Key terms

Key terms used in the professional standards and professional standards audit tool

Quick links to specific key terms:

• Autonomy, Autonomy, Capability, Capacity, Care, Carer
• Competency, Continuing Professional Development, Cost effectiveness, Delegate, Duty of care
• Dysfunction, Enablement, Extended scope practice, Governance, Informed consent
• Intervention, Must, Occupation, Occupational alienation, Occupational deprivation, Occupational performance areas, Occupational therapy personnel, Occupationaltherapy process
• Practice placement educator, Practitioner, Reasonable, Scope of practice, Service user, Should, Sustainable

Assessment

A process of collecting and interpreting information about people's functions and environments, using observation, testing and measurement, in order to inform decision-making and to monitor change. (Consensus definition from European Network of Occupational therapy in Higher Education (ENOTHE 2004)

Autonomy

The freedom to make choices based on consideration of internal and external circumstances and to act on those choices. (Consensus definition from ENOTHE 2004)

Capability

The ability to use competencies to execute a specific course of action. (COT 2006c, p64)

Capacity

For the purpose of the Mental Capacity Act 2005:a person lacks capacity in relation to a matter if at the material time he is unable to make a decision for himself in relation to the matter because of an impairment of, or a disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or brain. It does not matter whether the impairment or disturbance is permanent or temporary. (Great Britain. Parliament 2005, part 1, section 2)
 
'incapable' means incapable of—
(a) acting; or
(b) making decisions; or
(c) communicating decisions; or
(d) understanding decisions; or
(e) retaining the memory of decisions,
… by reason of mental disorder or of inability to communicate because of physical disability; … and 'incapacity' shall be construed accordingly. (Scotland. Scottish Executive 2000, part 1.1(6))

Care

'Care' is used in various ways in this document, talking about the care team, care documentation etc. It is also used to encompass more than intervention, to capture the responsibility or attitudinal element, where the approach to our service users is one of care rather than neglect, as used in having a 'duty of care' or 'shared care' with another organisation. It also fits with the provision of both health and social care.

Carer

Someone who provides (or intends to provide), paid or unpaid, a substantial amount of care on a regular basis for someone of any age who is unwell, or who, for whatever reason, cannot care for themselves independently. (Adapted from Great Britain Parliament 1995)
 
Carers [not paid care workers] provide care to family members, other relatives, partners, friends and neighbours of any age affected by physical or mental illness (often long-term), disability, frailty or substance misuse. (Scottish Government and COSLA 2010, section 2.3)
 
Carers are people who, without payment, provide help and support to a family member or a friend who may not be able to manage without this help because of frailty, illness or disability. Carers can be adults caring for other adults, people caring for ill or disabled children or young people under 18 who care for another family member. (DHSSPS 2002, p6)
 
A carer could be defined as anyone who look after relatives or friends who are frail, sick, disabled or vulnerable. Some do not see themselves as carers, but primarily as a parent, child, wife or husband, partner, friend or neighbour. (Welsh Assembly Government website Undated)
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/socialcare/carers/?lang=en

Competency

Competence is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities at a level of expertise sufficient to be able to perform in an appropriate work setting.
(Harvey 2004-2009)

Continuing professional development (CPD) 

A range of learning activities through which health professionals maintain and develop throughout their career to ensure that they retain their capacity  to practise safely, effectively and legally within their evolving scope of practice.
(Health Professions Council 2009, p1)

Cost effectiveness

The extent to which an intervention can be regarded as providing value for money.
Adapted from (Phillips and Thompson 2009)

Delegate

To give an assignment to another person, or to assign a task to another person, to carry out on one's behalf, whilst maintaining control and responsibility.
(College of Occupational Therapists 2010a)

Duty of care

A responsibility to act in a way which ensures that injury, loss or damage will not be carelessly or intentionally inflicted upon the individual or body to whom /which the duty is owed, as a result of the performance of those actions.
 
