Effectiveness of a training package for implementing a community-based occupational therapy program in dementia: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Healthcare interventions for older people with dementia and family caregivers in Europe: A scoping review

AIM

This study aimed to examine the extent, range and variety of research in Europe describing healthcare interventions for older people with dementia (PwD) and family caregivers.

METHODS

This was a scoping review and followed the PRISMA Scoping Review guideline. MEDLINE, CINAHL and Cochrane library databases were searched for studies published between 2010 and 2020. Studies reporting healthcare interventions in Europe for PwD over 65 years and their family caregivers were included.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies from six European countries were included. The types of healthcare intervention identified were categorized as follows: (1) family unit intervention (interventions for both PwD and their family caregiver), (2) individual intervention (separate interventions for PwD or family caregivers) and (3) family caregiver only intervention (interventions for family caregivers only but with outcomes for both PwD and family caregivers).

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides insight into healthcare interventions for older PwD and family caregivers in Europe. More studies are needed that focus on the family as a unit of care in dementia.

Implementing Dementia Caregiver Programs in Real-World Settings: Fidelity Considerations

Testing interventions in real-world settings requires fidelity monitoring to ensure implementation integrity. However, strategies to enhance, monitor, and measure fidelity deployed in efficacy trials may not be feasible in pragmatic trials or sustainable in practice. This paper reviews published translational or pragmatic studies of dementia caregiver support interventions to understand how fidelity was previously treated in order to derive recommendations for future pragmatic-like trials. A search using SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Google Scholar identified 31 translational caregiver intervention studies of which 20 (64.5%) referenced fidelity. Of these 20, 11 (55.0%) reported fidelity measurement, whereas 9 (45.0%) only recognized its importance. Of the 11 studies, fidelity was assessed using investigator-developed scoring forms, audio/video recordings, evaluations from caregivers and interventionists, and by comparing outcomes with the original efficacy trial. Additionally, 7 (63.6%) of 11 studies reported fidelity results, representing only 22.5% of 31 studies reporting outcomes demonstrating the inconsistency in the field concerning the reporting outcomes of fidelity. We conclude that fidelity methods used in translational studies to date are not practical nor sustainable for ongoing monitoring of evidence-based programs in real-world settings and that only 2 aspects of fidelity, intervention and adherence, are considered. New approaches are needed to ensure fidelity integrity in pragmatic trials and which can be sustained thereafter.

Efficacy of sustained knowledge translation (KT) interventions in chronic disease management in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of complex interventions

BACKGROUND

Chronic disease management (CDM) through sustained knowledge translation (KT) interventions ensures long-term, high-quality care. We assessed implementation of KT interventions for supporting CDM and their efficacy when sustained in older adults.

METHODS

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis engaging 17 knowledge users using integrated KT.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including adults (> 65 years old) with chronic disease(s), their caregivers, health and/or policy-decision makers receiving a KT intervention to carry out a CDM intervention for at least 12 months (versus other KT interventions or usual care).

INFORMATION SOURCES

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from each database's inception to March 2020.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Sustainability, fidelity, adherence of KT interventions for CDM practice, quality of life (QOL) and quality of care (QOC). Data extraction, risk of bias (ROB) assessment: We screened, abstracted and appraised articles (Effective Practice and Organisation of Care ROB tool) independently and in duplicate.

DATA SYNTHESIS

We performed both random-effects and fixed-effect meta-analyses and estimated mean differences (MDs) for continuous and odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous data.

RESULTS

We included 158 RCTs (973,074 participants [961,745 patients, 5540 caregivers, 5789 providers]) and 39 companion reports comprising 329 KT interventions, involving patients (43.2%), healthcare providers (20.7%) or both (10.9%). We identified 16 studies described as assessing sustainability in 8.1% interventions, 67 studies as assessing adherence in 35.6% interventions and 20 studies as assessing fidelity in 8.7% of the interventions. Most meta-analyses suggested that KT interventions improved QOL, but imprecisely (36 item Short-Form mental [SF-36 mental]: MD 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] [- 1.25, 3.47], 14 RCTs, 5876 participants, I2 = 96%; European QOL-5 dimensions: MD 0.01, 95% CI [- 0.01, 0.02], 15 RCTs, 6628 participants, I2 = 25%; St George's Respiratory Questionnaire: MD - 2.12, 95% CI [- 3.72, - 0.51] 44 12 RCTs, 2893 participants, I2 = 44%). KT interventions improved QOC (OR 1.55, 95% CI [1.29, 1.85], 12 RCTS, 5271 participants, I2 = 21%).

