90 Most Influential OT Research Articles

Learn how we review the most influential occupational therapy research. And, see our 2025 list of the most influential OT-related journal articles.

How OT Potential helps you keep up with new research

Approximately 1,000 research articles containing OT are published EACH YEAR. That means roughly 5,000 articles have come out over the past five years!

As busy clinicians, we obviously don’t have time to keep up on all of the evidence. But, we do owe it to our patients to stay on top of the most influential research.

For OT Potential members, we make staying evidence-based simple, engaging, and directly applicable to your practice. Every week, we release a new podcast course featuring expert guest practitioners. Our episodes alternate between deep dives into high-impact research papers and comprehensive primers on core practice areas. Every episode synthesizes current clinical evidence into actionable takeaways—and doubles as an AOTA-approved course for CEU credit with dedicated space for community discussion.

See the process in the video below. You can also sign up for a free trial to see our platform!

How we select OT research to review

Each year, we generate a list the 90 most influential OT-related journal articles from the past 5 years.

We team up with a research librarian to make this happen.

For our 2025 list, we searched the Scopus database for articles published from 2020-2025 that had “occupational therapy” included in either the title, abstract, or keywords. (By the way, Elsevier’s Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature.) Then, we ranked the list by the number of times the articles had been cited in other journal articles.

The articles with green check marks have already been discussed in the OT Potential Club, and we will continue to work through this list throughout 2025.

The 90 most cited OT articles from the past five years

✅ = Already reviewed in the OT Potential Club and featured as CEU course on the OT Potential Podcast

1. ✅ Diagnosis and Treatment of Parkinson Disease: A Review (2020) JAMA – Journal of the American Medical Association

   • Listen to the podcast: Parkinson Disease Evidence Review with Brandy Archie

2. ✅ American College of Rheumatology/National Psoriasis Foundation Guideline for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis (2019) Arthritis and Rheumatology

   • Listen to the podcast: OT and Psoriatic Arthritis with Duana Russell-Thomas

3. Osteoarthritis: Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options (2020) Medical Clinics of North America

4. Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process-Fourth Edition (2020) American Journal of Occupational Therapy

   • Listen to the podcast: What is OT in 2025?

   • Listen to the podcast: What is OT in 2024?

5. Parkinson Disease Epidemiology, Pathology, Genetics, and Pathophysiology (2020) Clinics in Geriatric Medicine

6. ✅ State of the Evidence Traffic Lights 2019: Systematic Review of Interventions for Preventing and Treating Children with Cerebral Palsy (2020) Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports

   • Listen to the podcast: Cerebral Palsy and OT Evidence with Iona Novak

7. A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: implications for supporting psychological well-being (2021) BMC Public Health

8. Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Coronavirus Infection in Health Care Workers; A Living Rapid Review (2020) Annals of Internal Medicine

9. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2023 Report: GOLD Executive Summary (2023) European Respiratory Journal

10. Schizophrenia (2022) The Lancet

11. Clinical Best Practice Advice for Hepatology and Liver Transplant Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: AASLD Expert Panel Consensus Statement (2020) Hepatology 

12. Depression in young people (2022) The Lancet 

13. Recommendations for prioritization, treatment, and triage of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. the COVID-19 pandemic breast cancer consortium (2020) Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 

14. American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline: Developing a Diabetes Mellitus Comprehensive Care Plan—2022 Update (2022) Endocrine Practice

15. Considering the potential for an increase in chronic pain after the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Pain

16. Cerebral palsy in children: A clinical overview (2020) Translational Pediatrics

17. Considerations for postacute rehabilitation for survivors of COVID-19 (2020) JMIR Public Health and Surveillance

18. Osteoarthritis year in review 2021: epidemiology & therapy (2022) Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

19. Rhinitis 2020: A practice parameter update (2020) Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

20. Feasibility and clinical impact of out-of-ICU noninvasive respiratory support in patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia (2020) European Respiratory Journal

21. Cerebral palsy: An overview (2020) American Family Physician 

22. Metrics of sleep apnea severity: Beyond the apnea-hypopnea index (2021) Sleep

23. Outpatient Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy Synchronous Telemedicine; A Survey Study of Patient Satisfaction with Virtual Visits during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020) American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

