The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Occupational Therapy Program is pleased to publish these Critically Appraised Topics (CATS). They were written by the students of the Class of 2012 as an assignment in the Evidence Based Practice Course. CATS are structured around a clinical question that asks, “what is the effectiveness of (a particular intervention) compared with (a comparison intervention) to increase/decrease (specific outcome) in people with (a particular condition).” Each paper lays out the clinical question, provides theoretical, scientific, and medical background, details the search strategy used, summarizes the articles selected, analyzes one article in detail, and synthesizes the results of the articles to answer the clinical question posed.
Please Note:These CATS are a synthesis of 3 articles on the use of a specific intervention with a specific client problem. The articles were selected because they were the newest and/or strongest evidence available but the entire body of literature available on these interventions was not reviewed for these papers. The conclusions drawn about the effectiveness of the intervention are based on just the three articles selected: a more comprehensive review of all of the research on an intervention might yield a different conclusion. These papers were reviewed by the course instructor and peer reviewed by other students in the course.
We hope that you will find the information in these CATS useful and spark your interest to learn more about the interventions.
Peggy Denton, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
Director, Occupational Therapy Program
Handouts accompanying the 2011-12 CATS projects
ADULTS:
Motor Recovery and Upper Extremity
Function
Mirror Therapy to improve motor recovery
and upper extremity function in adults with hemiparesis
after a first CVA
Kathryn Bakke
Lea Bergsten
Mental Practice to improve upper extremity
functional performance with adults less than one year post
CVA
Scott Dremsa
Mental Practice to improve upper extremity
motor function with adults more than one year post CVA
Kristin Farrington
Bilateral Training to improve
neuromuscular skills and ADL performance with adults with
CVA
Danielle Hildebrandt
Laura Barquest O'Brien
Functional Electric Stimulation to improve
upper extremity motor function and ADLs with adults with
acute or subacute CVA
Crystal Keeney
Constraint Induced Movement Therapy to
improve upper extremity functioning for adults less than 9
months post CVA
Lee Lohrentz
Virtual Reality to improve upper extremity
motor function and ADL for adults with CVA
Dana McGovern
Hemispatial Neglect
Limb Activation Training to improve
hemispatial neglect in adults less than 6 months post CVA
Katie Becker
Prism Adaptation Therapy to improve ADL’s
for adults with mild hemineglect
Laura Reckard Dietsche
Shoulder Subluxation
Electrical Stimulation to reduce shoulder
subluxation in adults with CVA
Theresa Betz Parry
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Nerve and Tendon Gliding Exercises to
improve hand function and reduce symptom severity in adults
with carpal tunnel syndrome
Samantha Lee
Impaired Self-Awareness
Self-Awareness Training to increase
self-awareness and cognitive processing skills for adults
with acquired brain injury
Lisa Rohde
Dementia
Multi-Sensory Stimulation to improve mood and
behavior in adults with Dementia
Cortney Leverentz
CHILDREN
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Social Stories to improve social skills for
children with autism spectrum disorders
Hiromi Ikeuchi
Lego Therapy to improve social skills for
children with autism spectrum disorders
Shawna Ocaranza
Anxiety Disorders
Group cognitive therapy behavior (CBT)
versus individual CBT for children with anxiety symptoms and
anxiety disorder
Young Na Lee
Illegible Handwriting
Handwriting intervention versus no
intervention for children age 6-11 with illegible
handwriting
Morgan Hellenbrand
Burns
Virtual Reality to reduce pain in children
with severe burns
Heather Slinde deSonza
Upper Extremity Motor Function
Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT)
versus Bimanual Therapy (HABIT training) to improve upper
extremity function in children with cerebral palsy
Anna Smith