Abstract
Abstract
Importance: Occupation-based outcome measures (OBOMs) are an evidence-based recommendation for occupational therapy evaluations. Knowledge translation (KT) is a process used to help integrate evidence into clinical practice. The authors identified a KT opportunity to examine occupational therapy practitioners’ (OTPs) use of outcome measures in an outpatient practice setting and assess a Know-Do Gap as the first step in the Action phase of a KT initiative.
Objective: Describe the frequency and types of outcome measures documented in occupational therapy (OT) evaluations, with a focus on OBOMs.
Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.
Setting: Three outpatient clinic sites (under one parent company) in the Midwestern United States, serving clients with neurologic conditions.
Participants: Retrospective chart reviews.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data included client age, diagnosis, and all documented outcome measures by seven OTPs during OT evaluations over a 6-month period.
Results: Researchers analyzed 173 charts. Forty-six different outcome measures were documented and categorized. Out of the 46 measures, one was occupation-based, the Spinal Cord Independence Measure, and was administered six times (3.5%) out of 173 evaluations.
Conclusion: OBOMs were underutilized in this neurologic outpatient setting, constituting a Know-Do Gap between evidence-based recommendations and practice.
Knowledge Translation Takeaway: Findings signify the first step in a site-specific KT initiative, establishing a need for KT intervention to increase the use of OBOMs and standardization of practice.
Plain Language Summary: Experts say that occupational therapists (OTs) should use tests that look at real-life activities when they check their patients. This study looked at the types of tests OTs used. Results showed that most of the tests did not look at real-life activities. This difference between what is suggested and what is done is called a gap. With this information, our researchers and the OT team can start working together to close the gap.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.32873/unmc.dc.tso.1.3.01
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Recommended Citation
Yost, E., Trojanowski, S., Jarnigin, T., De Bear, K., & Yorke, A. (2024). Examining Occupation-Based Outcome Measure Use in a Neurologic Outpatient Occupational Therapy Setting: A Knowledge Translation Initiative. Translational Science in Occupation, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.32873/unmc.dc.tso.1.3.01
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