Patients With Schizophrenia May Benefit From Occupational Therapy

Individuals with schizophrenia may benefit from occupational therapy, but it is unclear whether benefits are optimized when therapy is administered by a specialist, according to an article published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

The researchers intended to examine trials and evaluate the outcomes of occupational therapy for patients with schizophrenia. They attempted to compare results of therapy delivered by specialists with results of occupational therapy administered by nonspecialists. However, all studies were excluded when the comparison was not found.

Despite being unable to complete the intended study, researchers did point out that previous studies suggest that occupational therapy can benefit individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. It is, however, unclear if outcomes change based on whether occupational specialists or nonspecialists provide the therapy. The researchers expressed that “studies employing methodologically robust trial designs are needed to establish whether or not there are better outcomes for [individuals] with a diagnosis of schizophrenia with occupational therapy that is delivered by trained occupational therapists.”

Disclosures: one author declared affiliation with Cochrane Airways Group and the Cochrane Developmental and Cognitive Improvement Group. See original article for a full list of disclosures.

Reference

Morris K, Reid G, Spencer S. Occupational therapy delivered by specialists versus nonspecialists for people with schizophrenia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;10:1-26.