Quality assurance: the current challenge

Occupational therapists are being challenged to measure and evaluate the care provided to their patients. This paper discusses the various stages of development of a quality assurance program within a large pediatric occupational therapy department. Several quality assurance activities undertaken are described, including the development of standards of clinical practice (based on the "Guidelines for the Client-Centred Practice of Occupational Therapy") and the development of assessment and documentation protocols. Outcome measurement in pediatric occupational therapy is addressed in relationship to the process measures which were developed in the department. The approaches to outcome measurement are outlined within the context of an audit attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention based on five areas of evaluation.