Evaluation

OT Dude Academy’s Free NBCOT® Exam Prep Course Process Evaluation

An evaluation is defined as “the process of obtaining and interpreting data necessary for intervention. This includes planning for and documenting the evaluation process and results.”1 

Evaluation Components

The components of an occupational therapy evaluation include:2 

  • Consultation
  • Screening
  • Occupational profile
  • Analysis of occupational performance
  • Synthesis of the evaluation process

Standards of Practice (Standard Part II)1 

  • An occupational therapist, in collaboration with the client, evaluates the client’s ability to participate in daily life by considering the client’s history, goals, capacities, and needs; the activities and occupations the client wants and needs to perform; and the environments and context in which these activities and occupations occur.
  • An occupational therapist initiates and directs the screening, evaluation, and re-evaluation process and analyzes and interprets the data in accordance with federal and state law, other regulatory and payer requirements, and AOTA documents.
  • An occupational therapy assistant contributes to the screening, evaluation, and re-evaluation process by implementing delegated assessments and by providing verbal and written reports of observations and client capacities to the occupational therapist in accordance with federal and state laws, other regulatory and payer requirements, and AOTA documents.
  • An occupational therapy practitioner uses current assessments and assessment procedures and follows defined protocols of standardized assessments during the screening, evaluation, and re-evaluation process.
  • An occupational therapist completes and documents occupational therapy evaluation results. An occupational therapy assistant contributes to the documentation of evaluation results. An occupational therapy practitioner abides by the time frames, formats, and standards established by practice settings, federal and state law, other regulatory and payer requirements, external accreditation programs, and AOTA documents.
  • An occupational therapy practitioner communicates screening, evaluation, and re-evaluation results within the boundaries of client confidentiality and privacy regulations to the appropriate person, group, organization, or population.

The OT Process in Psychosocial Disorders3 

Occupational therapy is unique in that occupational therapy practitioners use therapeutically selected occupations and activities as methods of assessment and intervention for clients with psychosocial disorders. Areas include self-care, instrumental ADLs, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. OTPs also address the client’s domain, context, and environment to promote occupational identity, health, well-being, and participation in life.

  • Determine patient needs, obstacles
  • Create an occupational profile (history and goals)
  • Create analysis of occupational performance (limitations/strength in performance)
  • Information collected from patients and other sources
  • Administer structured assessment
  • Synthesize, analyze, and document evaluation

Evaluation Focus4 

  • Baseline level for occupations
  • Identify current, affected, and future roles of the client
  • Interests and values for roles
  • Identify areas of occupational performance barriers to roles
  • Identify occupational engagement patterns
  • Prioritize barriers to occupational performance
  • Identify strengths in occupational performance
  • Determine meaningful and therapeutic occupations
  • Explore the disability experience
  • Analyze the environment for barriers to occupational performance
  • Determine the availability of environmental resources that can promote performance
  • Identify potential therapeutic occupations, activities, and tasks
  • Examples of performance components include sensorimotor, praxis, arousal and attention, and time management skills.
  • Examples of performance contexts include physical, social, and cultural.
  • Also consider the client’s age, development level, health or disability status, location, resources, and socioeconomic status to population norms.5 6 

 

  1. The Commission on Practice. (2010). Standards of practice for occupational therapy. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(6), S106.[↩][↩]
  2. American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2), 7412410010. https://doi. org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001[↩]
  3. Sarsak, H. I. (2018). The occupational therapy process in psychosocial disorders: An overview. Jr Neurology, Psy and Brain Res: JNPBR-113.[↩]
  4. Moyers, P. A. (1999). The guide to occupational therapy practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53(3), 247-322.[↩]
  5. Kapral, M. K., Wang, H., Mamdani, M., & Tu, J. V. (2002). Effect of socioeconomic status on treatment and mortality after stroke. Stroke, 33(1), 268-275.[↩]
  6. Clark, F., Azen, S. P., Carlson, M., Mandel, D., LaBree, L., Hay, J., … & Lipson, L. (2001). Embedding health-promoting changes into the daily lives of independent-living older adults: long-term follow-up of occupational therapy intervention. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56(1), P60-P63.[↩]
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