Weighted Blankets as a Sleep Intervention: A Scoping Review.

Sleep disorders are associated with a range of health conditions, with poor sleep often further exacerbating individuals' health, well-being, and ability to participate in daily occupations. Weighted blankets offer a potentially simple nonpharmacological sleep intervention option. To summarize available literature on instrumentation and outcomes associated with overnight use of weighted blankets for therapeutic purpose. A scoping review following the PRISMA review guidelines was conducted. Sources included MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Embase, and Google. Included studies reported on overnight use of weighted blankets. Critical appraisal of studies was conducted with standardized tools. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Positive outcomes were reported for adults, including improved sleep, reduction in medication use, and improved mood. Sleep outcomes were mixed for children and adolescents but included improved occupational performance. Methodological quality of included studies regarding effectiveness was variable. Ten studies included details of the intervention, whereas only one study reported on implementation. No specific guidelines for use were included. Weighted blankets are used as a sleep intervention for individuals across the life span experiencing a range of health conditions. Currently, there is more evidence of effectiveness with adults, although parents are favorable regarding weighted blanket use for children. Implementation and recommendation of weighted blankets are typically led by occupational therapists, with knowledge of the intervention facilitating use. This review provides information to inform occupational therapists' clinical decision-making and continued implementation of weighted blankets for individuals with sleep problems. Plain-Language Summary: This scoping review summarizes what is known about the use of weighted blankets as a sleep intervention for people of all ages. There is more evidence for overnight use of weighted blankets for adults, with improvements reported in sleep, mood, medication use, and pain. Although there is little evidence of improvement in sleep for children, some children show improvement in everyday functioning, and parents report positive outcomes from overnight use of weighted blankets. These findings suggest that occupational therapists should consider offering or recommending weighted blankets as a sleep intervention option for people of all ages, alongside consideration of individuals' preferences. Development of practice guidelines that incorporate current research findings is urgently needed to support occupational therapists' use of weighted blankets.

被引量：- 发表：2024

Patient-Reported Variables Affecting Self-Perceived Overall Recovery Among People With Subacute Stroke.

被引量：- 发表：2024

Prediction of Functional Academic Outcomes by Fine Motor Skills in Individuals With Sickle Cell Disease.

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at heightened risk of poor neurocognitive and academic outcomes. The relationship between fine motor skills and academic outcomes is not well understood. To compare the fine motor skills of individuals with SCD with normative expectations, test whether demographic and medical factors are associated with fine motor performance, and determine the impact of fine motor performance on academic performance. Cross-sectional. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Individuals with SCD (N = 376; ages 8-24 yr). Fine motor outcomes included visual-motor integration, manual dexterity, and graphomotor speed. Academic outcomes included math fluency and word reading. Demographic and medical variables were obtained via medical records and interviews. Compared with normative expectations, the performance of individuals with SCD on all fine motor measures was lower than expected. Male sex, lower socioeconomic status, and lower oxygen saturation was associated with slower graphomotor speed. Lower socioeconomic status and older age were associated with lower visual-motor integration scores. Performance on all fine motor measures was positively associated with math fluency and word reading. Individuals with SCD exhibited poorer than expected fine motor skills across multiple motor domains, and these deficits were associated with poorer academic outcomes. Early referral to intervention services for fine motor skills may facilitate improved academic outcomes for individuals with SCD. Plain-Language Summary: This study had three objectives: (1) Compare the fine motor skills of people with sickle cell disease (SCD) with normative expectations, (2) test whether demographic and medical factors are associated with fine motor performance, and (3) determine the impact of fine motor performance on academic performance. We found that SCD is a risk factor for lower than expected fine motor performance across multiple fine motor domains and that these deficits also affect functional academic skills.

被引量：- 发表：2024

Development of a Smart Home Modification Program: A Delphi Survey of Multidisciplinary Health Care Experts.

There is a critical gap between the potential of smart home technologies to enhance the lives of people with physical disabilities (PwPD) and their limited use because of complex interfaces, high costs, technical issues, and insufficient institutional support. To bridge this gap and ensure that PwPD can fully benefit from smart home advancements to improve their daily living and quality of life by developing a smart home modification program. A Delphi survey involving three rounds was conducted with experts in disability and smart home technologies. Online survey. Thirty multidisciplinary health care experts. Experts rated the level of relevance in smart home modification with each survey. Consensus was set at ≥75%, content validity (CVR) was ≥.33, and convergence was ≤.5. The first Delphi result selected 26 items, and the second included 59 items after adjusting for values that fell below a CVR of .33. In the third Delphi survey, 59 items were selected. The final Delphi study had an average CVR of .96 and a coefficient of variation of .10. The last survey's consensus point was .92, indicating a high level of agreement among participants. On the basis of expert consensus, the study provides a validated framework for smart home modifications to aid PwPD. Plain-Language Summary: This research highlights the role of smart home adaptations to promote responsible, independent living for people with physical disabilities. There is a critical gap between the potential of smart home technologies to improve the lives of people with physical disabilities and their limited use because of complex interfaces, high costs, technical issues, and insufficient institutional support. The study authors developed a smart home modification program with the goal of closing this gap and to ensure that people with physical disabilities can fully benefit from smart home advancements to improve their daily living and quality of life. Based on expert ratings, the study findings provide a validated framework that occupational therapists can use to recommend smart home modifications to help people with physical disabilities. The framework can also be used by occupational therapists to identify people who may need more extensive environmental modifications and interventions.

被引量：- 发表：2024

An Argument for Guidelines for Capstones in Unhoused Settings.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in completing occupational therapy doctoral capstones with people experiencing homelessness. Given the complexity of practice with this population and its history of discrimination and marginalization, we argue for the development of guidelines for completing capstones in unhoused settings. In this column, we present background and contextual information, justification for the need for guidelines, and preliminary recommendations for consideration by students and faculty. Our aim is to invite reflection within the profession and among academic institutions and to promote dialogue with community agencies that serve this population to ensure that capstones are developed ethically, sustainably, and without unintentionally perpetuating harm.

被引量：- 发表：2024