Abstract
This study explored the observations of occupational therapists regarding the early stages of left-hand writing improvement in patients with right hemiplegic stroke. Semi-structured interviews using interview guides were conducted with 12 occupational therapists, and the qualitative data were analyzed inductively. From 79 descriptive codes, 33 interpretive codes were generated and grouped into 12 subcategories. These were further classified into five main categories : ‘letter neatness,’ ‘tool operability, postural optimization,’ ‘practical utility of writing,’ and ‘autonomy in writing.’ These results revealed that the occupational therapists observed improvements in handwriting from a multifaceted perspective, including not only the patients' motor skills but also psychological and behavioral aspects. The findings of this study capture the contents of occupational therapists' observations regarding the process of the early improvement of left-hand writing, and the insights suggest that, in supporting left-hand writing for stroke patients with right hemiplegia — among whom it is necessary to grasp changes within a limited intervention period — these observations are potentially useful for occupational therapists to assess handwriting improvement and provide support, regardless of their years of experience.
