The Effect of ICF-Core Set-Based Occupational Therapy Interventions on the Function and Satisfaction of Individuals with Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Stroke can affect all aspects of a person's health and functioning. Therefore, it is important occupational therapists, have a comprehensive understanding of various levels of function and the factors affecting function. The ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health) and the selections of ICF categories or Core Sets relevant for people with a specific health condition, offer a model for intervention. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ICF-CS-based occupational therapy interventions on the function and satisfaction of individuals with chronic stroke. This study was designed as a randomized, single-blind, parallel-group clinical trial. Twenty-five patients with stroke were randomly assigned to the control group (which received traditional occupational therapy) or the treatment group (Stroke ICF-CS based occupational therapy). Patients were evaluated before and after the intervention (two months, three sessions per week, 45 minutes each session), as well as two weeks after the end of the intervention, using Fugl-Meyer and COPM (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) tools. The independent T-test, Chi-square, and ANOVA with repeated measures were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the interaction effect of time and group was not significant in none of the Fugl-Meyer test sections (p > 0. 05), but it was significant in the performance and satisfaction of COPM (p < 0.05). The results suggest that ICF-CS-based occupational therapy interventions may assist persons with chronic stroke improve their functional level and satisfaction.

The Effects of Lower Limb Orthoses on Health Aspects of the Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Systematic Review Using International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as a Reference Framework.

Background: One of the most important approaches in the rehabilitation of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients is the use of different orthoses. To date, no review has been published that analyzed the effects of orthoses on health aspects of spinal cord injury clients using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Methods: A systematic literature search was done in some databases, including Medline, PubMed, Cochrane centered register of the controlled trial (CCTR), Cochrane database of systematic reviews (CDSR), a database of abstracts of reviews of effects (DARE), Embase, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Knowledge. SCI was used in conjunction with terms like orthotic device, mechanical orthoses, external power orthoses, assistive devices, and functional electrical. The time frame for this search was from 1970 to 2022. Results: A total of 200 papers were found. Based on the titles and abstracts, 100 related papers were detected. After careful evaluation of the papers, 47 studies were selected for final analysis-53 papers were excluded due to duplication, non-English language, and lack of full-text. Conclusion: The results of 32 studies (70% of studies) support the efficiency of orthoses in walking and standing of SCI patients. In most of the included studies, the efficiency of orthoses was evaluated mostly based on body functions and structures, and their impact on other outcomes such as participation and quality of life (QoL) of SCI patients was unclear.

Effect of cawthorne and cooksey exercises on balance and quality of life of 60 to 80 year- old individuals in Shiraz: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: One of the vulnerable populations of any community are the elderly, who are exposed to poor balance, falls, injuries, reduced quality of life (QoL) and independency, and early death. Considering the importance of balance in independently performing activities of daily living (ADL) and its impact on QoL, in this study, we aimed at investigating the effect of Cawthorne and Cooksey exercises (CCE) on QoL and balance of 60 to 80 year-old individuals in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on forty 80 to 60-year-old individuals of Jahandideghan retirement center in Shiraz (20 in the intervention and 20 in the control groups) in 2014. The intervention group did CCE in three 60- minute sessions a week for 2 months. The balance status of the participants was assessed with Berg balance test, and their QoL was also examined using SF36 Quality of Life Questionnaire before the intervention and at 2 months post intervention. Data were analyzed by independent t test in SPSS software Version 19. Results: The results of the study revealed that the difference was significant in the balance change scores between the 2 groups (p<0.001, effect size = 0.78). Change differences in the QoL scores were significant between the 2 groups as well (p<0.001, effect size = 0.39). Conclusion: CCT improved QoL and balance of 60 to 80 year- old Shirazians, so considering the low cost, easy implementation, and considerable impact of the exercises, CCT could be used to prevent and treat balance disorders of the elderly.

Evaluation the Efficiency of Electrical Stimulation Advanced Methods on Management of Bowel and Bladder Functions in Spinal Cord Injury Subject; A Systematic Review of Literature.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of various methods used for SCI subjects in this regard based on the available literature. METHODS: A search was done in some data bases such as Google scholar, ISI web of knowledge, PubMed, and Scopus. Some keywords such as bowel, bladder control and management were used in combination with SCI. The studies' quality was evaluated with Pedro scale. RESULTS: From 100 articles found, 21 papers were selected based on abstracts and titles. The quality of the studies varied between 5 and 7 based on Pedro scale. There were 3 studies on abdominal muscles stimulation, 1 on stimulation of tibial nerve, 8 on stimulation of sacral nerve root, 2 on combination of stimulation and exercise, 4 on Brindley bladder control and 3 on sacralizotomy. CONCLUSION: The bowel and bladder management functions is not the main problem of SCI subjects anymore. Some advantages of the mentioned procedures used for SCI subjects are including improved quality of life, socialization, and decreased bladder infection.