Assessment Tools and Outcome Measures:

William Poluha & Emily EtcheverryUniversity of Manitoba

Canadian Health Libraries Association/ Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada

Conference 2006Vancouver, BC May 15, 2006

Evidence-based Pearls for Rehabilitation Practice

Scenario #1

Google Search

Barthel Index online

Scenario #2

Outline

• Background• Therapist Practice Issues• Collection

Building Accessing Using

• Evaluation

School of Medical Rehabilitation

• Faculty liaison

• Curriculum integrated information literacy

• Emphasis on evidence-based practice

• Student/Faculty requests for tools

Assessment Tool Collection Needed

Therapist Practice Issues

• Evidence-based practice Assessment tools needed for patient baselines

and outcomes (Unsworth, 2000; Law, Baum & Dunn, 2005)

Need for tools in rehabilitation has increased

over last 10 years (Finch, et al, 2002)

Therapist Practice Issues

• Barriers to using tools identified by therapists: (Kay, Myers & Huijbregts, 2001; Pollock et al., 2000; von Zweck, 1999)

Lack of knowledge about tools

Difficulty finding a suitable tool

Limited access to tools to determine suitability

Limited access to tools for “hands-on” demos

Lack of time

Could really use an assessment tool collection!

Your Library

Funding

• Increased enrollment in School of Medical

Rehabilitation (SMR) 2002 - 2004 Council of Post Secondary Education (Manitoba)

SMR submission included library funding

• $5,000.00/year allocated for building the collection

• Community Therapy Services support

We’re getting that assessment tool collection!

The Collection

• 50 “toolkits” and growing

• Assessments for RehabilitationOccupational TherapyPhysical Therapy

• Original assessment tools/instruments

• Manuals/books on development and use

Building the Collection

• Reviews

• Consultations

• Vendor Agreements

Building the Collection

Reviews• Books on measuring health• Annotated lists of tools and outcome

measures• Journal literature for tools on specific

outcomes or disorders• Websites that index and annotate tools• Vendor websites

Building the Collection

Consultations• Faculty:

list of tools used in teaching and research

• Practicing therapists:

Tools they use with clients

Tools to evaluate prior to purchase

• Students:

Research Methods course

Thesis research

Independent Study

Clinical/fieldwork setting

Building the Collection

Vendor Agreements• PhD or equivalent registrant to acquire some tools• Copyright protection• For education and reference use only• Not for use with clients in clinical or research

settings• Secured storage

Preparing Tools for Circulation

• Toolkits packaged in media bags

• Inventory of components (numbered)

• NLM call numbers with “ATOOLS” location

• Copyright labels

• Catalogued

Using the Collection

• Loan policy tries to balance vendor requirements with client needs

• Unavailable for document delivery

• Signed loan agreement Condition / inventory report (loan out / return)

Copyright

Education or reference use

Not for use with clients in clinical or research settings

Using the Collection

In-library use UM affiliates

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority employees

Non-affiliated therapists In-library use only

Proof of professional credentials

Driver’s license in lieu of library card

Using the Collection

Outside use for SMR faculty / students only: Faculty: up to one week

Students: up to 24 hrs. with faculty co-signing

Accessing the Collection

• Library Catalogue

• Website

Accessing the Collection

Library Catalogue NLM Medical Subject Headings Additional index terms

• Assessment, Tools, Outcomes, Measures, Instruments

• Entire collection retrieved:– Two or more index terms keyword searched– Limit to Health Sciences Library

Accessing the Collection

Library Catalogue• Enhanced record

Tool summary

Equipment list

Link to tool record on website

Conditions of use

Tool acronym searchable

Accessing the Collection

Website

• Facilitates access to: Tool collection Resources on tools

Accessing the Collection

Website components• Introduction to the collection• Use policy• Annotated tool index• Searching for tools (tips)• Resources on tools (print & electronic)• Recommend a tool• Survey (feedback on using website)

Evaluation

Toolkit Survey (preliminary)• Sample n= 16

• Primary role (faculty, student, therapist/professional) 1 faculty 1 therapist 14 students

• Professional affiliation (OT, PT, nurse, etc.) 16 Occupational Therapist

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Stronglyagree

Agree Disagree StronglyDisagree

NotApplicable

Tool Usefulness

Save time Increased Knowledge

Suitability Teaching Opportunity

Toolkit Evaluation

Comments: “Excellent concept for a collection” (student)

“Appreciate having this access” (therapist)

“It would be helpful to take out of library” (student)

“…signing it out on a longer term basis” (faculty)

“…know whether scoring sheets can actually be used…”

(faculty)

Future Evaluations

Client

• Website survey

• Poster presentation survey at Canadian

Association of Occupational Therapists

Conference

Circulation staff

Future Development

Website

• Search for a tool by outcome

Acknowledgements

• Ada Ducas, Head, Health Sciences Libraries

• Carol Cooke, Librarian & Web Goddess

• Pam Green, Cataloguer

• Lucilla Leung, Circulation Supervisor

• Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library Staff

• Faculty and Students, School of Medical

Rehabilitation

Medical Rehabilitation Assessment Tool Website

http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/health/medrehab/measures/

Bill_Poluha@umanitoba.ca

ReferencesFinch, E., Brooks, D., Stratford, P.W. & Mayo, N. (2002). Physical

rehabilitation outcome measures: A guide to enhanced clinical decision making (2nd ed.). Hamilton, Ontario: BC Decker.

Kay, T.M., Myers, A.M., & Huijbregts, M.P.J. (2001). How far have we come since 1992? A comparative survey of physiotherapists’ use of outcome measures. Physiotherapy Canada, 54(4), 268-75, 281.

Law, M.C., Baum, C.M. & Dunn, W. (2005). Measuring Occupational Performance: Supporting best practice in occupational therapy (2nd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: Slack.

Pollock, A.S., Legg, L., Langhorne, P. & Sellars, C. (2000). Barriers to achieving evidence-based stroke rehabilitation. Clinical Rehabilitation, 14(6), 611-617.

Unsworth, C. (2000). Measuring the outcome of occupational therapy: Tools and resources. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 47(4), 147-158.

von Zweck, C. (1999). The promotion of evidence-based occupational therapy practice in Canada. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(5), 208-213.

The Price is Right!

The Price Is:

$13,583.54