Title: Evaluating the Cognitive Accessibility of Acute Care Occupational Therapy Discharge Materials for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Authors:
Caitlin Cannon, OTD, OTR/L
Ariel Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L

JACOT Volume 6, Issue 1

Abstract

Background
People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities are more likely to have lower levels of health literacy than people without intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. As low health literacy exacerbates poor health outcomes, occupational therapy practitioners should provide cognitively accessible materials to people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. While there is evidence that discharge materials may not be cognitively accessible to other populations with cognitive impairments, there is a lack of research examining cognitive accessibility of discharge materials for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
Methodology
We utilized the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool, the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and a supplemental set of items designed specifically to evaluate cognitive accessibility for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to examine the cognitive accessibility of acute care discharge materials for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. 24 written discharge materials were collected from two acute care occupational therapy departments within a New England city. We assessed materials for cognitive accessibility from three perspectives, which include understandability, actionability, and readability.
Results
Findings suggest that current materials may not be cognitively accessible to people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Cognitive accessibility was found to be the highest in picture-based materials and materials that included a tool to assist the user.
Discussion
Occupational therapy practitioners may use findings to adapt their discharge materials to enhance cognitive accessibility for clients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.