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Background: Occupational therapy (OT) enhances functional independence in the daily activities of people with disabilities and subsequently their quality of life. Research in OT generates evidence to provide safe and effective services to the disabled. However, OT research in India has been shown to have various methodological limitations. These methodological limitations are expected to impact the quality of OT research as well as the evidence derived from this research to inform decision-making in rehabilitation. The majority of the OT research is disseminated and promoted through the All India Occupational Therapists' Association's (AIOTA) annual national conference (ANC). Analyzing the abstracts, selected for the presentation at the ANC could help understand and strategically improve the quality of OT research in India. Objectives: To explore and describe the quality of OT research in India. Study Design: Descriptive analysis. Methods: Descriptive, nonsystematic review and analysis of the key methodological aspects of the conference abstracts submitted for the AIOTA ANC published in the Indian Journal of OT (IJOT) from 2017 to 2021 was carried out. Information related to the methodological aspects of the research abstracts was extracted using a data extraction form and the data were synthesized and reported descriptively. Results: About 218 abstracts had been selected for either poster or oral presentations in the AIOTA ANC. All the abstracts were included for the review. A total of 8055 participants were recruited for the studies conducted from 2017 to 2021. About 5757 (72%) of the participants were recruited for cross-sectional studies. Nearly 72 (33%) of the abstracts presented were related to cross-sectional studies, 52 (24%) were case studies and 66 (30%) were experimental studies. However, research designs implying highest level of evidence such as systematic reviews were only 4 (2%) and randomized controlled trials were only 9 (4%) with 297 participants. Notably, 203 (98%) of the all the studies evaluating effectiveness of interventions or aiming to investigate associations reported positive results with statistically significant improvements and associations. Conclusion: The review provides invaluable information related to the quality of OT research in India. It implies the need to improve the scientific rigor of the evidence generated in relation to OT research in India. This review also implies the need for a radical change and strengthening of OT research within OT education and professional practice in India. National and global OT associations need to prioritize good quality OT research by enhancing the research skills and competencies of OTs in India. This could help promote evidence-based OT science and develop the OT profession in the world's second-most populous country. In addition, it is also expected to encourage those OT researchers who have been striving to build OT research standards in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational therapists are considered an important workforce for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities globally. However, in India, the profession is just beginning to gain recognition within the national and state-level systems for health care. One of the reasons for this could be the paucity of specific research related to the development of occupational therapy (OT) and its benefits to the health systems. Therefore, it is of immense public health importance to explore the priorities and gaps in OT research in India. A vast majority of the OT research in India is promoted and disseminated through the All-India Occupational Therapists Association (AIOTA) and its annual national conference (ANC). Objectives: The objective of this study is to descriptively review the conference abstracts of the AIOTA ANC published in the Indian Journal of OT (IJOT), an official publication of the AIOTA, from 2017 to 2021. Study Design: The study design was a descriptive, nonsystematic review. Methods: Review of the abstracts selected for the AIOTA ANC published in the IJOT from 2017 to 2021. A data extraction form was developed and used to synthesize data related to the clinical and demographic characteristics of OT research in India. Results: The search yielded 218 abstracts. State-level trends indicated that close to 85% of the research submissions were from four states and no submissions from the northeastern states until 2020. Nearly 60% of the abstracts were clinical research with OT interventions. About 40% of these research abstracts were related to pediatrics, followed by neurology (17%), musculoskeletal (15%), mental health (10%), and ergonomics and assistive technology (8%). There were 1%-2% of research abstracts submitted related to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and geriatrics. About 85% of the research abstracts were related to impairment (39%), activity limitation (26%), and social participation (22%). Conclusion: This review highlights the need for diversifying the research in OT in India. This is particularly important in relation to expanding from selected states to pan-India research and development, especially in the northeastern states. Furthermore, the focus of OT research must move beyond impairments and approach disability from the biopsychosocial perspective. It is also very important to diversify the research in OT to areas that are of public health importance such as COVID-19, geriatrics, noncommunicable diseases, and rehabilitation in health systems. Priority setting for research in OT in India is an important implication of this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current evidence for occupational therapy practice, teaching, and research is replicated and implemented significantly from high-income countries in India. Therefore, a systematic review and an evaluation of existing evidence for occupational therapy (OT) to reduce disabilities including impairments, activity limitations, and participation restriction in persons with disabilities (PWD) in India are warranted. Objectives: The objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of OT interventions for reducing disabilities in PWD in India. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: We searched the Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED, and Web of Science. A hand search was also carried out in selected Indian journals, OT-specific databases, and repositories, such as Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy, Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, OT Seekers, World Federation of Occupational Therapy Bulletin, Asia Pacific Occupational Therapists Regional Group, and clinical trials registers. The search was restricted to published studies conducted in India during 2000-2021. