A pilot study of perceived clinical usefulness of a new computer-based tool for assessment of visual perception in occupational therapy practice

Abstract

A new assessment instrument called the Componential Assessment of Visual Perception (CAVP)© has been developed recently by the authors. It was designed for use in occupational therapy practice, and in other practice areas such as neuropsy etiology, as a process-based approach to the evaluation of visual perceptual functioning in children and adults with neurological disorders. In this paper, the CAVP is discussed in terms of its conceptual basis and relevance as an assessment of occupational functioning. In addition, the results of a preliminary study of the clinical usefulness of the CAVP are reported. In this study, a questionnaire designed to measure perceived clinical usefulness of the CAVP was completed by a group of experienced clinicians who routinely assess visual perceptual functioning in clients with neurological disorders. Clinicians were given a standardised demonstration of the CAVP program and a copy of the CAVP's documentation manual. The CAVP software program was installed on to each clinician's computer for a period of two weeks to allow them time to review and analyse it before completing the questionnaire. Overall, promising results regarding the CAVP's potential clinical usefulness were found. Results related to the CAVP's utility, ease of use, format, and appeal are presented, as well as a discussion of the study's limitations. In the final section of this paper, an example of selected CAVP client results is presented to demonstrate how to use it to isolate key processes that are significant in a client's perceptual performance. 1997 © Whurr Publishers Ltd.