Measurement in Occupational Therapy: Scientific Criteria for Evaluation

Law, Mary

doi:10.1177/000841748705400308

Cited by 129 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…Assessment has to take place for this to be possible. Standardised assessment provides quantitative information, useful for tracking the client's progress and demonstrating the outcome of therapy 1 . However, research studies have shown that standardised assessments are often not used routinely in practice.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occupational therapy hand assessment practices: Cause for concern?

Klerk

Buchanan

Pretorius

2015

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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Introduction: Assessment is critical for measuring improvement, or lack thereof, and demonstrating the outcome of intervention. In response to the lack of research in this area, this study aimed to determine the assessment practices of occupational therapists working with clients with hand conditions. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional survey design was used. A convenience sample of occupational therapists was recruited from five provinces. Respondents completed a questionnaire developed for the study that comprised demographic information, assessments used, frequency of use and factors influencing assessment choice. Data were analysed with Statistica version 11. Results: Eighty-one respondents (n=114) completed questionnaires representing a 71% response rate. Goniometry (84.0%), manual muscle testing (76.5%) and testing for flexor tendon function (76.3%) were used most frequently. The most common reasons for not using assessments were lack of availability and unfamiliarity. Conclusion: It is of concern that the assessment practices of participants in this study focussed primarily on the assessment of body function and structure with few therapists using activity and participation measures. This could seriously limit the evidence needed to verify the outcomes achieved through occupational therapy intervention in the treatment of hand conditions.evidence of the interventions provided 5 . If therapists do not assess, they will not be able to produce evidence of the effects of the interventions offered which poses a threat to funding of services. This claim is supported in the Western Cape Department of Health Healthcare 2030 plan 6 that states that there will be an increased move towards outcome based intervention with priority being given to interventions aimed at desirable outcomes. At the time of conducting this study, no research to determine the assessment practices of occupational therapists working with hand conditions within South Africa had been published. Assessment practices are understood to encompass the type of assessment used, the frequency of use and the reasons for non-use within a particular area of practice. This study therefore set out to provide an updated account of these practices by South African occupational therapists working with clients with hand conditions. LITERATURE REVIEWA client-centred approach should be applied in assessment to obtain a "careful understanding" of the individual before starting occupational therapy intervention 7:253 . This type of approach is more likely to ensure that the client is engaged in the occupational therapy process which will encourage greater client cooperation 8 . In a client-centred approach, the client and therapist work together to establish the occupational performance problems and to set goals for the required intervention. Assessment has to take place for this to be possible. Standardised assessment provides quantitative information, useful for tracking the client's progress and demonstrating the outcome of therapy 44United Kingdom the au...

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assessment is an integral part of the occupational therapy process and a necessity for evidence based practice 1 . Without appropriate measurement, therapists cannot provide evidence for interventions offered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational therapy hand assessment practices: Cause for concern?

Klerk

Buchanan

Pretorius

2015

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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“…13,19 The goniometer, KT- measure. 15 However, differences in outcome measurement time frames and interpretation did not allow for a meta-analysis of the outcome data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of early quadriceps exercises after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Pumell¹

2008

S. Afr. j. sports med.

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Objective. To systematically review the published information regarding the effectiveness and safety of early postoperative quadriceps muscle exercise training on pain, joint laxity, function and range of motion in postoperative anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction adult patients. Data sources.Five databases (CINAHL, PEDro, Pubmed, Science Direct and the Cochrane Library) were searched for studies published from January 1990 to May 2007. Study selection.Publications describing research into the effectiveness of early quadriceps exercises after ACL reconstruction were included. A total of three eligible articles met the inclusion criteria. Data extraction.A review of the three eligible studies was undertaken to describe the key study components. The PEDro Scale was used to determine the methodological quality of the selected trials and the level of evidence of all the eligible studies was categorised according to the evidence hierarchy by Lloyd-Smith. 24 Relevant data were extracted by the two reviewer groups to reduce bias.Data synthesis. Due to study heterogeneity a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Effect sizes were calculated provided that sufficient data were provided. Outcome measures included range of motion (ROM), functional performance, pain CORRESPONDENCE:Quinette Division of Physiotherapy, Stellenbosch University, South Africa and knee laxity. The methodological quality of the studies did not vary considerably across the studies and the average PEDro score was 66%. Marginal significant differences were noted in knee ROM at 1 month postoperatively, pain day 1 postoperatively, knee laxity and subjective evaluation of function at 6 months postoperatively. Conclusion.Early quadriceps exercises can be performed safely in the first 2 postoperative weeks, but clinically significant gains in ROM, function, pain and knee laxity were not evident. Further research should include standardised interventions, measurement time frames and outcome measurement tools to allow for a meta-analysis to be conducted. research has been published on rehabilitation protocols after ACL reconstruction. 34 Published research in the 1980s focused on the effectiveness of electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscle in the acute postoperative stage to decrease the effect of muscle atrophy and weakness. 28 More recently, the focus of published research has been on accelerated versus non-accelerated rehabilitation programmes, as well as open-kinematic chain versus closed-kinematic chain exercises in early rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction. 5,9 Anecdotally, it is proposed that accelerated rehabilitation programmes that allow early range of motion (ROM), immediate weight-bearing and early return to previous functional level should be advocated as best practice. However, these recommendations for best practice are often based on clinical opinion and not on research evidence. 9 Clinical decision-making regarding the most appropriate exercises should be based on research evidence. 9Appropriate neuromuscular fu...

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“…Intraclass correlation coefficients (Shrout & Fleiss, 1979) were used to analyse the continuous variables in the CIQ and SF-36. An ICC coefficient of 0.65 or higher is considered reasonable (Law, 1987). Statistical significance was not calculated for the ICC or kappa coefficients as sample size influences it so greatly.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%