SCIRehab Project series: the therapeutic recreation taxonomy.
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.
Cahow
Claire
C
Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado, USA.
Skolnick
Susan
S
Joyce
Joan
J
Jug
Julie
J
Dragon
Charlotte
C
Gassaway
Julie
J
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*