Transformation of paper-based occupational therapy assessment forms to a digital format – The Housing Enabler application as an example

Background The growing digitalization process serves to modernize the health care systems, to improve documentation and the efficiency of the public sector. Consequently, the adoption of digitalization at large is critical for... [ view full abstract ]

Background
The growing digitalization process serves to modernize the health care systems, to improve documentation and the efficiency of the public sector. Consequently, the adoption of digitalization at large is critical for the development of occupational therapy (OT). Yet, most OT assessment forms are paper-based. The aim is to describe the process of transforming the paper-based Housing Enabler (HE) rating forms into a HE application (app) available on a tablet.
Method
The transformation process was conducted in two steps
1. Development: A participatory design, involving several workshops, was employed to identify the users’ requests concerning the function of the app, afterwards, an iterative process between usability tests and improving the app followed.
2. Testing: Seven occupational therapists utilized the app in five clinical housing cases each (N=35 cases). Usability data was collected by means of individual online diaries followed by a focus group interview. The interview was transcribed verbatim. A qualitative content analysis was performed to systemize and analyse all data.
Results
The HE app is easy to use in clinical OT and the app permits new valuable functions such as photo documentation and an easy overview of the accessibility score. To some OTs the tablet interfered with the relation to the client, whereas to other OTs the tablet increased the sense of professionalism. Still, there are technical challenges to overcome.
Conclusion
Digitalization of paper-based assessment forms seems promising.
Application to practice
Implementation of digital assessments in practice has potentials but needs further investigation.