THE USE OF STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT IN OCCUPATIONAL-THERAPY - THE BAFPE-R AS AN EXAMPLE

Before 1970, most assessments administered by occupational therapists were informal and nonstandardized. Since the 1970s, the use of scienti fically sound instruments has increased. One such standardized assessm ent, the Bay Area Functional Performance Evaluation (BaFPE), was devel oped to measure the functional performance of psychiatric clients. Thi s study was designed to explore the use of a revised version of BaFPE as an example of standardized assessment in occupational therapy. The BaFPE was selected as an example of an assessment extensively used in psychiatric occupational therapy practice. A qualitative study that us ed in-depth semistructured interviews was conducted with a convenience sample of occupational therapists The occupational therapists who wer e interviewed described and explained making several adaptations and m odifications to the recommended administration and scoring of the BaFP E An analysis of the interview data suggested that standardized assess ments are valued as indication of professional status. However, the in terview responses also suggested that the demands of test standardizat ion were incongruent with the values that guide occupational therapy p ractice. The findings of this study suggest that the future developmen t and use of standardized instruments should be consistent with the va lues of the profession. In particular, assessments that recognize the diverse nature and needs of individual clients are required.