The Construction of Patient Management Problems as Self-Assessment Instruments

Abstract

Cognizant of the importance of helping occupational therapy practitioners to maintain and upgrade their ability to provide high quality occupational therapy services, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) launched a comprehensive competency assurance system. One key part of the competency assurance system was the development and implementation of a program of self-assessment. The challenge was in trying to develop self-assessment instruments that would be acceptable and useful to the AOTA membership. After investigation, the decision was made to use written simulations in the form of Patient Management Problems (PMPs). This report describes procedures used for producing and field testing the written simulation problems, with accompanying feedback units and continuing education resource packets, for use as an integral part of a competency assurance program in occupational therapy. Field testing has demonstrated wide acceptance of this type of instrument by a sizable sample of occupational therapy practitioners.