CONCLUSIONS

KT intervention sustainability was infrequently defined and assessed. Sustained KT interventions have the potential to improve QOL and QOC in older adults with CDM. However, their overall efficacy remains uncertain and it varies by effect modifiers, including intervention type, chronic disease number, comorbidities, and participant age.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42018084810.

Exploring the Association between Individual-Level Attributes and Fidelity to a Vocational Rehabilitation Intervention within a Randomised Controlled Trial

Understanding what attributes or characteristics of those delivering interventions affect intervention fidelity and patient outcomes is important for contextualising intervention effectiveness. It may also inform implementation of interventions in future research and clinical practice. This study aimed to explore the relationships between attributes of Occupational Therapists (OTs), their faithful delivery of an early stroke specialist vocational rehabilitation intervention (ESSVR), and stroke survivor return-to-work (RTW) outcomes. Thirty-nine OTs were surveyed about their experience and knowledge of stroke and vocational rehabilitation and were trained to deliver ESSVR. ESSVR was delivered across 16 sites in England and Wales between February 2018 and November 2021. OTs received monthly mentoring to support ESSVR delivery. The amount of mentoring each OT received was recorded in OT mentoring records. Fidelity was assessed using an intervention component checklist completed using retrospective case review of one randomly selected participant per OT. Linear and logistic regression analyses explored relationships between OT attributes, fidelity, and stroke survivor RTW outcome. Fidelity scores ranged from 30.8 to 100% (Mean: 78.8%, SD: 19.2%). Only OT engagement in mentoring was significantly associated with fidelity (b = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.05-0.53, p < 0.05). Increased fidelity (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01-1.1, p = 0.01) and increasing years of stroke rehabilitation experience (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.02-1.35) was significantly associated with positive stroke survivor RTW outcomes. Findings of this study suggest that mentoring OTs may increase fidelity of delivery of ESSVR, which may also be associated with positive stroke survivor return-to-work outcomes. The results also suggest that OTs with more experience of stroke rehabilitation may be able to support stroke survivors to RTW more effectively. Upskilling OTs to deliver complex interventions, such as ESSVR, in clinical trials may require mentoring support in addition to training to ensure fidelity.

A non-randomised feasibility study of the Rehabilitation Potential Assessment Tool (RePAT) in frail older people in the acute healthcare setting

Background

Rehabilitation potential involves predicting who will benefit from rehabilitation. Decisions about rehabilitation potential must take into account personal, clinical and contextual factors, a process which is complicated in the presence of acute ill-health and frailty. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Rehabilitation Potential Assessment Tool (RePAT) – a 15 item holistic, person-centred assessment tool and training package – in the acute hospital setting.

Methods

A non-randomised feasibility study with nested semi-structured interviews explored whether RePAT was feasible and acceptable. Feasibility was tested by recruiting physiotherapy and occupational therapy participants delivering the RePAT intervention to patients alongside usual clinical care. Acceptability was tested by conducting semi-structured interviews with staff, patient and carer participants. Staff and patient characteristics were analysed using descriptive statistics. Interview data were analysed thematically. Fidelity of completed RePAT items was assessed against a priori criteria on how closely they matched tool guidance by two researchers. Mean values of the two scores were calculated. RePAT content was analysed and supported with verbatim quotes.

Results

Six staff participants were recruited and trained. They assessed 26 patient participants using RePAT. Mean (SD) patient age was 86.16 (±6.39) years. 32% were vulnerable or mildly frail, 42% moderately frail and 26% severely or very severely frail using the Clinical Frailty Scale. Mean (SD) time to complete RePAT was 32.7 (±9.6) minutes. RePAT fidelity was good where 13 out of 15 items achieved a priori fidelity. RePAT was acceptable and tolerated by staff and patients. Staff participants reported RePAT enabled them to consider rehabilitation decisions in a more structured and consistent way. Patients and carer participants, although unable to comment directly on RePAT, reported being satisfied with their rehabilitation assessments which were found to embrace a person-centred approach.

