Can home health aids using the clinical algorithm Algo choose the right bath seat for clients having a straightforward problem

TL;DR: Algo guides non-OTs toward a bath seat that meets the needs of community-dwelling older adults in the majority of cases, and this appropriateness rate did not statistically differ from that obtained when comparing another OT to the gold standard.

Abstract: Objective:To determine if Algo, a clinical algorithm to select bathing equipment for ‘straightforward’ cases, guides home health aides in selecting the appropriate bath seat.Design:Criterion validity study.Setting:Community home care.Subjects:Eight home health aides used Algo with community-dwelling older adults having a straightforward problem.Main measures:Their bath-seat recommendations were compared with those proposed by an occupational therapist (OT), which were considered as the gold standard. In order to determine a clinically acceptable threshold of agreement between the recommendations, a subgroup of community-dwelling elderly people was assessed a third time by another OT.Results:Half of the clients (74/143) for whom bathroom assessments were requested qualified as potentially straightforward cases after triage and were visited at home by a home health aide using Algo. In 84% of cases (95% confidence interval (CI) = [75, 93]), the non-OTs using Algo identified a seat that would enable these old...