Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale (1998 version)

Abstract

The Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale (OCAIRS) is a specialized assessment tool utilized primarily within the field of Occupational Therapy. Developed based on the principles of the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), the OCAIRS comprises three main elements: a semi-structured interview, a 5-point rating scale, and a synthesis form. Its fundamental objective is to systematically collect comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data regarding a client’s occupational participation, functioning, and future plans.

This instrument translates the gathered information into specific occupational therapy indications, addressing the client’s current status and aspirations for the future. The data collection is structured around 10 core components derived directly from the MOHO framework, including personal causality, skills, and roles. The Dutch version (‘versie uit 1998’) was adapted by Vandamme D.

Keywords

OCAIRS, MOHO, Occupational Therapy, semi-structured interview, occupational participation, personal causality, rating scale, assessment.

Authors

Kaplan S, Kielhofner G (Original 1985); Vandamme D (Dutch Version 1998).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale is to provide a holistic and structured method for occupational therapists to assess a client’s occupational functioning. It is designed specifically to capture the client’s perspective on their occupational life, including their strengths, challenges, and environmental influences across various domains.

The data collected facilitates the development of individualized intervention plans and the formulation of precise occupational therapy indications. By utilizing a 5-point rating scale across key domains, the instrument transforms qualitative interview data into quantifiable data points relevant for clinical decision-making and progress monitoring, specifically targeting general participation functions.

Construct

The OCAIRS is theoretically grounded in the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), one of the most widely used conceptual practice models in occupational therapy. MOHO views occupation as the dynamic interaction between the person’s volition, habituation, and performance capacity, and the environment, emphasizing the role of motivation and organization in daily life.

The assessment structure mirrors the main components of MOHO, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the factors influencing a client’s engagement in life roles. These 10 primary components that form the construct measured by the Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale are:

• Personal Causality: The client’s sense of competence and effectiveness.
• Skills: Objective abilities demonstrated in occupation.
• Values and Goal Setting: What the client finds important and their aspirations.
• Occupation/Occupational Participation: The client’s engagement in life tasks.
• Interests: Activities that provide enjoyment and satisfaction.
• Physical Environment: The physical context of occupation.
• Roles: The positions or sets of behaviors expected by society.
• Social Environment: The social context and support systems.
• Habits: Automatic patterns of behavior.
• Life History: Relevant past experiences influencing current occupation.

Validity

The OCAIRS generally demonstrates strong content validity due to its direct derivation from the established and widely accepted Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). The 10 domains assessed are recognized by experts in occupational science as covering the essential aspects of occupational functioning, ensuring that the tool measures what it intends to measure within the model’s parameters.

Furthermore, the structure, which combines a qualitative semi-structured interview with a quantitative rating scale, enhances its clinical utility and face validity. Studies of subsequent versions of the OCAIRS have also supported its construct validity, showing that scores correlate appropriately with other standard measures of occupational competence and environmental support, confirming that the underlying theoretical relationships are maintained.

Reliability

As the OCAIRS relies on clinical judgment guided by the semi-structured interview process, inter-rater reliability is a crucial psychometric consideration. Consistency in scoring is maintained through standardized training protocols required for therapists, ensuring accurate application of the 5-point rating scale across the 10 MOHO components.

Research concerning the stability of the scale across different clinical populations and settings suggests acceptable levels of reliability, provided the assessors are adequately trained in both the administration of the interview and the careful application of the specific rating criteria outlined in the synthesis form, particularly when assessing subjective components like personal causality.

Factor Analysis

Formal factor analysis of the Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale typically seeks to confirm the underlying theoretical structure derived from the MOHO framework. Given that the instrument is designed to assess 10 distinct, yet interacting, components of occupational functioning, factor analytic studies often explore whether the observed variance clusters align with the theoretical division between volition, habituation, and performance capacity.

Results generally support a multi-factorial structure, reflecting the breadth of the MOHO model, rather than a single global factor of occupational competence. This multi-dimensional structure is essential for guiding targeted interventions in occupational therapy, allowing clinicians to distinguish between deficits arising from internal motivation (volition) versus external limitations (environment).

Instrument

Test Type: Rating Scale/Questionnaire (based on clinical interview)

Format: The instrument combines a semi-structured interview protocol, a 5-point ordinal rating scale, and a synthesis summary form used for converting qualitative data into clinical indications.

Language Available: Original English (1985); Dutch (versie uit 1998).

Population Group: Clinical Populations requiring occupational therapy assessment.

Age Group: Adults, Elderly.

Population Details: Suitable for clients with diverse physical, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges, provided they possess sufficient cognitive capacity to participate meaningfully in an interview setting regarding their life history and future plans.

Test Methodology: Administration involves a detailed, client-centered interview guided by the 10 MOHO components. The therapist scores the client’s occupational adaptation status (e.g., internal motivation, performance skills, and environmental support) using a 5-point ordinal scale (e.g., ranging from ‘excellent’ to ‘poor’ functioning).

Keywords

Assessment tool, MOHO component, occupational adaptation, clinical assessment, semi-structured interview, personal causality, life roles, Volition, Habituation, Performance Capacity.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original version of the Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale was published in 1985 by Kaplan S and Kielhofner G. The specific version documented here is the Dutch adaptation (‘versie uit 1998’) by Vandamme D. The scale is frequently available for clinical and academic use, often requiring adherence to guidelines provided by the MOHO Clearinghouse or local distributors, depending on the language version.

The original PDF documentation (‘Toelichtingsformulier’) for the Dutch version can be downloaded here: OCAIRS-form.pdf.

Reference’s

Key references supporting the development and application of the OCAIRS include:

1. Kaplan, S., & Kielhofner, G. (1985). The Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale (OCAIRS). Rockville, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.
2. Kielhofner, G. (2008). A Model of Human Occupation: Theory and Application (4th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
3. Vandamme, D. (1998). De Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale (OCAIRS), Nederlandse versie.

Items of the Occupational Case Analysis Interview and Rating Scale (versie uit 1998)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The instrument collects information via interview structured around the following ten domains of the MOHO framework:

• persoonlijke causaliteit
• vaardigheden
• waarden en doelstellingen
• occupatie
• interesses
• fysieke omgeving
• rollen
• sociale omgeving
• gewoontes
• levensgeschiedenis