The Menu Task: A Three-Phase Examination of Staff Training and Usability

Occupational therapists need easy-to-learn and easy-to-implement tests of functional cognition but report implementation hesitancy. We describe primarily inpatient therapists' experiences learning about, forming expectations about, and using the Menu Task. Three cross-sectional study phases relevant to the usability of the Menu Task were performed. Phase 1 was a quantitative examination of therapists scoring the Menu Task following 40 min of training, which found that therapists achieved high reliability. Phase 2 used an in-person survey to examine therapists' perceptions of using the Menu Task, finding that therapists perceived the Menu Task as feasible and useful. Phase 3 was a qualitative analysis of therapists' descriptions of the routine use of the Menu Task, finding that the Menu Task was efficient for obtaining clinically relevant data in acute care but noted areas where the Menu Task needs improvement. Brief exposure to the Menu Task reduces staff hesitancy in using a performance-based screening measure of functional cognition.