Investigation of the effect of task-oriented occupational therapy on daily living activity performance in chronic...

Task-oriented therapy (TOT) is used to increase the effectiveness of upper extremity (UE) in activity daily living (ADL). This study aimed to investigate the effect of TOT on the participation and ADLs of stroke patients.

Between October 2018 and February 2019, 28 chronic stroke patients were included in the study treated in Kocaeli University Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Turkey. The performance areas and participation status of the patients in which they experienced limitations were evaluated with the Canadian Occupational Performance Scale (COPM), and their level of independence in ADLs was evaluated with the Modified Frenchay Activity Index (mFAI) and Barthel Index (BI). All patients were included in the occupational therapy (OT) program five days a week for three weeks at Kocaeli University Hospital. Three ADLs in which they had difficulties were studied with 28 patients. Each of the activities was designed specifically for the patient. All assessments were repeated after three weeks of treatment.

A total of 28 patients, 12 females and 16 males, diagnosed with stroke, were included in the study. A statistically significant increase was found in the COPM performance and satisfaction value compared to the pre-treatment value (p<0.001). A statistically significant difference was found between pre- and post-treatment mFAI and BI values (p<0.001).

Adding task-oriented therapy to the rehabilitation programs of stroke patients will contribute to the improvement of ADL.