title: Evaluating self-care activities: comparison of a self-reported questionnaire with an occupational therapist interview.
abstract: Accurately evaluating a patient's ability to perform self-care activities is important for clinical and research purposes. We compared assessments of self-care activities obtained from a patient self-administered questionnaire and an occupational therapist interview. Forty-five rheumatoid arthritis patients admitted to a multidisciplinary rheumatology rehabilitation unit were evaluated by both methods for their ability to bathe, dress, perform toileting and general hand activities. Patients reported requiring more assistance with self-care activities in a self-administered questionnaire than they did in an occupational therapist interview. For example, 78% of patients reported requiring no assistance with bathing in the therapist's interview, whereas 31% reported no assistance on the questionnaire. Patients appear more willing to admit difficulties with self-care activities in a self-administered questionnaire than in a personal interview.
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires