Integrating Occupational Therapy Specific Assessments in Practice: Exploring Practitioner Experiences.

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy practice
• Clinical assessment tools
• Client-centered care

Background:

• Occupational therapists report difficulties integrating client-centered and occupation-specific assessments into practice.
• The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) is an example of an occupation-specific assessment tool.
• Client-centered and occupation-based assessment integration remains a challenge in occupational therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the utilization of occupational therapy specific assessments, including the AMPS.
• To understand the experiences of occupational therapists in Sweden and Japan regarding assessment use.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to implementing client-centered assessment tools.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design utilizing interviews.
• Thematic analysis of interview data to identify recurring patterns.
• Cross-cultural comparison of occupational therapists' experiences in Sweden and Japan.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: 'use it or lose it,' time constraints ('simply no space until after hours'), interpersonal dynamics ('biggest barriers can be colleagues'), and communication issues ('being more specific: communication').
• These themes highlight practical and systemic challenges faced by therapists.
• Findings indicate that assessment use is influenced by professional, environmental, and interpersonal factors.

Conclusions:

• Consistent with prior research, implementing client-centered and occupation-based assessments presents ongoing difficulties for occupational therapists.
• Further research is necessary to develop effective strategies for integrating best practices into evolving occupational therapy settings.
• Addressing identified barriers is crucial for enhancing the effective use of assessment tools in daily practice.