Client-Centered Rehabilitation for Outpatients With Hand-Related Injuries

Abstract

Background: There is evidence to support client-centeredness as an approach in occupational therapy, because it improves functioning in everyday living. However, client-centeredness is difficult to measure. Only a few studies investigate client-centeredness from the client’s perspective and few questionnaires measure clients’ experiences of the approach. To our knowledge, no one has measured the approach from an outpatient perspective. Because the approach was developed from theory and the professionals’ viewpoint, and because studies show only moderate agreement between clients’ and therapists’ views, it seems relevant to develop a questionnaire to measure the client’s perspective of client-centeredness in outpatient rehabilitation. Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to categorize the experience of client-centeredness in rehabilitation among patients with hand-related disorders. Materials and Methods: Focus group interviews in patients with hand-related disorders in different outpatient settings in Denmark have been completed to investigate the patient’s perspective of client-centeredness. Data were analyzed by deductive content analysis. Items have been generated from the interviews and core values from occupational therapy research. The preliminary questionnaire has been cognitively tested. Results: A preliminary analysis of the patient’s perspective of client-centeredness shows the following important themes: information, coordination between wards and professionals, involvement in decision making, being listened to, evaluation of body function, activity and participation, and enabling everyday life activities. A final analysis and a preliminary questionnaire will be presented at IFSHT-16. Conclusion: The preliminary analysis shows consistency in core values from occupational therapy literature and themes mentioned by patients with hand-related injuries. Patients consider involvement in rehabilitation to be crucial. It seems to be important for the quality of rehabilitation that measurement instruments to evaluate patients’ perceptions of client-centeredness are developed.