [email protected]
• PMID: 21810228
• PMCID: PMC3163552
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-615

Background: The primary aim of this review study was to gather evidence on the effectiveness in terms of return to work (RTW) of occupational therapy interventions (OTIs) in rehabilitation patients with non-congenital disorders. A secondary aim was to be able to select the most efficient OTI.

Methods: A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed papers was conducted using electronic databases (Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Ebsco, Medline (Pubmed), and PsycInfo). The search focussed on randomised controlled trials and cohort studies published in English from 1980 until September 2010. Scientific validity of the studies was assessed.

Results: Starting from 1532 papers with pertinent titles, six studies met the quality criteria. Results show systematic reviewing of OTIs on RTW was challenging due to varying populations, different outcome measures, and poor descriptions of methodology. There is evidence that OTIs as part of rehabilitation programs, increase RTW rates, although the methodological evidence of most studies is weak.

Conclusions: Analysis of the selected papers indicated that OTIs positively influence RTW; two studies described precisely what the content of their OTI was. In order to identify the added value of OTIs on RTW, studies with well-defined OT intervention protocols are necessary.

Publication types

• Systematic Review
• Employment*
• Occupational Therapy / standards*
• Treatment Outcome