The ICF vs. occupational therapy instruments — similarities and differences from a mental health perspective

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to describe how different instruments used in occupational therapy may be related to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Occupational therapists with good experience in the field of mental health considered the variables in three instruments that are in common use in the mental health area in Sweden, namely the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), a dialogue about ability related to work (DOA), and Occupational Self Assessment (OSA) – Swedish version. They then showed how these variables were linked to the ICF components “Activities and Participation ” and “Environmental factors ”. The results show that OSA covers most of the ICF category. However, this is not surprising since that instrument’s aim is to give a broad perspective of human activities. The procedure and results show the importance of valuing instruments used in occupational therapy in order to identify areas requiring further development. Special attention is paid to the application of ICF from an occupational therapy perspective.