title: SCIRehab Project series: the therapeutic recreation taxonomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Outcomes research of therapeutic recreation (TR) activities and interventions for spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation is made more difficult by a lack of uniform descriptions and the absence of a formal treatments classification system (taxonomy). The objective of this study was to describe a taxonomy developed by Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists.
  
  
  METHODS
  TR lead clinicians and researchers from 6 SCI rehabilitation centers developed a TR documentation system to describe the details of each TR session involving patients with SCI enrolled in the SCIRehab study. The SCIRehab study uses the practice-based evidence methodology, a rigorous observational methodology that examines current practice without introducing additional treatments, to capture details of each TR session for 1,500 SCI rehabilitation patients at 6 US inpatient SCI rehabilitation facilities. This may be the first attempt to document the many details of the TR rehabilitation process for patients with SCI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The TR taxonomy consists of 6 activities (eg, leisure education and counseling, outings, and leisure skill work in center) and activity-specific interventions, as well as time spent on each activity. Activity descriptions are enhanced with additional details that focus on assistance needs for each activity, patient ability to direct care, and patient/family involvement, which may help to determine TR activity selection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Development and application of a TR taxonomy, which is comprehensive for patients with SCI and efficient to use, are feasible despite significantly different TR programs at the 6 SCIRehab centers.
authors.affiliation: Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cahow
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skolnick
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jug
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dragon
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gassaway
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002965:Classification; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000145:classification; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000145:classification*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*