Classification of occupational therapy intervention for inpatient stroke rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the specific type of occupational therapy intervention used by occupational therapists during inpatient stroke rehabilitation in one midwestern U.S. hospital to determine the frequency of prefunctional versus functional activity use.


METHODS
A retrospective chart analysis was conducted of clients who received inpatient stroke rehabilitation between January 2003 and June 2004. Type of intervention, intervention strategies, and adaptive equipment use were recorded for each session provided.


RESULTS
The majority of sessions (65.77%, n = 1,022) consisted of activities that were prefunctional in nature compared with 48.26% (n = 750) that focused on activities of daily living. Musculoskeletal intervention strategies were used in more than half (52.25%) of the sessions.


CONCLUSIONS
More sessions were spent on prefunctional than on functional activities, and musculoskeletal intervention strategies were most common. Future research studies are warranted to determine the most effective intervention for this client population.
Smallfield
Stacy
S
Department of Occupational Therapy, The University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA. Stacy.Smallfield@usd.edu
Karges
Joy
J
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation