Pilot testing of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure: clinical and measurement issues.

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Rehabilitation science
• Client-centered practice

Background:

• The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is a widely used client-centered outcome measure.
• It assesses an individual's self-perception of occupational performance in self-care, productivity, and leisure.
• Understanding its application and psychometric properties is crucial for effective clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) through extensive pilot testing.
• To assess its ability to identify occupational performance issues and its responsiveness to change.
• To discuss measurement issues related to the COPM's administration and scoring.

Main Methods:

• The COPM was pilot tested with 268 clients across Canada, New Zealand, Greece, and Britain.
• A semi-structured interview format was used for administration.
• Data analysis focused on administration time, issue identification, and responsiveness.

Main Results:

• The COPM demonstrated a median administration time of 30 minutes.
• The measure effectively identified a broad spectrum of occupational performance issues.
• Preliminary results suggest the COPM is responsive to changes in client performance.

Conclusions:

• The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is a valid and responsive tool for assessing client-perceived occupational performance.
• Its semi-structured interview format facilitates the identification of significant daily activity challenges.
• Further discussion on measurement properties can refine its application in occupational therapy.