EHP

The Ecology of Human Performance can help to increase the performance of people and populations. The components must each receive equal consideration to make good decisions for interventions. A comprehensive analysis of the components facilitates full participation. EHP can empower consumers based on their wants or needs. Lastly, EHP supports interdisciplinary collaboration using a common language. ¹ 

Theory

• Person <> Context <> Task <> Performance² 
• Ecology: interrelationships of organisms and their environments.
• Mnemonic: hence, OTPs are interested in their clients and contexts for performance…Ecology of Human (client) Performance.
• Assumptions: clients and their contexts are unique and dynamic; contrived (artificial) contexts are different from natural contexts; independence means meeting wants and needs.

1. Person: an individual with a unique set of abilities, experiences, sensorimotor, cognitive, and psychosocial skills.
2. Task: an objective set of behaviors necessary to accomplish a goal.
3. Context: interrelated conditions that surround a person. Physical (environment), Social, Cultural, and Temporal (time): chronological age, development, life cycle, and health status.
4. Performance: the process and the result of the person interacting with the context to engage in tasks.¹ 

Evaluation & Intervention Approaches

Before considering the intervention approaches, similar to PEO, consider the components of EHP such as the person, context, task, and performance.

Identify what the client wants and needs to do.

Perform a (1) task analysis (~ activity analysis) of task demands, e.g., carrying laundry using stairs, compared to (2) the client’s performance, e.g., able, but challenged balance with the risk of falling down the stairs.

Similar to the COPM, with EHP, the OTP should consider the client’s priorities, e.g., self-report in areas of occupations of ADLs/work and productivity/play and leisure in relationship to their occupational performance issues, e.g., a child having friends in school for play and leisure.

Only then, should you develop interventions using these EHP approaches:

• Create/Promote: focused on supporting optimal performance; does not assume that a disability problem exists or is likely to occur.
• Establish/Restore: aims to improve client’s skills.
• Alter: aims to alter the context of the task; focuses on the context.
• Adapt/Modify: modifies the context for task performance.
• Prevent: precludes the development of performance problems; change the client, context, or task to prevent negative outcomes. Assumes that a disability exists or is likely to occur.

Bookmark

1. Dunn, W., Brown, C., & Youngstrom, M. J. (2003). Ecological Model. Perspectives in human occupation: Participation in life, 222.[↩][↩]
2. Dunn, W., Brown, C., & McGuigan, A. (1994). The ecology of human performance: A framework for considering the effect of context. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 48(7), 595-607.[↩]