A Systematic Review on Clinimetric Properties of Play Instruments for Occupational Therapy Practice

Abstract

Play is considered the main occupation for children. Pediatric occupational therapists utilize play either for evaluation or intervention purpose. However, play is not properly measured by occupational therapists, and the use of play instrument is limited. This systematic review was aimed at identifying play instruments relevant to occupational therapy practice and its clinimetric properties. A systematic search was conducted on six databases (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection, Scopus, and ASEAN Citation Index) in January 2020. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using Law and MacDermid’s Appraisal for Clinical Measurement Research Reports, and psychometric properties of play instruments were evaluated using Terwee’s checklist while the clinical utility is extracted from each instrument. Initial search identifies 1,098 articles, and only 30 articles were included in the final analysis, extracting 8 play instruments. These instruments were predominantly practiced in the Western culture, which consists of several psychometric evidences. The Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale is considered the most extensive and comprehensive play instrument for extrinsic aspect, whereas the Test of Playfulness + Test of Environmental Supportiveness Unifying Measure is a promising play instrument for intrinsic aspect on play, where both instruments utilize observation. My Child’s Play is a potential questionnaire-based play instrument. However, the current development of play instruments in the occupational therapy field is immature and constantly evolving, and occupational therapists should exercise good clinical reasoning when selecting a play instrument to use in practice.

Play in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Psychometric Properties of a Parent Report Measure ‘My Child’s Play’

“…Play is of great importance and very significant in childhood, the assessment of which has been hampered by the complexity for defining the concept and because it is a behavior that is difficult to standardize and quantify. For professionals and those interested in assessment, the lack of time and resources and having only clinical environments where the behavior during play is different from that manifested in the family environment means that many professionals do not use the existing standardized tools [ 32 , 33 ]. These problems can be addressed with questionnaires such as My Child’s Play.…”

Systematic review of feedback literacy instruments for health professions students

“…Like other systematic reviews, this study was subject to publication bias [ [61] , [62] , [63] ] and language bias [ 62 , 64 ]. This review was limited to examining the utility, constructs, and psychometric properties of instruments, without discussing the advantages, disadvantages, or the effectiveness of them.…”

Corrigendum to “A Systematic Review on Clinimetric Properties of Play Instruments for Occupational Therapy Practice”

“…In the article titled "A Systematic Review on Clinimetric Properties of Play Instruments for Occupational Therapy Practice" [1], the authors wish to correct the following sentence in the discussion section of the article:…”