BACKGROUND: Occupational therapists routinely evaluate cognition in older adults, yet little is known about which assessments they use and for what purposes. PURPOSE: To examine the standardised and non-standardised assessments used by occupational therapists to evaluate cognition. METHOD: A random sample of 1042 Canadian occupational therapists completed the questionnaire by e-mail, post, or Internet website (n=247, response rate: 24.5%). RESULTS: Respondents reported using 75 standardised and non-standardised measures. The assessments were grouped according to theoretical approach: bottom-up (assessment of cognitive components), top-down (assessment of function) and combined (either of above, plus interview). Theoretical approaches were used similarly across regions, despite differences in reporting of particular assessments. Therapists used more bottom-up assessments that were standardised, identified deficits, and easy to administer. They used more top-down assessments that were non-standardised, predicted function, and fit with their theoretical approach. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that standardised top-down assessments be developed to support evidence-based occupational therapy.
BACKGROUND: Occupational therapists routinely evaluate cognition in older adults, yet little is known about which assessments they use and for what purposes. PURPOSE: To examine the standardised and non-standardised assessments used by occupational therapists to evaluate cognition. METHOD: A random sample of 1042 Canadian occupational therapists completed the questionnaire by e-mail, post, or Internet website (n=247, response rate: 24.5%). RESULTS: Respondents reported using 75 standardised and non-standardised measures. The assessments were grouped according to theoretical approach: bottom-up (assessment of cognitive components), top-down (assessment of function) and combined (either of above, plus interview). Theoretical approaches were used similarly across regions, despite differences in reporting of particular assessments. Therapists used more bottom-up assessments that were standardised, identified deficits, and easy to administer. They used more top-down assessments that were non-standardised, predicted function, and fit with their theoretical approach. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that standardised top-down assessments be developed to support evidence-based occupational therapy.