Measurement properties of the occupational therapy discharge needs screen.

BACKGROUND

Pre-discharge home assessments are integral to discharge planning; however, there is no screening tool identifying clients with complex needs.

PURPOSE: To determine the inter- and intrarater reliability and predictive and concurrent validity of the Occupational Therapy Discharge Needs Screen (OTDNS), a screening tool that identifies clients with more complex discharge needs.

METHODS

The OTDNS Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and Functional Autonomy Measurement System (SMAF) were administered to 89 participants.

FINDINGS: Intrarater reliability was ICC = 0.93 (95% CI 0.90 - 0.96) (n = 89). Interrater reliability was ICC = 0.53 (95% CI 0.27- 0.70) (n = 89) with the initial OTDNS instructions, and ICC = 0.91 (95% CI 0.62 - 0.96) (n = 10) with revised OTDNS instructions. The OTDNS had an inverse relationship with the FIM (r = -0.51; p < 0.001) and a positive relationship with the SMAF (r = 0.64; p < 0.001). A score of > 7/28 had a sensitivity = 75% and specificity = 40% when predicting occupational therapy home assessment post-discharge.

IMPLICATIONS: The OTDNS has potential to contribute to continuity and efficiency of the discharge-planning process.