Assessment of Bathing in Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Personal cleanliness is important for all of us. The ability to bath independently is considered important by occupational therapists and their clients. This paper describes the assessment methods used by occupational therapists working with adults with physical disabilities. In addition, it explores the factors that were considered important during the assessment and solution phases of bathing intervention.

A survey questionnaire was sent to 108 occupational therapists working in health and social services within Greater London. The findings highlighted that the methods of assessment used most frequently by practitioners were observation in the home or in a simulated environment and face-to-face interviews. During assessment, the components ranked as most important for consideration were ‘mobility’, ‘client priorities’, ‘safety factors’ and ‘medical diagnosis’. During the solution phase similar factors were found, with the additional item of the availability of bathing equipment.

The findings of this study raise questions related to bathing issues and indicate a need for further study. Of particular interest are the questions of client priorities within the process and the high number of practitioners not including water in the assessment of this potentially dangerous activity.