This study shows that approximately one-third of left hemisphere stroke patients has apraxia.

The goal of the present study was to examine the transfer of the effects of cognitive strategy training for stroke patients with apraxia from trained to non-trained tasks. In strategy training, the occurrence of transfer is expected as the training programme is aimed, not at relearning specific tasks, but at teaching patients new ways to handle the problems resulting from the impairment. Exploratory analyses were conducted on data previously collected in a randomised controlled trial on the efficacy of the strategy training. A total of 113 left hemisphere stroke patients were randomly assigned to a strategy training group and a group receiving occupational therapy as usual. Assessment of apraxia, motor functioning and activities of daily living (ADL) took place at baseline, after an eight-week treatment period, and five months after baseline. The primary outcome measure consisted of standardised ADL observations of trained and non-trained tasks. The analyses showed that in both treatment groups, the scores on the ADL observations for non-trained tasks improved significantly after eight weeks of training as compared with the baseline score. Change scores of non-trained activities were larger in the strategy training group as compared with the usual treatment group. By using previously collected data we are able to illustrate the potential transfer of treatment effects in a large sample of stroke patients. We found indications for the occurrence of transfer, although the study was not originally designed for the purpose of evaluating transfer. Therefore these results are worth exploring more profoundly. We will further investigate our preliminary conclusions in a new prospective study which is specifically designed to examine the transfer of training effects.

Objective: The Joint Effort Initiative was endorsed by Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) in 2018 as a collaboration between international researchers and clinicians with an interest in the implementation of osteoarthritis management programs (OAMPs). This study aimed to identify and prioritise activities for future work of the Joint Effort Initiative. Design: A survey was emailed to delegates of the 2018 OARSI World Congress attending a pre-conference workshop or with a known interest in OAMPs (n ¼ 115). Delegates were asked about the most important issues regarding OAMP implementation. The top 20 issues were synthesised into 17 action statements, and respondents were invited to participate in a priority ranking exercise to determine the order of importance of the statements. Results: Survey respondents (n ¼ 51, 44%) were most commonly female (71%), with an allied health background (57%), affiliated with universities (73%) from Oceania (37%), and Europe/UK (45%). The five highest ranked action statements were: i) Establish guidelines for the implementation of different OAMP models to ensure consistency of delivery and adherence to international best practice. ii) Develop and assess training and education programs for health care professionals (HCPs) delivering OAMPs. iii) Develop and evaluate the implementation and outcomes of novel models of OAMPs. iv) Develop and assess core skill sets and resources for HCPs delivering OA care. v) Develop a framework for enhancing the quality of care provided by OAMPs. Conclusion: Prioritising statements will bring focus to the future work of the Joint Effort Initiative in the future and provide a basis for longer-term actions.

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