Occupational Therapy: A Case Study

Assessment is an essential part of the occupational therapy process. It facilitates the therapist’s choice of intervention with a client, provides the setting of a baseline and allows measurement of progress. When used as an outcome measure it permits evaluation of the effectiveness of an intervention. Indeed, whilst Hagedorn (2000) observes, an experienced therapist may find formal assessment simply verifies information gained from informal conversation, observation and good clinical knowledge, she also acknowledges that “assessment remains the foundation of the occupational therapy process” (p.141).
There are a wide range of assessment tools and outcome measures available. When choosing one, a therapist has to use their clinical reasoning
When delivered correctly in a client centred way the COPM requires an investment of time. Although, it could be argued that if a clear understanding of the client’s needs are established at the beginning, it will be easier to set goals and to have a clear idea of the direction therapy will follow. In identifying priorities reassessment can focus on relevant problem areas (Pollock et al., 2006, cited in Sumsion,
and Tandon, R. (2004). Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders. Focus, 2 (1), pp. 17-30.
Law, M., Baptiste, S., Carswell, A., McColl, M.A., Polatajko, H. and Pollock, N. (2005). Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. 4th ed. Toronto, ON: CAOT Publications ACE.
McColl, M.A., Paterson, M., Davies, D., Doubt, L. and Law, M. (2000). Validity and community utility of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67 (1), pp. 22-30.
Pan, A.W., Chung, L. and Hsin-Hwei, G. (2003). Reliability and validity of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure for clients with psychiatric disorders in Taiwan. Occupational Therapy International, 10 (4), pp. 269-277.
Pollock, N., McColl, M.A., Carswell, A. (2006). The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. In Sumsion, T. (ed) Client-Centred Practice in Occupational Therapy: A Guide to Implementation. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Schofield, P. (2006). Measuring Outcome in Psychiatric Rehabilitation. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (10), pp. 481-483.
Walters, D. (1995). Clinical practice report: recovering from a depressive episode using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62 (4), pp.