Occupational Therapy Can Benefit From an Interprofessional Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System

Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System for Voice Therapy: Application to Everyday Clinical Care

PURPOSE

Rehabilitation intervention descriptions often do not explicitly identify active ingredients or how those ingredients lead to changes in patient functioning. The Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) provides guidance to identify the critical aspects of any rehabilitation therapy and supported the development of standardly named ingredients and targets in voice therapy (Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System for Voice Therapy [RTSS-Voice]). This study sought to test the content validity of the RTSS-Voice and determine if the RTSS-Voice can be used to identify commonalities and differences in treatment (criterion validity) across clinicians in everyday clinical practice.

METHOD

Five speech-language pathologists from different institutions videotaped one therapy session for 59 patients diagnosed with a voice or upper airway disorder. Specifications were created for each video, and iterative rounds of revisions were completed with the treating clinician and two RTSS experts until consensus was reached on each specification.

RESULTS

All 59 sessions were specified without the addition of any targets or ingredients. There were two frequent targets: (a) increased volition and (b) decreased strained voice quality. There were three frequent ingredients: (a) information regarding the patient's capability and motivation to perform a therapeutic behavior, (b) knowledge of results feedback, and (c) opportunities to practice voicing with improved resonance and mean airflow. Across sessions treating vocal hyperfunction, there was large variability across clinicians regarding the types and number of treatment components introduced, types of feedback provided, and vocal practice within spontaneous speech and negative practice.

CONCLUSIONS

The RTSS and the RTSS-Voice demonstrated strong content validity, as they comprehensively characterized 59 therapy sessions. They also demonstrated strong criterion validity, as commonalities and differences were identified in everyday voice therapy for vocal hyperfunction across multiple clinicians. Future work to translate RTSS principles and RTSS-Voice terms into clinical documentation can help to understand how clinician and patient variability impacts outcomes and bridge the research-practice gap.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24796875.

Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System: Identifying Barriers, Facilitators, and Strategies for Implementation in Research, Education, and Clinical Care

OBJECTIVE

To explore rehabilitation professionals' experiences and perspectives of barriers and facilitators to implementing the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) in research, education, and clinical care.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey with free text and binary responses was completed by rehabilitation professionals. Survey data were analyzed with a deductive approach of directed content analysis using 2 implementation science frameworks: Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC).

SETTING

Rehabilitation professionals across research, educational, and clinical settings.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred and eleven rehabilitation professionals-including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physicians, psychologists, researchers, and clinic directors-who explored possible uses or applications of the RTSS for clinical care, education, or research (N=111).

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Frequency of reported CFIR barriers and facilitators, as well as keywords related to CFIR and ERIC constructs.

RESULTS

The barriers and facilitating strategies differed according to the end-users' intended use, that is, research, education, or clinical. Overall, the 4 most frequently encountered CFIR barriers were the RTSS's complexity, a lack of available RTSS resources, reduced access to knowledge and information about the RTSS, and limited knowledge and beliefs about the RTSS. The ERIC-CFIR matching tool identified 7 ERIC strategies to address these barriers, which include conducting educational meetings, developing and distributing educational materials, accessing new funding, capturing and sharing local knowledge, identifying and preparing champions, and promoting adaptability.

CONCLUSIONS

When attempting to use the RTSS, rehabilitation professionals commonly encountered barriers to understanding and skillfully using the framework. Theory-driven implementation strategies have been identified that have potential for addressing the RTSS's complexity and lack of educational and skill-building resources. Future work can develop the identified implementation strategies and evaluate their effects on RTSS implementation.

Occupational Therapy Interventions for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living for Adults With Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

IMPORTANCE

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are important for independence, safety, and productivity, and people with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience IADL limitations. Occupational therapy practitioners should address IADLs with their clients with PD.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the evidence for the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions to improve or maintain IADL function in adults with PD.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, OTseeker, and Cochrane databases from January 2011 to December 2018. Study Selection and Data Collection: Primary inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed journal articles describing Level 1-3 studies that tested the effect of an intervention within the scope of occupational therapy on an IADL outcome in people with PD. Three reviewers assessed records for inclusion, quality, and validity following Cochrane Collaboration and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

FINDINGS

Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were categorized into four themes on the basis of primary focus or type of intervention: physical activity, specific IADL-focused, cognitive rehabilitation, and individualized occupational therapy interventions. There were 9 Level 1b, 9 Level 2b, and 4 Level 3b studies. Strong strength of evidence was found for the beneficial effect of occupational therapy-related interventions for physical activity levels and handwriting, moderate strength of evidence for IADL participation and medication adherence, and low strength of evidence for cognitive rehabilitation.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Occupational therapy interventions can improve health management and maintenance (i.e., physical activity levels, medication management), handwriting, and IADL participation for people with PD. Further research is needed on cognitive rehabilitation. This review is limited by the small number of studies that specifically addressed IADL function in treatment and as an outcome. What This Article Adds: Occupational therapy intervention can be effective in improving or maintaining IADL performance and participation in people with PD. Occupational therapy practitioners can address IADL function through physical activity interventions, interventions targeting handwriting and medication adherence, and individualized occupational therapy interventions.