Development of an outcome measure for occupational therapists

Evidence-based practice depends on routine outcome measurement while routine outcome measurement depends on valid and reliable outcome measures. Occupational therapists in mental health care settings deal with unpredictable outcomes and a myriad of variables that influences progress of persons with mental illnesses. It is often a challenge to capture the essential components to measure progress in activity participation and to get a valid measure to track change. In this work theona du Toit Model of Creative Ability formed the basis for the development of the scoring system in the Activity Participation Outcome Measure. The outcome measure was piloted in several mental health care settings with positive results. The work provides a sound methodology for development of outcome measures in rehabilitation services and may serve as an example for future research and development in outcome measures.