A duty of care arises:

• when there is a sufficiently close relationship between two parties, (e.g. two individuals, or an individual and an organisation). Such a relationship exists between a service user and the member of occupational therapy to whom s/he has been referred, whilst the episode of care is ongoing
• where it is foreseeable that the actions of one party may cause harm to the other; and/or
• where it is fair, just and reasonable in all the circumstances to impose such a duty.
  (See Caparo Industries plc v Dickman 1990)

Dysfunction

A temporary or chronic inability to meet performance demands adaptively and competently and to engage in the repertoire of roles, relationships and occupations expected or required in daily life. (Hagedorn 2001

Enablement 

[The process of creating opportunities] to participate in life’s tasks and occupations irrespective of physical or mental impairment or environmental challenges. (Christiansen and Townsend 2004)

Extended scope practice 

Extended scope implies working outside or beyond the recognised elements of occupational therapy practice, using skills and techniques that are:
 

• not included in the defined core skills or an occupational therapist; and/or
• not included in the qualifying professional education curriculum for occupational therapists.
  (College of Occupational Therapists 2011)

 

Governance

[The systems by] which organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care.
(Adapted from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Patientsafety/Clinicalgovernance/index.htm  Accessed 21.05.11.)

Informed consent

Informed consent is an ongoing agreement by a person to receive treatment, undergo procedures or participate in research; after risks, benefits and alternatives have been adequately explained to them. Informed consent is a continuing requirement. Therefore occupational therapy personnel must ensure that service users continue to understand the information that they have been provided, and any changes to that information, thereby continuing to consent to the intervention or research in which they are participating. In order for informed consent to be considered valid, the service user must have the capacity* to give consent and the consent must be given voluntarily and be free from undue influence.
* see Appendix 1 of COT 2010a for further information on capacity.

Intervention

The process and skilled actions taken by occupational therapy practitioners ..to facilitate engagement in occupation.

Must

Where there is a legal requirement, an overriding principle or duty to act.

Occupation 

A group of activities that has personal and sociocultural meaning is named within a culture and supports participation in society. Occupations can be categorised as self-care, productivity and/or leisure.
(Consensus definition from ENOTHE 2004)

Occupational alienation 

A sense that one’s occupations are meaningless and unfulfilling, typically associated with feelings of powerlessness to alter the situation. (Hagedorn 2001, cited in ENOTHE 2004)

Occupational deprivation

A state of prolonged preclusion from engagement in occupations of necessity or meaning due to factors outside the control of an individual, such as through geographic isolation, incarceration or disability.  (Christiansen and Townsend 2004, cited in ENOTHE 2004)

Occupational performance areas

Categories of tasks, activities and occupations that are typically part of daily life. They are usually called self care, productivity and leisure. (Consensus definition from ENOTHE 2004)

Occupational therapy personnel

For the purpose of this document, this term includes occupational therapists, occupational therapists working in generic roles, occupational therapy students and support workers working with or for occupational therapists. It is also pertinent to occupational therapists who are managers, educators and researchers.

Occupational therapy process

The generalisation of the steps or stages that typically occur in professional interactions with clients. (Jacobs and Jacobs 2009)

Practice placement educator

This is the person who is qualified to supervise students while they are on a practice placement.  The professional practice educator normally will have undergone a practice educators’ course (preferably the COT APPLE scheme or its equivalent) and will be familiar with the assessment regulations and processes in operation at the student’s university. (COT 2009c)

Practitioner

For the purposes of this document, see ‘occupational therapy personnel’

Reasonable

An objective standard. Something (e.g. an act or decision) is reasonable if the act or decision is one which a well-informed observer would also do or make.

Scope of practice

The area or areas of your profession in which you have the knowledge, skills and experience to practise lawfully, safely and effectively, in a way that meets [HPC] standards and does not pose any danger to the public or to yourself. (HPC 2007, p3)

Service user

In these standards the term ‘service user’ refers to any individual in direct receipt of any services/interventions provided by a member of occupational therapy personnel.

Should 

Where the principle or duty may not apply in all circumstances, by contrast with a ‘must’ obligation.

Sustainable 

Sustainable health care combines three key factors: quality patient care, fiscally responsible budgeting and minimizing environmental impact. (Jameton and McGuire 2002)