Conclusions

RePAT was found to be acceptable and feasible by staff, carers and patients. It allowed clinicians to make explicit their reasoning behind rehabilitation assessments and encouraged them to become more cognisant of factors which affected their clinical decision-making.

Trial registration

ID ISRCTN31938453. Registered 05/10/2021.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-03420-w.

Toward an Integrated Context-Based Design Approach for Dementia Residential Care Homes: A Review of Key Operational Design Problems

OBJECTIVES, PURPOSE, OR AIM

This article seeks to develop a context-based management system focusing on assessing key operational and design problems and affecting wayfinding in dementia residential care homes.

BACKGROUND

Dementia is multifaceted neurocognitive impairments largely attributed to cognitive deterioration manifested in memory loss and visuospatial deficit which have wider practical implications to both environmental safety and wayfinding and navigation of dementia user. Two key questions were addressed in this context: (1) How can cognitively facilitating assistive technology (AT) be made more user-focused to mitigate the impacts of cognitive impairments on environmental safety and wayfinding? (2) How can design intervention and changes in design topology, colors and texture, and internal finishing aid wayfinding, navigation, and orientation in dementia residential care homes?

METHOD

A systematic literature review and analysis was undertaken to assess the efficacy of key cognitively-related AT to support activities of daily living and environmental safety of dementia sufferers in a care home and aid wayfinding, navigation, and orientation.

RESULTS

Several key design variables to facilitate wayfinding and spatial orientation were identified which include design topology, floor finishing, signposting, and use of color and texture strengthened by meaning, emotional connection to places and cognitively focused intervention via memory cueing and objects-centered recognition.

CONCLUSIONS

Key operational and design guidelines were proposed to assist built environment, care home developers, clinicians and healthcare professionals, and care services providers. There is a need to move toward a dementia-centered design to address the challenges facing people living with dementia in care homes. This should be based on the interrelated behavioral, cognitive, and communication factors.

Clinical trials in older people

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) usually provide the best evidence for treatments and management. Historically, older people have often been excluded from clinical medication trials due to age, multimorbidity and disabilities. The situation is improving, but still the external validity of many trials may be questioned. Individuals participating in trials are generally less complex than many patients seen in geriatric clinics.

Recruitment and retention of older participants are particular challenges in clinical trials. Multiple channels are needed for successful recruitment, and especially individuals experiencing frailty, multimorbidity and disabilities require support to participate. Cognitive decline is common, and often proxies are needed to sign informed consent forms. Older people may fall ill or become tired during the trial, and therefore, special support and empathic study personnel are necessary for the successful retention of participants.

Besides the risk of participants dropping out, several other pitfalls may result in underestimating or overestimating the intervention effects. In nonpharmacological trials, imperfect blinding is often unavoidable. Interventions must be designed intensively and be long enough to reveal differences between the intervention and control groups, as control participants must still receive the best normal care available. Outcome measures should be relevant to older people, sensitive to change and targeted to the specific population in the trial. Missing values in measurements are common and should be accounted for when designing the trial.

Despite the obstacles, RCTs in geriatrics must be promoted. Reliable evidence is needed for the successful treatment, management and care of older people.

Exploring Factors Associated With Successful Nonpharmacological Interventions for People With Dementia

Background and purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

The effectiveness of occupational therapy for mental health disorders in primary care: A systematic review

Introduction

Occupational therapy (OT) has a rich history of integrating physical and mental health care services, however, there is a limited evidence base regarding the effectiveness of OT interventions for mental health disorders in primary care.

Methods

A comprehensive systematic review was conducted from database inception through 31 January 2021. Eligible studies had to include: (1) an intervention that involved an occupational therapist in design and/or implementation; (2) a quantitative outcome assessing symptoms related to a mental health disorder; (3) a comparison group; and (4) primary care or community dwelling patients and/or primary care clinical settings.

Results

The researchers identified five studies and there was heterogeneity in the OT interventions. There were no significant differences between intervention and control groups in depression symptoms at different time intervals. Several trials employed interventions that involved interprofessional team members, including OTs, to provide training in specific strategies that promoted functioning. Other studies utilized only OTs within the intervention arm. OT interventions demonstrated no significant difference in anxiety in one study, however, another indicated a reduction in symptoms. The overall risk of bias was considered low in three studies and unclear in two studies.

