The effect of personal care training at a medical department: a study in occupational therapy

Abstract

The effectiveness of ADL (activities of daily living) training was evaluated in 26 older adult patients who received medical care and nursing on seven wards at a Swedish medical department. The patients were selected consecutively following their referral to the occupational therapists and were assigned alternately to an experimental group ( n=14) who underwent ADL training 2-13 times during an average of 12 days, and a control group ( n=12). The patients' level of dependence in ADL was assessed using the Klein-Bell ADL scale before and after the ADL training (experimental group) and at corresponding points for the control group. A significant difference between the experimental group and the control was demonstrated in the ADL area Bathing/Hygiene (F(1,22) = 8.29; p = 0.009). There were strong tendencies towards significant differences between the groups in the variables 'mobility' (F(1,22) = 3.69; p = 0.07) and 'Eating' (F(1,22) = 4.05; p = 0.06).