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of an occupational therapy intervention delivered by OTs for PWD, where the effects of the intervention were evaluated using any relevant disability outcome measure. Studies without access to full text were excluded. Two review authors independently completed screening, and one author reviewed the full text of the screened studies. Another pair of authors extracted data from included studies for prespecified disability outcomes, and two authors assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. Results: We identified seven RCTs of occupational therapy interventions for PWD in India with 305 participants in total. All seven studies were very different in terms of their objective, participants, comparison, and outcomes. Allocation concealment and blinding and risk of bias were high in five trials. All the trials reported impairment outcomes with a statistically significant difference between the experimental arm and the control arm in terms of their primary outcomes except one. Given the sample size and the risk of bias in each of the included trials, the effect size has to be understood and interpreted with utmost caution. Conclusion: Overall, this review establishes the paucity of evidence for occupational therapy for PWD in India. Building the capacity for rigorous and relevant scientific research in occupational therapy would enable bridging the gaps in evidence for occupational therapy in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational therapy (OT) research in India has been shown to have various methodological limitations. This can subsequently impact the quality of research as well as on the evidence derived from this research to inform decision making in health care. The majority of the OT research is disseminated through the All-India Occupational Therapists Association's annual national conference (ANC). Analyzing the abstracts, selected for the presentation at the ANC could help understand the quality of OT research in India. Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess the quality of occupational therapy research in India. Study Design: A descriptive analysis Methods: Descriptive, non-systematic review and analysis of the key methodological aspects of the conference abstracts of the AIOTA ANC published in Indian Journal of OT (IJOT) between 2017 and 2021. Results: About 218 abstracts have been selected for either poster or oral presentations in the conference. In the total abstracts selected for the ANC, 8055 participants were recruited for the studies conducted between 2017 and 2021. 72 % (5807) of the participants were recruited for cross-sectional studies. 33% of the abstracts presented were related to cross-sectional studies, 24% were case studies and 30% were experimental studies. However, there were 4% of randomized controlled trials with 297 participants and 2% were systematic reviews that constitute the peak of the evidence pyramid. Positive results were reported with statistically significant improvements and associations in 98% of the studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions or aiming to investigate associations. Conclusion: The review provides invaluable information related to the quality of occupational therapy research in India. The positive results reported in 98% of the intervention and correlational studies, imply potential reporting bias and methodological flaws in the conduct. Only four percent of the studies in this review had a design that could inform evidence, imply a radical change and strengthening of OT research as well as prioritization of research within OT education and professional practice in India. Funding: This work was supported by the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Fellowship [grant: IA/CPHE/16/1/502650], awarded to Dr. Sureshkumar Kamalakannan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of the Occupational Therapy (OT) research in India is disseminated through the All India Occupational Therapists Association's Annual National Conference (ANC). Analyzing the abstracts, selected for the presentation at the ANC could help identify the research priorities for OT in India. Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess the trends in Occupational therapy research in India. Study Design: Descriptive analysis and non-systematic review. Methods: Descriptive, Non-systematic Review and analysis of the conference abstracts of the AIOTA ANC published in Indian Journal of OT (IJOT) between 2017 and 2021. Results: 218 abstracts were identified from the ANC abstract publications between 2017 and 2021. State level trends indicated that close to 85% of the research submission were from Maharashtra (49%), New Delhi (15%), Karnataka (10%), and Tamil Nadu (9%). We did not find any submission from the North-eastern states until 2020. About 40% of these research abstracts were related to Paediatrics, followed by neurology (17%), Musculoskeletal (15%), mental health (10%), ergonomics and assistive technology (8%). There was only 1-2% of research abstracts submission related to COVID-19 and Geriatrics. Close to 60% of the abstracts were clinical research with occupational therapy interventions. About 85% of the research abstracts were related to impairment (39%), activity limitation (26%), and participation (22%). Conclusion: This review highlights the need for diversifying the research in occupational therapy in India. This is particularly important in relation to expanding from selected states to a pan India research and development, especially including the north-eastern states. Also, the focus of OT research must move beyond impairments and approach disability from the social model perspective. It is also very important to diversify the research in occupational therapy to areas contributing substantial disability-adjusted life years such as COVID-19, geriatrics and non-communicable diseases. Priority setting for research in occupational therapy in India is an important implication of this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) experience unmet needs related to health, rehabilitation, education, livelihood, social participation, and empowerment, particularly those living in a resource-poor context such as in the Indian context. The same applies to Children with Disabilities (CWD) as well. Given the pandemic restrictions imposed by the government of India, the provision of therapeutic rehabilitation services for PWDs and CWDs has come to a deadlock. Therefore, the PWDs and the parents of CWDs are substantially impacted by the double contextual burden of demand and access to rehabilitation services in India. However, there has been some light at the end of this dark tunnel provided by the existing telecommunication strategies. Both parents/caregivers and rehabilitation service providers started to find a way out of this situation on their own in India by optimizing their skills and resources for telerehabilitation. However, adopting this strategy requires evidence. Hence a critical Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the telerehabilitation strategy for empowering PWDs and CWDs in an Indian context is warranted and is of immense public health importance. A narrative review was conducted. Telerehabilitation has several strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Telecommunication resources, Access to Rehabilitation services, Parent's and consumer acceptance, Service efficiency, and data documentation could be considered as strengths; Skills, Competencies, Opportunity cost, Resource intensiveness, Evidence for Effectiveness, Comprehensibility could be considered as weaknesses; Therapy innovations, Evidence generation, System strengthening and Capacity Building could be considered as opportunities; Patient Safety, Ethical Integrity, Data security, and Professional practice insecurity could be considered as potential Threats to Telerehabilitation. Telerehabilitation has considerable scope for providing meaningful therapeutic experience and hastens the process of rehabilitation of CWDs in the current context. The SWOT and its implications must be kept in mind to ensure that CWDs receive the best quality continuum of care in the present context with utmost ethical and evidence-based considerations. This could bridge the gaps in access to rehabilitation services with sustainable solutions than patchy temporary solutions that are not sustainable.