Integration of occupation based intervention in hand injury rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial

© 2016 Hanley & BelfusStudy design Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). Introduction Engagement in daily occupations and day to day activities helps to restore function in individuals with injured hands and provides a platform to practise selected occupations. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a combination of Occupation Based Intervention (OBI) and Therapeutic Exercise (TE) compared to TE alone for the rehabilitation of hand injuries. Method A single center RCT, parallel group was conducted at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (KLGH), Malaysia. Forty-six adult clients with hand injuries who consented to participate were randomly allocated to either the OBI + TE group or to the TE group. Results Following a ten week intervention program, statistical significance differences were found in DASH score (TE = 18.64 ± 14.84 vs OBI + TE = 9.50 ± 9.14, p = 0.02); total active motion (TE = 1035.85 ± 179.84 vs OBI + TE = 1203.65 ± 133.60, p = 0.01); neuropathic pain (TE = 2.90 ± 2.79 vs OBI + TE = 1.05 ± 2.01, p = 0.02); COPM performance (TE = 7.62 ± 2.03 vs OBI + TE = 9.53 ± 0.64, p < 0.001); and COPM satisfaction (TE = 7.60 ± 2.11 vs OBI + TE = 9.49 ± 0.76, p < 0.001) in favor of OBI + TE group. Conclusion This study highlighted the integration of OBI into hand injury rehabilitation improved outcomes for clients. Level of evidence 1b.