Chiang-Soon Song

Objectives: This review aimed to comprehensively synthesise evidence on the therapeutic efficacy of driving rehabilitation for patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) and identify and analyse key predictors of successful return‐to‐driving. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using four databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and ProQuest. Eleven studies (four randomised controlled trials and seven cross‐sectional studies) were included in the final analysis. Reporting completeness and methodological quality were assessed using PRISMA checklists. A random‐effects model was used to calculate the standardised mean differences (SMDs) and odds ratios (ORs). Main Findings: A qualitative analysis of cross‐sectional studies identified cognitive processing speed, reaction time and functional independence as frequently reported predictors of returning to driving, with a pooled meta‐analysis further highlighting lower initial injury severity (higher GCS scores) as a significant predictor of returning to driving. The meta‐analysis revealed that simulator‐ and VR‐based training significantly reduced driving errors (SMD = −1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −1.75 to −0.64; p < 0.0001). The intervention significantly increased the likelihood of passing the on‐road driving test by approximately 3.37 times (OR = 3.37, 95% CI: 1.36–8.35). Conclusion: The results of this review suggest that simulator‐based interventions may positively impact driving performance and current cognitive and functional activities, as well as psychological self‐efficacy, and facilitat a successful return to driving in patients with ABI. These findings provide a baseline for developing clinical guidelines for the safe resumption of driving.

BACKGROUND: Electrical stimulation techniques are widely utilized for rehabilitation management in individuals with stroke patients. OBJECTIVES: This review aims to summarize the rehabilitative effects of electrical stimulation therapy on gait performance in stroke patients. METHODS: This review included randomized controlled trials (RCT) investigating the therapeutic effects of electrical stimulation in stroke patients throughout five databases. This review qualitatively synthesized 20 studies and quantitatively analyzed 11 RCTs. RESULTS: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) was the most commonly used electrical stimulation type to improve postural stability and gait performance in stroke patients. The clinical measurement tools commonly used in the three studies to assess the therapeutic effects of FES were Berg balance scale (BBS), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), 6-minute walk test (6mWT), and gait velocity. The BBS score and gait velocity had positive effects in the FES group compared with the control group, but the 10MWT and 6mWT showed the same effects between the two groups. The heterogeneity of BBS scores was also high. CONCLUSION: The results of this review suggest that electrical stimulation shows little evidence of postural stability and gait performance in stroke patients, although some electrical stimulations showed positive effects on postural stability and gait performance.

Purposes: This study aimed to examine the discriminatory impacts of two major impairment factors—job presenteeism and attention presenteeism (JP and AP)—in presenteeism on burnout and to verify the multiple mediating effects of organizational and supervisory support in their causal relationship to provide theoretical and practical implications for alleviating burnout among rehabilitation medical workers (RMWs). Methods: Participants were convenience sampled from 23 hospitals and rehabilitation medical institutions in Korea, and 494 datasets were analyzed using the R packages R-studio, Jamovi, and JASP. Results: The significant effects of JP and AP on burnout were investigated; AP (0.609) had a much higher effect than JP (0.170) on burnout among RMWs. Moreover, the multiple mediating effects of organizational support and supervisory support were verified in the JP–AP relationship and burnout among RMWs. Additionally, the absolute effect on burnout was more from AP than JP, and organizational support had a far more significant effect than supervisory support in the process of affecting burnout. Conclusions: The present study contributes to the literature on burnout by examining the relationships between presenteeism and burnout and by extending the current understanding of burnout and presenteeism to RMWs. And it is practically important to understand that the effect of AP was greater than that of JP between the two key sub-factors of presenteeism affecting burnout among RMWs, and Korean RMWs are more affected by support from the organization system than by personal support from their boss. Related theoretical and practical implications are further elaborated.

This study aimed to comprehensively summarize assistive technology devices for postural control and gait performance in stroke patients. In the study, we searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until 31 December 2022 in four electrical databases. The most frequently applied assistive technology devices involving postural stability and gait function for stroke patients were robot-assistive technology devices. Out of 1065 initially retrieved citations that met the inclusion criteria, 30 RCTs (12 studies for subacute patients and 18 studies for chronic patients) were included in this review based on eligibility criteria. The meta-analysis included ten RCTs (five studies for subacute patients and five for chronic patients) based on the inclusion criteria of the data analysis. After analyzing, the variables, only two parameters, the Berg balance scale (BBS) and the functional ambulation category (FAC), which had relevant data from at least three studies measuring postural control and gait function, were selected for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed significant differences in the experimental group compared to the control group for BBS in both subacute and chronic stroke patients and for the FAC in chronic stroke patients. Robot-assistive training was found to be superior to regular therapy in improving postural stability for subacute and chronic stroke patients but not gait function. This review suggests that robot-assistive technology devices should be considered in rehabilitative approaches for postural stability and gait function for subacute and chronic stroke patients.