24. Exercise and lifestyle physical activity recommendations for people with multiple sclerosis throughout the disease course (2020) Multiple Sclerosis Journal

25. Mitigating ethnic disparities in covid-19 and beyond (2021) The BMJ 

26. Coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy: early lessons (2020) American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology MFM

27. Secondary Fracture Prevention: Consensus Clinical Recommendations from a Multistakeholder Coalition (2020) Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

28. One year in review 2020: Pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (2020) Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology

29. Professional identity: A concept analysis (2020) Nursing Forum

30. Pediatric Teleheath: Opportunities Created by the COVID-19 and Suggestions to Sustain Its Use to Support Families of Children with Disabilities (2021) Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics

31. Management of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in ICU: statement from front-line intensive care experts in Wuhan, China (2020) Annals of Intensive Care

32. Is Motor Impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder Distinct from Developmental Coordination Disorder A Report from the SPARK Study (2020) Physical Therapy

33. Benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation in covid-19 – a prospective observational cohort study (2021) ERJ Open Research

34. Sepsis-associated encephalopathy: From delirium to dementia? (2020) Journal of Clinical Medicine

35. Nutrition Therapy in Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (2020) Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

36. ✅ Estimation and Comparison of Current and Future Racial/Ethnic Representation in the US Health Care Workforce (2021) JAMA Network Open

    • Listen to the Podcast: Diversity in OT with Arameh Anvarizadeh

37. Borderline personality disorder (2021) The Lancet

38. 2019 EACTS/EACTA/EBCP guidelines on cardiopulmonary bypass in adult cardiac surgery (2020) European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery

39. ✅Diagnosis and management of functional neurological disorder (2022) The BMJ

    • Listen to the podcast: OT and Functional Neurological Disorder

40. Psychological interventions to foster resilience in healthcare professionals (2020) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

41. The effect of mindfulness training on burnout syndrome in nursing: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) Journal of Advanced Nursing

42. Co-production: A resource to guide co-producing research in the sport, exercise, and health sciences (2023) Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health

43. The Association between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Parkinson’s Disease (2020) Journal of Parkinson’s Disease

44. Post–COVID-19 Syndrome (Long Haul Syndrome): Description of a Multidisciplinary Clinic at Mayo Clinic and Characteristics of the Initial Patient Cohort (2021) Mayo Clinic Proceedings

45. Assessment tools to evaluate activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in older adults: A systematic review (2020) Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran

46. Clinical application of virtual reality for upper limb motor rehabilitation in stroke: Review of technologies and clinical evidence (2020) Journal of Clinical Medicine

47. Addressing the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a multidisciplinary model of care (2021) The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

48. Emerging health challenges for children with physical disabilities and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The ECHO French survey (2021) Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

49. Review treatment options for motor and non‐motor symptoms of parkinson’s disease (2021) Biomolecules

50. Assessment of Emergency Department and Inpatient Use and Costs in Adult and Pediatric Functional Neurological Disorders (2021) JAMA Neurology

51. Neurological and cognitive sequelae of Covid-19: a four month follow-up (2021) Journal of Neurology

52. The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Diagnostic Criteria for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (2023). Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

53. Rehabilitation after COVID-19: An evidence-based approach (2020). Clinical Medicine, Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London 

54. Bladder cancer (2023). Nature Reviews Disease Primers

55. Explicit and implicit disability attitudes of healthcare providers (2020). Rehabilitation Psychology

56. Social Isolation – The Other COVID-19 Threat in Nursing Homes (2020). JAMA – Journal of the American Medical Association

57. Osteoarthritis year in review (2020): epidemiology & therapy (2021) Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

58. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review (2021) Pain and Therapy

59. Systematic rapid “living” review on rehabilitation needs due to COVID-19: Update to March 31st (2020) European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

60. Primary drivers and psychological manifestations of stress in frontline healthcare workforce during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in the United States (2021) General Hospital Psychiatry

61. Developing and testing a measure of COVID-19 organizational support of healthcare workers – results from Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia (2020) Psychiatry Research

62. Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease: A Nutritional Toxicology Perspective of the Impact of Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Nutrigenomics and Environmental Chemicals (2020) Journal of the American College of Nutrition

63. Clinical Neurorestorative Therapeutic Guidelines for Spinal Cord Injury (IANR/CANR version 2019) (2020) Journal of Orthopaedic Translation

64. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (2020) Nature Reviews Disease Primers

65. ✅ Occupational therapy consensus recommendations for functional neurological disorder (2020) Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

    • Listen to the podcast: OT and Functional Neurological Disorder

66. A comprehensive meta-review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on nonpharmacological interventions for informal dementia caregivers (2020) BMC Geriatrics

67. Breast cancer in adolescent and young adult women under the age of 40 years (2021) JCO Oncology Practice

68. A practical review of functional neurological disorder (FND) for the general physician (2021) Clinical Medicine, Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London

69. Decade of progress in motor functional neurological disorder: Continuing the momentum (2021) Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

70. ✅ Motor learning in neurological rehabilitation (2021) Disability and rehabilitation

    • Listen to the podcast: Motor Learning in Neuro Rehab with Katie Riccio

71. Association of Geriatric Comanagement and 90-Day Postoperative Mortality among Patients Aged 75 Years and Older with Cancer (2020) JAMA Network Open

72. Management of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (2020). Frontiers in Endocrinology

73. ✅ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Practical Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines, 5th Edition (2022) Pain Medicine (United States)

    • Listen to the Podcast: OT and CRPS with Megan Doyle

74. Effect of early mobilisation on long-term cognitive impairment in critical illness in the USA: a randomised controlled trial (2023) The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

75. Effect of delaying treatment of first-episode psychosis on symptoms and social outcomes: a longitudinal analysis and modelling study (2020) The Lancet Psychiatry

76. The Impact of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Therapy Service Delivery for Children with Disabilities (2021) Journal of Pediatrics

77. Responding to the hidden pandemic for healthcare workers: stress (2020) Nature Medicine

78. Occupational therapy in the promotion of health and well-being (2020) American Journal of Occupational Therapy

79. Toward a theory-based specification of non-pharmacological treatments in aging and dementia: Focused reviews and methodological recommendations (2021) Alzheimer’s and Dementia

80. Optimal Terminology for Services in the United States That Incorporate Horses to Benefit People: A Consensus Document (2021) Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

81. Nonpharmacological Interventions to Improve Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life (QoL) in People With Dementia: An Overview of Systematic Reviews (2020) Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology

82. Guidance for identification and treatment of individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder based upon expert consensus (2020) BMC

83. Medicine Management of functional communication, swallowing, cough and related disorders: Consensus recommendations for speech and language therapy (2021) Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

84. Interventions to improve return to work in depressed people (2020) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

85. Universal and selective interventions to promote good mental health in young people: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) European Neuropsychopharmacology

86. Recovery from Severe COVID-19: Leveraging the Lessons of Survival from Sepsis (2020) JAMA – Journal of the American Medical Association

87. Stroke self-management and the role of self-efficacy (2021) Disability and Rehabilitation

88. Telerehabilitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Outpatient Rehabilitation Settings: A Descriptive Study (2021) Physical Therapy

89. What is the threshold dose of upper limb training for children with cerebral palsy to improve function? A systematic review (2020) Australian Occupational Therapy Journal

90. Interventions Associated with Reduced Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2022) JAMA Network Open

Need help accessing these articles?

As you can see, each of the articles in our list is hyperlinked for your convenience—and I’m always surprised by how many research articles are free! However, if you find one that is not free, you can also see if it’s available via your AOTA membership in AJOT or via ProQuest with your NBCOT membership.

All that being said, some articles you may simply have to purchase.

Resources derived from our OT research list

As we spend time exploring this research, we’ll continue to systematically pull information that is helpful for OTs. Check out these other blog posts, which incorporate information we find in our research:

• Helpful List of OT Journals

• List of OT Assessments

• OT Documentation

Conclusion

We hope this list fills you with excitement for occupational therapy—and the research that is driving it. And, we hope you consider joining us in our favorite corner of the internet…the OT Potential Membership.😀