Examination of the change in Assessment of Motor and Process Skills performance in patients with acquired brain injury between the hospital and home environment

Abstract

Aim: The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) is a standardised, valid, reliable, observational assessment that is sensitive to change over time. This research aimed to examine the change in AMPS performance in patients discharged from a neurosurgical rehabilitation ward to a home-based therapy programme over a four-week time frame. Methods: A total of 15 individuals with acquired brain injury who were participating in rehabilitation were recruited to the study. The AMPS was conducted with each individual during the participant's inpatient rehabilitation and again approximately four weeks later, while participating in home-based rehabilitation. Assessment results were collated using the AMPS computer programme and entered into a statistics package from which data were analysed. Results: As a group, no statistically significant change in function was identified between the home and hospital environments; however, individual results did indicate a change in occupational performance for many of the participants. Conclusions: The AMPS was shown to reflect a change in occupational performance for many of the research participants. This research supports previous studies which indicate that some individuals' motor and process skill abilities appear to be affected by the environment in which they perform. This suggests that occupational therapists wishing to know how an individual will perform activities of daily living should evaluate the individual's performance in the environment in which they will be functioning. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Australian Association of Occupational Therapists.