Occupational Therapy Interventions for Poststroke Fatigue: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Occupational Therapy
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Poststroke fatigue (PSF) significantly impacts survivors' quality of life.
• Despite its prevalence, specific occupational therapy (OT) guidance for PSF is lacking.
• This highlights a critical gap in rehabilitation care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and synthesize existing research on occupational therapy interventions for poststroke fatigue.
• To describe the current landscape of OT approaches for managing PSF.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review methodology was employed, searching three databases.
• Two authors conducted a comprehensive review of titles, abstracts, and full texts.
• Study and participant characteristics, interventions, and outcomes were extracted and synthesized.

Main Results:

• Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, involving patients with stroke and traumatic brain injury.
• Interventions included psychoeducation, behavior change, multicomponent programs, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.
• Common outcome measures were the Fatigue Severity Scale and Mental Fatigue Scale.

Conclusions:

• The evidence base for occupational therapy interventions targeting poststroke fatigue is currently limited.
• Recommendations for future research are provided to advance the field.
• Further investigation is needed to establish effective OT strategies for PSF.