Driving enables stroke survivors to freely participate in social integration. The purpose of this review was to summarize the evidence for the therapeutic effects of driving rehabilitation for patients when they return to driving after stroke and evaluate the predictors of returning to driving to identify the factors impacting their driving rehabilitation. This study employed a systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed and four other databases were searched until 31 December 2022. Our review included randomized controlled trials (RCT) and non-RCTs that investigated driving rehabilitation for stroke and observational studies. A total of 16 studies (two non-RCT and 14 non-RCT) were reviewed; two RCTs investigated the effect of driving rehabilitation with a simulator system, and eight and six non-RCTS evaluated the predictive factors of driving return post-stroke and compared the effects of driving rehabilitation for stroke, respectively. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and having paid employment were significant predictors of resuming driving after stroke. The results suggest that NIHSS, MMSE, and paid employment are predictors of returning to driving post-stroke. Future research should investigate the effect of driving rehabilitation on the resumption of driving in patients with stroke.

(1) Background: Continuous participation in a comprehensive dementia prevention program is important for community-dwelling older adults during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as limitations on their communities and social participation have increased and participation in daily tasks has decreased. These factors can negatively affect their cognitive function and symptoms of depression. This study aimed to introduce an evidence-based online dementia prevention program in the South Korean context and to identify its effect on cognitive function and symptoms of depression in community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: One hundred and one community-dwelling older adults without dementia participated in twelve sessions of an online dementia prevention program designed by occupational therapists. Cognitive function and symptoms of depression were assessed before and after the program. Cognitive function was tested using the Cognitive Impairment Screening Test and symptoms of depression were assessed using the Korean version of the Short Geriatric Depression Scale. The participants’ opinions were gathered using open-ended questions. (3) Results: After the program, according to the raw score, orientation was maintained and attention, visuospatial function, executive function, memory, and language function increased. The memory and total cognitive score was improved significantly. Symptoms of depression significantly decreased. The program’s benefits according to the participants were participation in new activities, boredom reduction, online communication, and reminiscence. (4) Conclusions: An online dementia prevention program is effective in maintaining and increasing cognitive function and preventing depression in community-dwelling older adults. An online dementia prevention program is a useful method in providing opportunities to participate in cognitive training and continuous daily activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hand plays a crucial role in our daily lives and affects the quality of life. Sensory stimuli can affect the activation of the autonomic nervous system to control body homeostasis and finger motions. This study aimed to determine the optimal thermal and auditory stimuli that affect hand dexterity. The experiment included thirty healthy adults. In the experiment, the thermal stimuli were classified into 20, 30, and 40 °C. The auditory stimuli were classified into fast- and slow-tempo music. Each stimulus was randomly provided for 5 min and hand dexterity was tested with the Groove and Purdue pegboard tests. After each stimulus and test was conducted, a resting time of 20 min was provided before the next stimulus. When the thermal stimulus of 30 °C and auditory stimulus of fast-tempo music was provided, the completion duration of the hand dexterity test was the shortest. Except the thermal stimulus of 20 °C, all thermal and auditory stimuli induced increased hand dexterity, compared to the non-stimulated condition. Among the five categories of thermal and auditory stimuli, the thermal stimulus of 30 °C and auditory stimulus of fast-tempo music were the most effective in improving hand dexterity.

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to compare the validity and reliability of the two Korean versions of the MoCA for individuals aged ≥65 years. Methods. A total of 185 participants aged ≥65 years were included in this cross-sectional study. This study investigated the reliability of the two Korean versions of the MoCA (the MoCA-K and MoCA-K2) by having each participant complete both assessments twice and comparing them to their Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE-K) scores. The participants either completed the tests in order A (MoCA-K2 before MoCA-K) then B (MoCA-K before MoCA-K2) or vice versa. The tests were then completed in the opposite order. This study conducted all experiments at 3-day intervals. Results. Of the 185 total participants analyzed, 95 indicated cognitive impairment, while 90 had normal in MoCA-K scores; 50 demonstrated cognitive impairment, while 135 had normal in MMSE-K scores; and 101 and 84 participants showed cognitive impairment and normal in MoCA-K2 scores, respectively. Cronbach’s values were 0.929 for the MoCA-K, 0.774 for the MMSE-K, and 0.919 for the MoCA-K2. The mean scores were 22.37, 25.29, and 21.96 points for the MoCA-K, MMSE-K, and MoCA-K2, respectively. The sensitivity and the specificity of the MoCA-K were 77.0% and 78.0%, respectively, while those of the MoCA-K2 were 68.9% and 80.0%, respectively. Conclusions. These results suggest that both the MoCA-K and MoCA-K2 are suitable and reliable evaluation tools for MCI screening; however, the MoCA-K had better overall sensitivity and specificity.