Clinical Utility of the Combined Use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and Goal Attainment Scaling

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the clinical utility of combined use of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to plan goals and measure progress in a community rehabilitation setting. METHOD: Fourteen participants with traumatic brain injury completed an outpatient, goal-directed 12-wk occupational therapy program; 53 goals were generated. Performance and satisfaction self-ratings and GAS ratings were collected before and after intervention. Self-awareness, motivation to change, and perceived client-centeredness measures were taken before intervention. RESULTS: Sensitivity to change was demonstrated by significant improvements after intervention for total performance self-ratings on the COPM and GAS Tscores. CONCLUSION: Combined use of these tools, although time consuming, resulted in goals that were perceived almost unanimously as client centered, despite most participants' having moderate or severe impairment in self-awareness. The process also enabled subjective and objective demonstration of goal achievement, thereby supporting the clinical utility and treatment validity of the combined use of these tools.