Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to explore the various adaptations and accommodations that occupational therapists report using when conducting cognitive screening tests with individuals living with hearing impairment, visual impairment, or dual sensory impairment. The purpose of the study is to determine whether practicing clinicians have strategies to meet the needs of individuals living with sensory impairment(s). We would also like to know more about their clinical decision-making process with these clients. The results will greatly contribute to the development of guidelines and strategies for healthcare professionals to feel more competent and equipped to deal with these clinical groups.
To do this, we are looking to recruit occupational therapists who are in public or private practice and who meet the following criteria:
1. Be a member of a recognized professional order in occupational therapy;
2. Provide services to adults with hearing and/or visual impairments;
3. Be able to read, respond and speak in English and/or French;
4. Regularly administer cognitive tests to adult clients.
A first step in this project is to complete a short online questionnaire. This questionnaire will only take about 5 minutes to complete. The main objective of this questionnaire is to recruit occupational therapists who meet our eligibility criteria and who would be interested in participating in individual interviews or focus groups to share their knowledge and clinical experiences on how they administer cognitive screening tests to people living with hearing and/or visual impairments. If they are interested in being a part of these initiatives, we will collect their personal contact information through this survey in order to schedule an interview or a focus group at an appropriate time. Participation by interested clinicians is entirely voluntary. They also have the right to withdraw completely from the project at any time without providing a reason. All their information will remain confidential.
Procedure for completing the survey:
The links to the survey are below. No passcode is necessary to complete the survey.
Complete the survey in English
How anonymity of data will be ensured:
All digital files will be stored in password-protected files on the Université de Montréal OneDrive platform for a period of 7 years after which the files will be permanently deleted. Only researchers implicated in the project will have access to the files. Participant confidentiality will always be maintained by codifying the data files and removing any link to the participant’s identity after data collection.
All information regarding the participants (e.g., audio-recordings, contact information) will only contain the participants’ ID number. Since the screening survey serves to contact the clinicians, their personal information will be compiled through LimeSurvey. However, their ID number and their personal information will be stored in 2 independent, password protected documents. The recruited participants will be anonymized, given a research ID number to keep their names confidential. A third document will allow for the identification of the participants, and it will be password protected, and in a separate sub-folder of the OneDrive folder. All digital files (recordings) will also be stored on the Université de Montréal OneDrive platform.
Deadline for completion/closure of survey: July 31, 2023