Efficacy of Occupational Therapy Interventions on Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

Objective Objective: To review studies assessing the efficacy of occupational therapy interventions on quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. Method Method: We followed the international guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Databases (PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, OTsekeer, Scopus, Cinhal, and Web of Science) were searched to identify randomized controlled trials of occupational therapy interventions in patients with Parkinson's disease up to 2019 and with no restriction on language. The primary outcome of the meta-analysis was the evaluation of quality of life following occupational therapy interventions. Because of the heterogeneity of the studies, we examined the data by using a random effect model. Results Results: We identified 15 randomized controlled trials that met the inclusion criteria, and 4 of these were included in the meta-analysis. Studies with a follow-up of 2 to 3 months showed that occupational therapy interventions significantly improved the quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease, with a mean difference of −2.08 (95% confidence interval, −2.52 to −1.64; P < 0.00001). Studies reporting a longer follow-up (6-12 months) also showed that occupational therapy interventions improved the quality of life, with a mean difference of −2.56 (95% confidence interval, −3.52 to −1.61; P < 0.00001). Conclusion Conclusion: Different occupational therapy interventions may be effective in improving the quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. However, because of the limited number of studies available, the strength of the evidence should be considered moderate.

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Scale A-ONE: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

“…The study was conducted by a research group composed of medical doctors and rehabilitation professionals of the Sapienza University of Rome, Tor Vergata University of Rome, and from the Rehabilitation and Outcome Measure Assessment (ROMA) Association. In the last few years, ROMA has dealt with the validation of many outcome measures in Italy [4,5,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

“…Regarding patient evaluation, in rehabilitation, there are several rating scales. To test which skills and abilities the individual has lost or maintained, the occupational therapist takes its point of reference, the activities of daily living (ADL) [3][4][5]. Traditionally, this type of evaluation is used exclusively to indicate the level of independence and need for assistance.…”

Effectiveness of therapeutic massage for improving motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…As first-line treatments for MS in PD, monoamine oxidase B inhibitors, levodopa, dopamine agonists, and amantadine have definite effectiveness ( 7 ). However, patients still cannot maintain complete autonomy with pharmacological treatment only ( 8 ). Furthermore, adverse events are common problems brought by medications, such as dyskinesia (a series of motor complications) by levodopa treatment, somnolence by dopamine agonists, psychosis by anticholinergic drugs, and so on ( 9 ).…”

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT) in Italian Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis

“…These would benefit patients, researchers, and clinicians. Universally validated outcome measures are needed to allow comparisons across the practice (10).…”