Type of Assessments
Our Occupational Therapists are available to perform the following types of assessments:
- Home assessments – home assessments provide a comprehensive assessment of how a person’s injury, llness or disability impacts their ability to safely and independently manage everyday activities in their own home. The assessment may consider mobility and transfers, personal care and domestic activities, equipment and home modifications, support and care requirements. Our Occupational Therapists travel Australia wide to perform home assessments.
- Assessments in an office based environment – “in rooms” assessments are conducted in a professional office environment and provide an opportunity for the Occupational Therapist to undertake a comprehensive functional assessment using specific equipment and testing devices. An in rooms assessment may consider work- related functional capacity as well as the impact of symptoms on everyday activities.
- Video link assessments – a video link assessment provides a convenient alternative to a face-to-face appointment allowing an experienced occupational therapist to assess a person remotely. The assessment may be suitable where travel is difficult or a remote assessment is more practical due to the person’s condition. The Occupational Therapist conducts a detailed interview and is able to observe the person completing everyday functional tasks. The Occupational Therapist reviews the available documentation and information obtained during the video link assessment to form a comprehensive report.
- Verbal opinion on papers – a verbal opinion on papers provides an efficient way to obtain an occupational therapy opinion based solely on the available documentation. A verbal opinion can provide a timely cost effective option where the available evidence is sufficient to form an opinion without requiring an in person assessment. A report can then be requested if the referrer deems it appropriate.
- Reports on papers - A report on papers can be a cost effective option where available evidence is sufficient to form an opinion. An experienced Occupational Therapist reviews the brief and considers the evidence in the context of the questions outlined in the letter of instruction.
How Does Allied Health Experts Conduct An Assessment?
Our OT assessments include, but are not limited to:
- Comprehensive interview: Based upon the illness, injury or affliction at hand, an interview will take place with either the patient alone or the patient and their caregiver. This interview establishes rapport, trust and further gives the therapist a complete overview of the patient's current health status, their at-present physical and mental capabilities and their short-term and long-term goals.
- Functional/physical assessment: Our occupational therapists will perform tests to measure physical strength, any postural intolerance, balance, level of fatigue, range of motion, ability to lift and carry, ability to sit, stand and walk, ability to perform fine and gross manipulations, etc. Depending on circumstances, the therapist may perform some or all the tests on two consecutive days to compare functioning from one day to the next.
- Observation of function in day-to-day tasks: We observe the patient performing normal routine functions in their home and/or at work. Based on our observations, we will make appropriate recommendations where we observe a compromised or lack of ability to perform specific functions. Please note that we perform these observations in a compassionate, unobtrusive manner, paying particularly sensitive attention to any matters involving personal hygiene situations.
- Cognitive screening: Occupational therapists are experts in measuring functional cognition and in identifying performance-based cognitive impairments that can range from subtle to obvious. Early detection of cognitive impairments enables us to comprehensively assess the patient, provide evidence of compromised cognition in our reporting and aids in the design of the most appropriate future protocols for the patient.
- Psychological screening: We conduct psychological screenings of patients to determine coping strategies in reaction to their illness or affliction, as well as the overall impact that their current health situation is having on their overall quality of life. We then identify areas of current and future needs and make recommendations as to action plans.
- Use of various standardised and non-standardised assessment tools and indexes to provide an evidence-based opinion: We use these tools to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of the patient based upon directly comparable situations and other pertinent data.
To find out more about our occupational therapy services and assessments, contact Allied Health Experts today.
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