Group items tagged

The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the psychometric properties of cognitive assessments for older adults. Assessments were categorized based on length of time to assess, less than or more than 30 minutes and body function versus activity or participation. The authors reviewed evidence to determine the strength of each assessment (validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity) and the amount of literature supporting the use of these cognitive assessments for older adults. The following assessments demonstrated the best rigor for psychometric properties for cognitive assessment with older adults: for body function(under 30 minutes): the MMSE and 3MS, for body function (over 30 minutes): the Cognistat and CASE/Pecpa, and for the activity and participation level: the AMPS.

This article discusses a new method for evaluating students' competencies and performances during clinic experiences. Due to the increasing demand for higher education and increasing clinical experiences for medical professions, more and more student are required to participate in on-site learning experiences in order to obtain their degree. Unfortunately, there is a lack of literature to support assessments to accurately determine occupational therapy students' level of learning and progress during on-site teaching scenarios. The author of this article discusses an in-depth analysis of a new assessment developed for occupational therapy on-site clinical experiences. The assessment includes a five-point scale with 42 items in six domains. These domains include communication, documentation, safety and judgment, evaluation, intervention and professional behaviors. The five points range from dependent to self-directed. Professional literature and reasoning for domain and scale development are included in the article. The author concludes by stating that further research development and psychometric development needs to be completed in order to effectively incorporate the assessment into current clinical sites. The authors encourage occupational therapy programs to use the assessment and collaborate with the authors to further contribute to these areas of development.

Self-perceptions of the everyday consequences of TBI can influence motivation for therapy and emotional adjustment to postinjury circumstances is important to meet the overall needs of patients with TBI.This article explores the Self-Perceptions in Rehab Questionnaire and found preliminary support for the SPIRQ scales' reliability and construct validity. This questionnaire will be useful with TBI patients in our practice.

The article describes the development and validation of a short form for the Brief Cognitive Assessment tool, BCAT-SF. The article compares the psychometric properties with the short form versus the original. The items represented in the short form represent cognitive domains such as contextual memory, executive functioning, and attention. As a result the BCAT-SF differentiated between mild cognitive impairment and dementia with a sensitivity of .9 and specificity of .8. It was also able to predict IADL and ADL. While the study determined subjects with a score of 16 or below are likely to have dementia it did not establish a cut off score to distinguish MCI from non impaired participants. This is the next step for the researchers in validating the BCAT-SF for a quick, 5 minute or less cognitive screen with functional measures.