Occupational Therapy Interventions for Improving Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults Post-Stroke: A Rapid Systematic Review

Abstract

This rapid systematic review of the literature examines 24 articles from the databases of Pubmed and CINAHL to determine the evidence and effectiveness of occupational therapy (OT) interventions in improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of adults post-stroke. Many adults report a decline in life satisfaction and occupational performance following a stroke due to various physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments. OT is a key component of stroke rehabilitation; therefore, there is a high need for effective and evidence-based occupational interventions for individuals post-stroke. Findings of this rapid systematic review reveal that the use of occupation-based activities has reasonable yet limited evidence to support its effectiveness in improving HRQOL for adults post-stroke. This review supports the premise that HRQOL, including physical wellbeing and occupational performance, can be positively affected through the use of several commonly used OT interventions. Specifically, there is strong evidence to support the use of robot-assisted therapy and bilateral upper extremity training for improving physical wellbeing. Additionally, there is strong evidence supporting the use of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach for improving occupational performance. All other interventions included in this review ranged from low to moderate levels of evidence in improving HRQOL, therefore, future studies with larger sample sizes and equal treatment groups should be conducted to confirm the results of this rapid systematic review.