Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Therapy Interventions for Upper Limb Amputees Undergoing Selective Nerve Transfers
Published on: October 29, 2021
Patient engagement in rehabilitation therapy: physical and occupational therapist impressions
Anthony H Lequerica1, Cathy S Donnell, Denise G Tate
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. alequerica@kmrrec.org
Purpose:
The study is performed to examine the impressions of physical and occupational therapists on therapeutic engagement among their patients. Engagement in this context was defined as a patient's deliberate effort to work toward recovery by participating fully in their rehabilitation therapies.
Method:
Using a survey approach, physical and occupational therapists (N=199) from across the United States were asked about issues they have encountered in their daily practise that have acted as either barriers or facilitators of patient engagement.
Results:
Fear of pain, depressed mood and cognitive issues were rated as the most frequently encountered barriers impacting patient engagement. Making therapy tasks meaningful and explicitly related to personal goals of the patient was the most commonly reported practise for enhancing therapeutic engagement.
Conclusions:
The knowledge of therapists gained from day-to-day experience with patients in rehabilitation can be of use to other rehabilitation professionals in treating patients who are difficult to engage in the rehabilitation process.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Restorative Care
01:25Elements Crucial for Effective Psychotherapy
The Therapeutic Alliance
The therapeutic alliance refers to the relationship between the therapist and the client. The alliance strengthens when the therapist and the client engage in a nurturing, supportive, trusting, empathetic, and respectful relationship, improving therapeutic outcomes. Therapists must monitor this relationship...