Importance: There is a need for evidence-based occupational therapy interventions to enhance time management in people with time management difficulties. Objective: To pilot test the first part of the Let’s Get Organized (LGO) occupational therapy intervention in a Swedish context by exploring enhancements of time management skills, aspects of executive functioning, and satisfaction with daily occupations in people with time management difficulties because of neurodevelopmental or mental disorders. Design: One-group pretest–posttest design with 3-mo follow-up. Setting: Outpatient psychiatric and habilitation settings. Participants: Fifty-five people with confirmed or suspected mental or neurodevelopmental disorder and self-reported difficulties with time management in daily life. Intervention: Swedish version of Let’s Get Organized (LGO–S) Part 1, with structured training in the use of cognitive assistive techniques and strategies using trial-and-error learning strategies in 10 weekly group sessions of 1.5 hr. Outcomes and Measures: Time management, organization and planning, and emotional regulation were measured with the Swedish version of the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS–S). Executive functioning was measured with the Swedish version of the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity, and satisfaction with daily occupations was assessed with the Satisfaction With Daily Occupations measure. Results: Participants displayed significantly improved time management, organization and planning skills, and emotional regulation, as well as satisfaction with daily occupations. Aspects of executive functioning were partly improved. ATMS–S results were sustained at 3-mo follow-up. Conclusion and Relevance: LGO–S Part 1 is a promising intervention for improving time management skills and satisfaction with daily occupations and should be investigated further. What This Article Adds: This study shows that LGO–S Part 1 is feasible for use in psychiatric and habilitation outpatient services. The results are promising for improved time management skills, organization and planning skills, and satisfaction with daily occupations and need to be confirmed in further studies.

Persons with impaired time management skills are often in need of occupational therapy. Valid and reliable instruments to assess time management and organizational skills are needed for the evaluation of intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS-S) for persons with and without impaired time management skills. A total of 238 persons participated in the study, of whom 94 had self-reported impaired time management skills due to mental disorders such as schizophrenic spectrum or neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mild intellectual disabilities, and 144 persons had no reported impaired time management skills. Rasch analysis was used to analyze data. Three subscales were detected: the time management subscale with 11 items, the organization & planning subscale with 11 items, and the subscale of regulation of emotions with 5 items, with excellent to acceptable psychometric properties. The conclusions were that: ATMS-S is a valid instrument for self-rating of time management, organization & planning and for the regulation of emotions. ATMS-S can be useful for persons with mental disorders including mild neurodevelopmental disorders.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how Swedish occupational therapists describe their work with persons suffering from cognitive impairment following acquired brain injury. A qualitative descriptive approach was used and interviews were conducted with 12 occupational therapists working in community and county council care. Qualitative content analysis was used and revealed three main themes: (1) “To make the invisible visible”, (2) “To collaborate—a prerequisite for success”, and (3) “Dilemmas to handle”. The findings showed a complex scenario where the occupational therapists worked to make the cognitive impairments visible to themselves, the clients, and persons close to the client. Collaboration was perceived as a key factor. The dilemmas concerned different aspects in the rehabilitation process, which affected the occupational therapists’ work with the clients. Identified areas in need of improvement are prioritizations and additional education regarding both intervention methods and theory. A reluctance to use standardized assessments was expressed and research that identifies and overcomes those hindrances in clinical practice is needed. Therapeutic use of self was described as important. To understand and illuminate the occupational therapists’ comprehension of the concept further research is required.

Background: Training is crucial to develop the ability to operate a myoelectric prosthetic hand and use it in daily life. Multigrip prostheses, with their wider repertoire of functions, require further training. Because studies show that prosthesis abandonment is an issue and the advanced functions are not used to the expected extent, the question of what training should be offered to patients arises. If the available training methods were synthesized, the training could be improved to the benefit of the people who are fitted with a multigrip prosthesis. Objective: To critically examine the content of published sources for training of users with myoelectric multigrip hand prostheses. Study design: Scoping review. Methods: A literature search covering the period 2007–2020 in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, as well as gray literature from prosthesis manufacturers, identified 2,005 sources. After full-text review of 88 articles and four user manuals from manufacturers, nine sources were included and analyzed in their entirety. Results: We found few descriptions of multigrip prosthesis training, and no source described all training phases in detail. Integration of the prosthesis and training in daily activities was described least. Few sources actually described how to perform training in multigrip functions, and none described how to integrate these functions in daily life. Conclusions: Existing training instructions for using multigrip prosthetic hands are inadequate, providing poor guidance to clinicians and insufficient training for patients. Further research is needed into the efficiency of various training methods.

Primary objective: To describe Swedish occupational therapist practice patterns for clients with cognitive impairment following acquired brain injury. Research design: A cross-sectional stratified random sample of 462 occupational therapists. Methods: An online questionnaire was used to collect data. Main results: The predominant practice pattern was the use of ADL-activities for assessment and therapy regardless of whether limitations in occupational performance or cognitive function were assessed or whether the approach was remedial or compensatory. For assessment, general ADL-instruments were used more often than instruments that assessed cognitive function. Instruments were used less often within municipal rehabilitation facilities compared to regional, county and primary care facilities. The most common focus of the therapies was in regard to abilities related to executive functioning. Another prominent practice pattern was a collaborative approach involving clients, relatives and other staff. The theories used in practice were, to a large extent, general in nature and did not focus specifically on cognitive functioning. Conclusions: Swedish occupational therapy practice for clients with cognitive impairments following acquired brain injury focuses highly on occupational performance. Therapies targeting executive functioning seem particularly important in practice and a collaborative approach involving clients, relatives and other staff is a prominent feature in practice.