Conclusion

There is limited evidence demonstrating the impact of OT interventions in primary care settings on quantitative outcomes measuring symptoms related to a mental health disorder. Given the heterogeneity of interventions and variation in reported findings, there is need for further pragmatic trials in this area.

Implementation of evidence-based, non-pharmacological interventions addressing behavior and psychological symptoms of dementia: a systematic review focused on implementation strategies

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify the nature and effects of implementation strategies to increase the use of evidence-based, non-pharmacological interventions designed to reduce the frequency and/or severity of behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia, for people living in the community.

DESIGN

This was a systematic review of implementation studies. We searched six databases (in January 2019) and hand-searched reference lists of reports. Studies were included if they used quantitative methods evaluating the use of implementation strategies to increase the use of non-pharmacological interventions. These interventions had to have been tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and found to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, for those living in the community. Studies needed to report the effect of the implementation on clinical practice, for example, a change in practice or the adoption of the intervention in community settings.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were included: 11 one-group pre-post design studies and 1 cluster RCT. All studies reported practice change - the majority implementing a new intervention, with six different types of interventions implemented. All studies reported including using partnerships, new funding, educational strategies, and ongoing support and consultation. Seven implementation studies reported positive outcomes for clients on some aspect of behavior or depression for the person with dementia.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation studies using multiple implementation strategies to increase the use of non-pharmacological interventions have demonstrated improvements in behavioral and psychological symptoms common in people with dementia, when provided by clinicians as part of their everyday work routines.

Professional development training preferences of occupational therapists working with older adults in Australia: A discrete choice experiment

INTRODUCTION

Members of the public expect occupational therapists to provide evidence-based practice. Participation in professional development activities is essential to update knowledge and acquire skills to enable delivery of evidence-based assessment and intervention. Therapists commonly choose to participate in professional development through attending training workshops. Little is known about occupational therapists' preference of how continuing professional development training programmes should be designed and delivered.

METHODS

An online quantitative survey of occupational therapists working with older people in Australia, conducted June to September 2018, incorporated a discrete choice experiment to elicit and estimate preferences for professional development training when acquiring skills in delivering an evidence-based intervention. A series of questions asked participants to choose one of two options for training, each differing in terms of attributes (level of recognition, mode of learning, follow-up post-training and cost to establish willingness to pay). Statistical analyses were conducted according to recommended practice in the field of choice-modelling.

RESULTS

A total of 108 responses were received from occupational therapists practicing around Australia. Therapists reported a strong preference for receiving post-training support to implement their new skills in practice and would be willing to pay an additional A$200 for training that included this option. They also highly regarded achieving 'certification' in their new skill (willing to pay an additional A$100) and having the opportunity to become a 'Master Trainer' in the future (willing to pay an additional A$200).

DISCUSSION

This study generates new knowledge about aspects of a professional development training programme that occupational therapists' value and aspects that they are willing to compromise on when acquiring new skills that they intend to use in their practice. These findings can influence the training programme design utilised by those working in implementation research and providers of continuing professional development for health professionals.

Systematic review of determinants influencing knowledge implementation in occupational therapy

INTRODUCTION

In knowledge translation, implementation strategies are more effective in fostering practice change. When using these strategies, however, many determinants, such as individual or organisational factors, influence implementation. Currently, there is a lack of synthesis concerning how these determinants influence knowledge implementation (KI). The aim of this systematic review was to document how determinants influence KI outcomes with occupational therapists.

METHOD

Following the PRISMA statement, we systematically reviewed the literature on KI in occupational therapy across 12 databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, FirstSearch, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, ERIC, Education Source and Sociological Abstracts. Eligible studies reported KI strategies specifically with occupational therapists. Selected studies were appraised for quality with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we categorised reported mentions of CFIR (sub-)constructs to identify the determinants studied most often, how they were documented and what influence they had on outcomes.

RESULTS

Twenty-two studies were analysed for this review. CFIR (sub-)constructs were mentioned 81 times, and seven (sub-)constructs received at least 5% of these mentions (4/81). These were as follows: (i) Adaptability of the practice; (ii) Learning climate; (iii) Leadership engagement; (iv) Available resources; (v) Knowledge and Beliefs about the Intervention; (vi) Individual Stage of Change; and vii) Executing the KI strategy. The Inner setting domain was the most documented and the domain with the most (sub-)constructs with at least four mentions (3/7). Most studies used questionnaires as assessment tools, but these were mainly non-standardised scales. The data were too heterogenous to perform a meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

Seven (sub-)constructs mentioned most often would benefit from being assessed for salience by researchers intending to develop a KI strategy for occupational therapists. Future research aimed at improving our understanding of KI should also consider using standardised tools to measure the influence of determinants.

