Developing the residential environment impact survey instruments through faculty-practitioner collaboration.

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Environmental psychology
• Human occupation

Background:

• The Residential Environment Impact Survey (REIS) and its short form (REIS-SF) are semi-structured assessments derived from the Model of Human Occupation.
• These tools evaluate the impact of the residential environment on residents' quality of life and occupational functioning.
• Occupational therapy practitioners utilize REIS and REIS-SF as consulting instruments to develop recommendations for enhancing client well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather feedback from international users of the REIS and REIS-SF.
• To identify how these assessment tools are currently employed in practice.
• To inform the further development and refinement of the REIS and REIS-SF instruments.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to international users of the REIS and REIS-SF.
• The survey was designed within a faculty-practitioner collaboration framework.
• Collected data were analyzed to understand user experiences and suggestions for improvement.

Main Results:

• Analysis of survey data provided insights into the practical application of REIS and REIS-SF.
• User feedback highlighted areas for enhancement to better align with practitioner needs.
• The study identified specific ways the instruments are used and how they can be improved.

Conclusions:

• The findings will facilitate the iterative development of the REIS and REIS-SF.
• Further refinement will ensure these tools more effectively support occupational therapy practitioners.
• The study underscores the value of user-centered feedback in instrument development for occupational functioning assessment.