Outcome Measures in Occupational Therapy

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Suthichai, J., Isweri, P., & Shah E. (1991). The abbreviated mental test: Its use and validity. Age and Ageing, 20(5) 332-336. The paper outlines the AMT and proposes that it is capable of differentiating normal from cognitively impaired patients. Statistical data is analysed and explanations provided.

Recommended as a user friendly text for those not familiar with statistics.

This is an early article that provides information about the development of the COPM.

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.

Measure outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of occupational therapy during OT Week. It says: If you are considering an influencing activity for OT Week, such as meeting with your MP, commissioner or stakeholders, are you able to: ■demonstrate that your occupational therapy input is effective? ■show how your intervention makes a difference to people's lives? ■illustrate how you are meeting the goals of those referred to you? ■aggregate data across your service to demonstrate collective effectiveness? ■relate your outcomes to any relevant national outcome frameworks? (e.g. Transparency in Outcomes: A Framework for the NHS Principles, Department Health. NHS Scotland Performance Targets 2011/12, NHS Wales Annual Quality Framework) ■present your outcomes in an easy to understand format? The resources on this page will help you answer 'yes' to the above questions.

Another set of slides that provides an overview of the value of outcome measures. Conclusion is that there is no single must use outcome measure - recommends using more than one.

Contains information about FIM and more general presentations and publications.

Functional disability questionnaires/outcome measures

Revised Barthel

The Stroke Rehabilitation Evidence-Based Review (SREBR) is a landmark achievement in consolidating the best-available scientific evidence for the effectiveness of stroke rehabilitation. ....we have selected for review only some of the more commonly used measures in stroke rehabilitation. We do not intend this to be a comprehensive compendium of stroke outcome measures.

This compendium is primarily designed for clinicians engaged in service delivery and development, who wish to gauge clinical effectiveness and recovery, in a balanced, culturally appropriate, ethical and respectful manner. It is designed for clinicians who perhaps are not expert in the area of outcome measurement, and who wish to be guided about the scope of instruments, and find out which instruments might be appropriate for particular forms of outcome measurement. The compendium is also aimed at service users who might want to learn about different measures, and their properties, advantages and disadvantages

The Perceive: Recall: Plan and Perform System (PRPP) is a process-oriented, criterion referenced assessment that employs task analysis methods to determine problems with cognitive information processing component function during routine, task or subtask performance. The PRPP System is for use with adults and children who have difficulty performing daily or episodic tasks. It is suitable for adults and children of either sex and from any cultural background. The time taken to administer the PRPP System varies with the severity of information processing difficulty and the complexity of tasks assessed. A tester familiar with the PRPP System and the client can complete the assessment of one person on four or five tasks in most cases in one to two hours

This article discusses some of the unique aspects of the Dutch COPM The Dutch Canadian Occupational Perfor- mance Measure (COPM) is a valid measure of a client's self-perception of occupational performance in the areas of self-care, pro- ductivity and leisure. . The COPM provides information that can- not be obtained with current standardized instruments.

This article discusses 'divergent' and 'convergent' validity - terms I had not come across before. The study rates the COPM as being unique in taking into account the person's experience of the impact of their perceived health on their quality of life. It discusses the COPM a tool that allows recording of the difficulty at the activity level, impairment level, spiritual level and environmental level.

This article discusses and compares the use of COPM, GAS, PEGS and PACS as OM for paed practice. It has a very helpful graph which shows the use of each over the past 20 years. It discusses the positives of using each, and how they vary in their 'individual' and 'client centred' goal setting, particularly discussing WHO is setting the goals. The article makes a relevant point about the difference between individualised OM and client centred OM.

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.

As part of a national programme to provide mechanisms for quality improvement in the mental health sector, New Zealand has established the MH-Smart Programme. The programme aims to introduce the routine use of standardised assessments that, with repeated use, can reflect consumer changes, outcomes or results. This paper describes the process and rationale for assessing the suitability of measures of functioning.

The Perceive: Recall: Plan and Perform System (PRPP) is a process-oriented, criterion referenced assessment that employs task analysis methods to determine problems with cognitive information processing component function during routine, task or subtask performance. The PRPP System is for use with adults and children who have difficulty performing daily or episodic tasks.

This article is helpful for relating ICF to OT and the use of ICF when looking at outcomes. "The application of ICF has proved to be helpful to occupational therapists in identifying age-appropriate roles and reflects the person's independence and well-being (44,96). ICF facilitates increased precision in recording and monitoring different health condi- tions (72,97-99), e.g. the field of rehabilitation coun- selling, vocational assessment, and job placement (100,101). It is similar to many OT models in devel- oping tasks and activities for clients and recognizing the interaction between person and environment (80,92,102)."