Group items tagged

Healthcare systems are being reviewed in response to the changing demographics of the New Zealand population. Service evaluation is used to judge the merit of particular approaches and interventions and is essential for clinical accountability and quality healthcare programmes. Goal Attainment Scaling is an individualised evaluation methodology developed in the 1960s that has gained popularity in a variety of occupational therapy fields. This article describes Goal Attainment Scaling, presents the benefits, limitations and discusses its use as an outcome measure in a research study evaluating the impact of an outreach nurse case management service for older people. The clinical utility of Goal Attainment Scaling for occupational therapists is explored.

Jyoti Khadka, Vijaya K Gothwal, Colm McAlinden, Ecosse L Lamoureux and Konrad Pesudovs Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2012, 10:80 doi:10.1186/1477-7525-10-80 Published: 13 July 2012 Abstract (provisional) Background A critical component that influences the measurement properties of a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument is the rating scale.

This articles discusses the use of the COPM and GAS for planning, documenting and measuring progress in client-centered goals in a short term community based rehab. It discusses the effectiveness of using both tools to ensure covering broader goals (COPM) and the GAS for breaking it down into appropriate size goals to show progress.

The purpose of this paper is to review six individualized outcome measures that have been identified in the rehabilitation and psychology literature. The measures include: the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, McMaster (MAC) Toronto Arthritis, Goal Attainment Scaling, Target Complaints and the Patient Specific Functional Scale. The reliability, validity, responsiveness and clinical utility of each outcome measure was examined and critiqued. Each tool, to a varying degree, met the description of a standardized, client-centred outcome measure. Members of NZAOT can access this journal.

This article looks at the comparison of using the COPM and GAS as outcome measures and the study compared the utility of the COPM and GAS as parent gener- ated outcome measures for a paediatric programme for children with cerebral palsy. The COPM and GAS allowed families to generate individualized outcome measures that were directly relevant to the programme purpose, their concerns and priorities for their child. They were also found to be sensitive enough to measure change in the proven treatment group - that is, the COPM and GAS are sensitive enough to change where real change is present. The COPM was found to be more specific in what it measured, however as the GAS had no pre-determined activities, it was able to reach a wider range of activities, and therefore outcomes.

This article looks at the comparison between the GAS and the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Index (PEDI) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). In this study Occupational Therapists, Speech and LAnguage Therapists and Physical Therapists were asked to use the GAS as well as continuing to use established outcome measures (PEDI and GMFM). Over a 6 month period these were reviewed twice and it was found that the three assessments were complimentary in their ability to measure individual change. The GAS helped measure goals that were outside the range of the (standardised) PEDI and GMFM.