Effects of nonpharmacological interventions on functioning of people living with dementia at home: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

Slowing functional decline could enable people living with dementia to live for longer and more independently in their own homes. We aimed to update previous syntheses examining the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions in reducing functional decline (activities of daily living, activity-specific physical functioning, or function-specific goal attainment) in people living in their own homes with dementia.

METHODS

We systematically searched electronic databases from January 2012 to May 2018; two researchers independently rated risk of bias of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) fitting predetermined inclusion criteria using a checklist; we narratively synthesised findings, prioritising studies judged to have a lower risk of bias.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine papers (describing 26 RCTs) met eligibility criteria, of which we judged 13 RCTs to have a lower risk of bias. Study interventions were evaluated in four groups: physical exercise, occupational, multicomponent, and cognition-oriented interventions. Four out of 13 RCTs reported functional ability as a primary outcome. In studies judged to have a lower risk of bias, in-home tailored exercise, individualised cognitive rehabilitation, and in-home activities-focussed occupational therapy significantly reduced functional decline relative to control groups in individual studies. There was consistent evidence from studies at low risk of bias that group-based exercise and reminiscence therapies were ineffective at reducing functional decline.

CONCLUSION

We found no replicated evidence of intervention effectiveness in decreasing functional decline. Interventions associated with slower functional decline in individual trials have been individually delivered and tailored to the needs of the person with dementia. This is consistent with previous findings. Future intervention trials should prioritise these approaches.

Narrowing the Gap: An Implementation Science Research Agenda for the Occupational Therapy Profession

Despite advancements in occupational therapy research, the widespread research-to-practice gap continues to delay how quickly evidence-based practices are implemented in real-world clinical settings. Implementing research in practice is a complex process that mandates attention from all occupational therapy stakeholders; however, researchers are uniquely positioned to help minimize the 17-yr lag between scientific discovery and the implementation of research findings into practice. Our article serves as a response to Marr's (2017) Centennial Topics article, which proposed that purposeful efforts are needed to advocate for implementation research in occupational therapy. We provide an implementation science research agenda informed by concepts from the implementation science literature and suggest how researchers can structure methodologies to examine implementation-related outcomes and strategies. We provide explanations of gold-standard implementation outcomes and offer several recommendations for how researchers can report and disseminate implementation research findings to occupational therapy stakeholders.

Working mechanisms of dyadic, psychosocial, activating interventions for people with dementia and informal caregivers: a qualitative study

Background

People living with dementia (PWD) and their informal caregivers often report difficulties in maintaining their usual activities. Several dyadic, psychosocial, activating interventions were developed to create insight into how to cope with limitations in a practical way and to increase skills for maintaining personal activities. Effects of these interventions varied so far. More knowledge on the working mechanisms of activating interventions might help to increase their impact. This study will provide more insights into the working mechanisms of three dyadic, psychosocial, activating interventions as the participating PWD, caregivers, and coaches perceived them during the interventions.

Participants and methods

We used a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews of 34 dyads that included 27 PWD, 34 caregivers, and 19 coaches. The data were analyzed with the constant comparative method.

Results

Many PWD and caregivers found capacity-building approaches beneficial. We identified “empowerment” as the core theme. Three working mechanisms explained why the interventions were perceived as having a beneficial impact: 1) enabling activities without providing false hope; 2) exploring the most important personal activity needs of the PWD and caregivers; and 3) a solution-focused approach to adapt, test, and practice activities. An individualized approach contributed to positive change.

Conclusion

For the overarching working mechanism empowerment, expertise in the field of dementia and psychological skills of coaches seem to be important. Assessing the needs, capacities, and limitations of both the PWD and the caregivers to take part in activities seems to be key, as well as the communication about it and the skills to teach a solution-focused approach. Studies on the impact of psychosocial and activating interventions might benefit from considering outcome measures directed at empowerment, along with aspects such as hope and belief in one’s own capacities versus traditional outcome measures as mood, burden, or quality of life.

Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions With Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

With the rapid growth of the community-dwelling older adult population, evidence-based occupational therapy interventions targeting older clients need to be effectively implemented. However, little is understood about the factors influencing effective intervention implementation into practice.

METHOD

We performed a scoping review to explore what strategies and factors relate to the uptake of older adult interventions into practice. Concepts from implementation science literature guided our review.

RESULTS

Our review yielded 13 articles that met our search criteria. Study designs examined barriers, facilitators, and strategies related to the implementation of evidence-based older adult interventions into practice. Effective implementation strategies included training sessions, workshops, consultations, and outreach meetings.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that practitioners, administrators, and researchers should adopt strategies such as workshops, consultations, fidelity vignettes, peer mentoring, and standardized training to effectively implement research into practice with older adults.

Implementation of an evidence-based intervention to improve the wellbeing of people with dementia and their carers: study protocol for 'Care of People with dementia in their Environments (COPE)' in the Australian context

BACKGROUND

There are effective non-pharmacological treatment programs that reduce functional disability and changed behaviours in people with dementia. However, these programs (such as the Care of People with dementia in their Environments (COPE) program) are not widely available. The primary aim of this study is to determine the strategies and processes that enable the COPE program to be implemented into existing dementia care services in Australia.

METHODS

This study uses a mixed methods approach to test an implementation strategy. The COPE intervention (up to ten consultations with an occupational therapist and up to two consultations with a nurse) will be implemented using a number of strategies including planning (such as developing and building relationships with dementia care community service providers), educating (training nurses and occupational therapists in how to apply the intervention), restructuring (organisations establishing referral systems; therapist commitment to provide COPE to five clients following training) and quality management (coaching, support, reminders and fidelity checks). Qualitative and quantitative data will contribute to understanding how COPE is adopted and implemented. Feasibility, fidelity, acceptability, uptake and service delivery contexts will be explored and a cost/benefit evaluation conducted. Client outcomes of activity engagement and caregiver wellbeing will be assessed in a pragmatic pre-post evaluation.

DISCUSSION

While interventions that promote independence and wellbeing are effective and highly valued by people with dementia and their carers, access to such programs is limited. Barriers to translation that have been previously identified are addressed in this study, including limited training opportunities and a lack of confidence in clinicians working with complex symptoms of dementia. A strength of the study is that it involves implementation within different types of existing services, such as government and private providers, so the study will provide useful guidance for further future rollout.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

16 February 2017; ACTRN12617000238370 .

Do occupational therapy interventions improve quality of life in persons with dementia? A meta-analysis with implications for future directions

Occupational therapy (OT) interventions have shown positive effects on physical functioning in persons with dementia (PwD). However, their effect on quality of life (QoL) has been inconsistent in individual clinical trials. The present review appraises current evidence for the use of OT interventions in improving QoL of PwD. Records in the Cochrane Database, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched for relevant citations, and PubMed was searched for in-process articles. Additional searches of the reference lists of retrieved articles were undertaken. Ten studies involving 1002 PwD met the criteria for syntheses. OT intervention produced small non-significant improvements in overall QoL. The evidence from the present review does not support the specific use of OT interventions for the improvement of QoL in PwD under pragmatic clinical conditions at this time. They may be best used as part of a comprehensive range of interventions for PwD. Recommendations are made for future design of OT interventions focusing on the improvement of QoL, which is central to the well-being of PwD.

Evidence-based occupational therapy for people with dementia and their families: What clinical practice guidelines tell us and implications for practice

BACKGROUND/AIM

The first evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia in Australia have been released. The Guidelines detail a number of important evidence-based recommendations for occupational therapists. The aim of this paper is (1) to provide an overview of Guideline development, and (2) to describe the evidence supporting a recommendation for occupational therapy. Common characteristics of effective occupational therapy programmes for people with dementia are described.

METHODS

Guideline development involved adaptation of existing high-quality guidelines developed overseas and 17 systematic reviews to ensure that the most recent high-quality evidence was included. One of the systematic reviews involved examining the evidence for interventions to promote independence in people with dementia. Specifically, we looked at the evidence for occupational therapy and its effect on activities of daily living, quality of life and carer impact.

