New study shows occupational therapy is the way forward to help stroke survivors improve their ability to carry out daily activities
Stroke is the third most common cause of death and a leading cause of severe adult disability in the UK. About half of those who survive a stroke are dependent on others for assistance with personal activities of daily living six months after stroke.
Personal activities of daily living are necessary for survival and include ‘those tasks which all of us undertake every day of our lives in order to maintain our level of care’ such as feeding, dressing, toileting, and grooming.
Occupational therapy is an essential element in the rehabilitation of patients after stroke. It entails the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independence in all aspects of daily life.
Previous reviews of rehabilitation therapies show that they improve personal abilities in activities of daily living in people who have had a stroke, but the individual contribution from occupational therapy is not certain.
A new review has been carried out by Lynn Legg and colleagues, and has been published in the British Medical Journal. It is the first review of trials in occupational therapy in stroke specifically looking at personal ability.
The results show that stroke patients who receive occupational therapy focused on personal activities of daily living, as opposed to no routing occupational therapy, are more likely to be independent in those activities. This means that occupational therapy is an effective intervention to improve personal ability in activities of daily living in patients who have had a stroke.
The full review can be accessed on the BMJ website
