The Journal of Korean Society of Community-Based Occupational Therapy Vol.8 No.1 pp.1-10
Validation Study of Clinical Utility and Usability on Korean Version of the Life-Space Assessment to Assess Community Mobility
Key Words : Clinical Utility,Community Mobility,Life Space Assessment,Usability
Abstract
Objective : The purpose of study is to validate the clinical utility and usability of the Korean version of the Life Space Assessment(K-LSA) which is an assessment tool of community mobility of older adults. Methods : Surveys on the clinical utility and usability of the K-LSA are carried out with a total of aoaa60 occupational and physical therapists. The surveys included the multiple choice questions on the clinical utility and open questions on the usability. Responses to multiple questions are post processed by frequency analysis and technical statistics, and responses to the open questions are categorized by common factors in each questions. Results : Average value of clinical utility ranges from 3.6 to 4.0 with positive responses of ‘fair (3 point)', ‘agree (4 point)' and ‘strongly agree (5 point)' being 95〜100%. Average value for clinical usability ranges from 3.6 to 4 with positive answers of 'fair (3 point)', ‘easy (4 point)' and ‘very easy (5 point)' being 88.3〜 100%. Additionally out of open-type questions of clinical usability, it was pointed out that the concept of ‘neighborhood' for the life space level 3 and 4 is unclear. Conclusion : The current study and research outcomes showed that the K-LSA is a validated tool in Korean health care system for the clinical utility and usability in measuring community mobility, and that it is straightforward in practical use . It will help clinicians and therapist s promote the social participation of older adults, and set an intervention goal for enhancing community mobility. It will further help clinicians and researchers in education and research for medical intervention and goal-setting.