RESULTS

A total of 109 recommendations are included in the Guidelines. Occupational therapy was found to significantly increase independence in activities of daily living and improve quality of life. Effective occupational therapy programmes involve: environmental assessment, problem solving strategies, carer education and interactive carer skills training.

CONCLUSION

Occupational therapists working with people with dementia in community settings should ensure that their time is spent on those aspects of intervention that are shown to be effective.

How have research questions and methods used in clinical trials published in Clinical Rehabilitation changed over the last 30 years?

Research in rehabilitation has grown from a rare phenomenon to a mature science and clinical trials are now common. The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which questions posed and methods applied in clinical trials published in Clinical Rehabilitation have evolved over three decades with respect to accepted standards of scientific rigour. Studies were identified by journal, database, and hand searching for the years 1986 to 2016.A total of 390 articles whose titles suggested a clinical trial of an intervention, with or without randomization to form groups, were reviewed. Questions often still focused on methods to be used (57%) rather than what knowledge was to be gained. Less than half (43%) of the studies delineated between primary and secondary outcomes; multiple outcomes were common; and sample sizes were relatively small (mean 83, range 5 to 3312). Blinding of assessors was common (72%); blinding of study subjects was rare (19%). In less than one-third of studies was intention-to-treat analysis done correctly; power was reported in 43%. There is evidence of publication bias as 83% of studies reported either a between-group or a within-group effect. Over time, there was an increase in the use of parameter estimation rather than hypothesis testing and there was evidence that methodological rigour improved.Rehabilitation trialists are answering important questions about their interventions. Outcomes need to be more patient-centred and a measurement framework needs to be explicit. More advanced statistical methods are needed as interventions are complex. Suggestions for moving forward over the next decades are given.

How do activating interventions fit the personal needs, characteristics and preferences of people with dementia living in the community and their informal caregivers?

Psychosocial interventions aim to mitigate the serious consequences of dementia for the daily life of people with dementia and their informal caregivers. To deliver a person-centred approach, it is crucial to take needs, characteristics and preferences of people with dementia and their informal caregivers into account. However, these factors are generally not systematically checked in order to determine which intervention will be most appropriate. Additionally, little is known about which intervention suits which needs, characteristics and preferences. Therefore, this study examined how three multiple-component, activating dyadic interventions fitted needs, characteristics, and preferences of both the people with dementia and their informal caregivers: the Pleasant Events Program, the Exercise and Support Intervention for People with Dementia and Their Caregivers, and Occupational Therapy. Semi-structured interviews were held with participants in either one of the interventions, 34 dyads and 19 professionals. The constant comparative method was used for the analysis. Five factors influenced the dyad’s ‘fit’: timing, need for activity, lifestyle, apart-or-together and meaning of (lost) activity. The factors ‘timing’ and a ‘need for activity’ were conditional for these activating interventions. Dyads in an early stage of dementia, who were aware of the effects on daily life, were open to a change in routine, and had a need to maintain activities profited from these interventions. Three distinctive factors were important for the fit of one of the three interventions in particular: ‘lifestyle’, ‘apart or together’ and ‘meaning of (lost) activity’. The Pleasant Events Programme and the Exercise and Support intervention properly addressed the need for activities that afforded daily pastimes or structure. The Exercise and Support Intervention addressed the need for physical activity and emphasized shared activity. Occupational Therapy properly addressed the need for self-sufficiency, maintaining activities and adjustment to physical limitations. These factors can contribute to a more person-centred application of the interventions.

Quality and Reporting of Cluster Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating Occupational Therapy Interventions: A Systematic Review

Growing use of cluster randomized control trials (RCTs) in health care research requires careful attention to study designs, with implications for the development of an evidence base for practice. The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics, quality, and reporting of cluster RCTs evaluating occupational therapy interventions to inform future research design. An extensive search of cluster RCTs evaluating occupational therapy was conducted in several databases. Fourteen studies met our inclusion criteria; four were protocols. Eleven (79%) justified the use of a cluster RCT and accounted for clustering in the sample size and analysis. All full studies reported the number of clusters randomized, and five reported intercluster correlation coefficients (50%): Protocols had higher compliance. Risk of bias was most evident in unblinding of participants. Statistician involvement was associated with improved trial quality and reporting. Quality of cluster RCTs of occupational therapy interventions is comparable with those from other areas of health research and needs improvement.