Development of a decision tool to ethically assign care to the OTA & PTA

Abstract

To establish construct and content validity of the OTA&PTA GRS, a survey was developed to obtain feedback on each dimension, descriptor and score rating. The survey was sent electronically to content experts at 16 different colleges with OTA and/or PTA programs across Canada. Results: There was a 100% survey response rate from which the data was quantitatively analyzed and respondent comments were reviewed for common qualitative trends. Consensus was met after the first round of the Delphi process with over 80% agreement – either agree or strongly agree – for all survey questions. Construct and content validity of the OTA&PTA GRS was established. Conclusion(s): Construct and content validity for the OTA&PTA GRS has recently been established. The OTA&PTA GRS will be used for all OSCEs and lab evaluations at participating colleges. Next step is to develop an evaluator training program to ensure all evaluators know how to use the scale correctly and are given the opportunity to practice scoring scenarios. Afterwards intraand inter-rater reliability testing can commence. Implications: Development of the OTA&PTA GRS with established construct and content validity will assist in predicting how students will perform in future clinical settings. National use of the OTA&PTAGRSwill help ensure graduates who can delivery safe and effective client care raising the profile and quality of OTA&PTA practice in Canada.