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Nearly half of stroke survivors depend on others to carry out personal activities of daily living (ADL; e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, and toileting). Rehabilitation therapies (e.g., physical therapy and occupational therapy) minimize dependency. However, the extent to which occupational therapy improves post-stroke outcomes is unclear. European investigators conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomized trials involving 1258 patients to determine whether ADL-focused occupational therapy improves post-stroke outcomes.
Eight trials assessed ADL performance using validated measures; patients who received occupational therapy were significantly more independent in ADL performance than those who did not receive the interv…