The role of occupational therapy for the self‐management of rheumatoid arthritis: A protocol for a mixed methods systematic review

Abstract

Background: Occupational therapists can support people with rheumatoid arthritis to self-manage their disease symptoms and engage in daily activities. This protocol reports a review to broaden understanding of what is known about the role of occupational therapy in the self-management of rheumatoid arthritis.Methods: Studies involving adults with rheumatoid arthritis, having participated in self-management involving occupational therapy, will be included. Patient involvement will help develop the search strategy by identifying patient-centred interventions and outcomes to complement those identified by researchers. An electronic search will be performed using several bibliographic databases, including grey literature from subject-specific, health-related, and social care databases.Searches will run from the database inception until the date that the search is conducted (December 2021-May 2022). Retrieved studies will be de-duplicated, and the remaining titles and abstracts will be screened by three reviewers. Full texts of all eligible studies will be independently reviewed by the reviewers to select papers for data extraction and quality assessment. Outcomes are function, pain, fatigue and lived experience. For quantitative studies, data will be synthesised using descriptive statistics in text and tables, whereas for qualitative studies, data will be synthesised using thematic synthesis.Discussion: This review will synthesise current evidence on how occupational therapy can help the self-management of rheumatoid arthritis. It will include evidence of best practice, including advice, education and training provided by occupational therapists. These findings can inform future research and the selection of strategies to promote quality of life for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Public and professional involvement in a systematic review investigating the impact of occupational therapy on the self-management of rheumatoid arthritis

“…In August 2021, our team of interdisciplinary researchers set out to involve people living with RA and rheumatology healthcare professionals in a mixed methods systematic review (Gavin et al, 2022). The PHPI was facilitated in the review via (i) a project steering group, (ii) a co-investigator with lived experience (ED) and (iii) the PHP partners.…”

“…self-reported accounts of lived experience) outcomes. The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022302205) and protocol published elsewhere (Gavin et al, 2022).…”

“…The search strategy was refined by five people with RA during a 90-minute online workshop; four of these subsequently contributed to the interpretation and evaluation phases (Table 1; Supplemental Figure 2). The initial search strategy, devised by the research team for the review protocol, was complemented with the following terms: body image (or self-esteem or self-image); health literacy; wearable electronic devices; mobile applications; tai chi; meditation; hydrotherapy; postural balance; dependency; psychological; social stigma; social isolation (Gavin et al, 2022).…”

“…Adhering to these, we collaboratively involved people with RA, carers (partners/family), and health professionals in a mixed methods systematic review to assess the role of occupational therapy in the self-management of RA for quantitative (e.g. pain, function, fatigue) and qualitative (self-reported accounts of lived experience) outcomes (Gavin et al, 2022). We aimed to incorporate and evaluate PHPI throughout the systematic review study.…”

The Impact of Occupational Therapy on the Self‐Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review

“…Based on pilot searches, and to limit the likelihood of excluding relevant studies, outcomes informed the screening process but were not included in the final search strategy. 20 Selection involved firstly conducting a pilot screening and then full screening (including title and abstract, and then full text). To begin, one reviewer ran the search strategy and removed duplicates (LR) using EndnoteWeb, then papers were exported to a shared Microsoft OneDrive account, and finally uploaded to Rayyan for screening and data extraction.…”