title: Occupational therapy assessments used in acute physical care settings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to identify the assessments used by occupational therapists in acute care practice, their purpose, and the role of home visits and standardized tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey containing closed and open questions was sent to therapists working in physical acute care settings using convenience sampling. This article reports on the responses of 70 New Zealand occupational therapists (response rate = 74%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study found that informal assessments (i.e. interviews and observations) were commonly used to evaluate daily living skills and to provide information about the home environment, cognition, transferring, leisure, and upper limb function. When situations were particularly complex, cognitive assessments and home visits were used judiciously to further investigate assumptions related to safety in discharge procedures. Standardized assessments were not widely used but were typically considered when cognitive ability needed to be confirmed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occupational therapists' expertise lies in interviewing clients and in skilled observations of function. Standardized ADL assessments could complement occupational therapy practice but further research is needed to determine their value. In the final analysis, assessments should ensure that that both safety and client/carer concerns are at the centre of decision-making.
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational Therapy, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand. linda.robertson@op.ac.nz
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blaga
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009520:New Zealand; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors