Assessements

Question 1

Assessment or Evaluation?

Answer 1

ASSESSMENT
•Tools or instruments

• Used as part of evaluation process
• Measurements of aspects of occupational performance

EVALUATION
•Conclusions based on assessments, interviews, clinical reasoning

• Collaborative process
• Obtaining and interpreting data

Question 2

Why use assessments in OT?

Answer 2

• Measurement / describe an attribute
• Predict function / understand link between client factors and occupation
• Guide therapy process
• Evaluate outcomes of therapy
• Consider the person, the environment, and the occupation
• OTPF as a guide for evaluation – measure performance skills, contexts

Question 3

Why is Assessment Important?

Answer 3

• Guides establishment of treatment goals and interventions
• Determines effectiveness of selected interventions
• Influences clinical reasoning and actions
• Lends credibility to observations
• Supports clinical observations

Question 4

Levels of Assessment

Answer 4

•Primary Strategies
◦Screening levels
◦Example:  ROM screening
•Secondary Strategies
◦Describe or diagnose
◦Example:  Purdue Pegboard
•Tertiary Strategies
◦Highly specialized, specific measurement
◦Example:  BMAT

Question 5

Types of Assessment

Answer 5

•Non-Standardized / Informal
◦Tools designed for specific purpose or setting
◦Not generalizable
◦Example: discharge checklist

•Non-Standardized / Formal
◦Specific guidelines
◦May not be reliable and valid
◦Example: goniometry for ROM

•Standardized
◦Quantifiable, reliable, valid
◦Normative data
◦Example: Purdue Pegboard

•Descriptive
◦Describe characteristics of individual within a group

•Evaluative
◦Measure individual’s attribute over time

•Predictive
◦Use specific criteria to make prediction about performance

Question 6

Considerations of Assessments

Answer 6

• Clinical Utility
• Test Construction
• Cost, availability
• Ease of use
• Psychometric properties
• Is it culturally fair and appropriate?

Question 7

Critiquing Standardized Assessments: Reliability

Answer 7

• Is the assessment tool consistent and repeatable?
• Test-retest reliability
• Inter-rater reliability
• Intra-rater reliability
• Internal consistency

Question 8

Critiquing Standardized Assessments: Validity

Answer 8

• Does the assessment measure what it claims to measure?
• Face validity
• Content validity
• Construct validity
• Criterion validity

Question 9

Foundational Skills of Assessment

Answer 9

• Observation
• Measurement
• Recording
• Evaluating Results

Question 10

Observation

Answer 10

• Use professional knowledge and expertise
• What did you see (content)?
• How does the context influence behavior?
• What does this mean?
• Subjective in nature – consider the therapist as a “filter”

Question 11

Measurement

Answer 11

•Calculate or judge the characteristic
•Importance of accuracy
•Consider
◦The purpose of gathering information
◦The context of measurement
◦The specific methods to be used

Question 12

Recording

Answer 12

•Documentation
◦Tests administered and the results
◦References to other pertinent reports and information
◦Summary and analysis of findings
◦Projected functional outcomes
◦How will records be kept / stored?

Question 13

Evaluating Results

Answer 13

• Evaluation of the outcome of therapy interventions focuses on occupational performance
• Compare results with baseline data
• Compare and contrast findings with theory
• Compare performance to normative data if available
• Use data gathered by other methods and other disciplines