Assessment Tools Used by Occupational Therapists with Head Injured Patients in a Rehabilitation Setting

This article describes the assessment tools that are used by occupational therapists working with head injured patients in a rehabilitation setting. The study method used was a postal questionnaire sent to all head injury rehabilitation units in the United Kingdom, inviting occupational therapists working there to respond.

The results indicated that both standardised and non-standardised methods of assessment were used with this patient group, and a comprehensive list of all those used is now available. Standardised methods tended to assess component skills (such as memory), whereas non-standardised methods were generally used to assess functional skills (such as getting dressed). The occupational therapists felt that the objectivity of standardised tests gave them more credibility in the eyes of other professionals. However, non-standardised methods were more frequently used because the occupational therapists stressed the importance of the assessment of functional tasks, both in hospital and at home, within their professional role. They were clear that assessment of component skills did not necessarily indicate how patients performed in daily living activities.

The relationship between choice of assessment method and length of experience of the therapist was also examined. A statistically significant correlation (p<0.05) was found between the longer a therapist had worked in the field of head injury and his or her likelihood to assess work skills using non-standardised methods. However, from the findings, it became evident that clinical reasoning most affected assessment choice, and this subject may be worthy of further research.