title: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure's semi-structured interview: its applicability to lumbar spinal fusion patients. A prospective randomized clinical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although lumbar spinal fusion has been performed for more than 70 years, few studies have examined rehabilitation strategies for spinal fusion patients, and there is only sparse information about the patient's activity level after surgery. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is a standardized semi-structured interview, developed to identify patients' problems in relation to activities of daily living (ADL). The COPM has neither been examined in a randomised clinical study nor employed in relation to lumbar spinal fusion patients. We aimed to examine whether or not the use of the semi-structured interview COPM during in-hospital rehabilitation could: (1) identify more ADL-related problems of importance to the patients after discharge from the hospital, (2) enhance the patients' ADL performance after discharge from hospital
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-seven patients undergoing a lumbar spinal fusion caused by degenerative diseases were randomly assigned to either use of the COPM or to standard treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of the COPM during hospitalization helped in identifying more ADL problems encountered by patients during the first 3 months post-discharge period as COPM served to identify more treatment goals and plans of action. Use of the COPM had no impact on the patients' ADL performance, and the difference is so small that COPM may be of little clinical consequence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Noerrebrogade 44, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark. lisaoest@rm.dk
authors.forename: Lisa Gregersen
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Oestergaard
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maribo
authors.forename: Cody Erik
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bünger
authors.forename: Finn Bjarke
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000009:adverse effects; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult