The effectiveness of occupational therapy in restoring the functional state of hands in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients with impaired hand function. Standardized Functional Independence Measure was employed in order to evaluate the functional status of the patients and impaired activities. A dynamometer was used for the measurements of muscular strength of hands and a goniometer, for the range of motion of the wrist. Totally, we have examined 120 rheumatoid arthritis patients. They were divided into two groups: 60 patients in each. Occupational therapy was applied only to the patients of the first group. The mean age of Group 1 patients was 53.4+/-1.8 years, the mean age of Group 2 patients was 52.0+/-1.9 years. The mean duration of the disease was 11.5+/-2.6 years and 12.1+/-2.4 years, respectively. The effectiveness of therapy was considered ineffective if, after the completion of the course of occupational therapy, no increase in Functional Independence Measure score for patients with rheumatoid arthritis was observed. When the score increased from 1 to 3, we considered this as moderate effectiveness; when the score increased to 4-6, we evaluated the effectiveness of occupational therapy as good, and when the score of 7 was attained, effectiveness of occupational therapy was considered as very good. In Group 1, the moderate effectiveness of occupational therapy was determined in 31.7% of patients; good effectiveness, in 61.7%; and very good effectiveness, in 3.3% of rheumatoid arthritis patients. In Group 2, the moderate effectiveness of treatment was determined in 48.3% of patients and good effectiveness, in 5% of rheumatoid arthritis patients. CONCLUSIONS. Hand function (the strength of fingers and hands, the range of motion of the wrist) significantly improved in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after completion of a course of occupational therapy (p<0.05). The improvement of hand functions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis led to increased ability to take food and drink, to wash themselves, to put the clothes on the upper and lower parts of the body and take them off, to use the toilet, a bathtub or a shower, to walk, to manage a wheelchair, and to do personal hygiene (p<0.05).