Functional Assessment

What is a Functional Assessment?

A Functional Assessment is an evaluation process used to determine an individual's abilities and limitations in daily activities (functional status). This assessment is designed to identify how individuals function physically, cognitively, and emotionally in their environment and identify any areas of difficulty that may hinder their daily task performance.

Functional Assessments can be used in various settings, including healthcare (especially skilled nursing facilities and physical therapy) and vocational rehabilitation. This process is an essential component for all these settings.

In healthcare, Functional Assessments are often used to help diagnose and treat physical or cognitive disabilities or injuries. They can also be used to develop care plans for individuals with chronic conditions, such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.

Functional Assessments in vocational rehabilitation assess a person's ability to do tasks essential to their employment. This information can be used to create programs that train people with disabilities for the workforce or to find suitable career opportunities.

How does this Functionality Assessment work?

The Functional Assessment process can vary depending on the setting and purpose of the assessment. However, there are some general steps involved in the process, which may include:

Referral

The individual may be referred for an assessment by a healthcare provider, educator, or vocational rehabilitation specialist.

Initial assessment

The assessment process typically begins with an initial evaluation, which may involve reviewing medical records, interviewing the individual and their family members, and observing the individual in their environment.

Assessment tools

Many assessment tools may be used during the assessment process, including standardized tests (several come in the form of a functional independence measure or are provocation tests), laboratory tests, checklists, and observations. These tools assess the individual's physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning to determine functional outcomes.

Goal setting

Based on the assessment results, goals may be developed to help the individual improve their functional abilities. These goals may be related to activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, and grooming), mobility, communication, or other areas of functioning.

Intervention 

Interventions may be implemented to help individuals achieve their goals, depending on their needs. These may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, counseling, or other treatments.

Follow-up

The Functional Assessment process typically includes ongoing monitoring and reassessment to track the individual's progress and adjust interventions as needed.

When to use this Functional Assessment test?

A Functional Assessment can be a valuable tool for assessing an individual's abilities and limitations in various settings. Here are some situations where this assessment may be appropriate:

Medical settings

This assessment can evaluate an individual's physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning following an illness, injury, or surgery. It can help healthcare providers develop a care plan that addresses the individual's needs and goals.

Occupational settings

This can examine an employee's ability to perform their job duties safely and effectively. This can help employers develop accommodations or modifications that support the employee's success in the workplace.

Rehabilitation settings

A Functional Assessment can determine an individual's abilities and limitations following an injury or illness that has affected their physical, cognitive, or emotional functioning. This can help rehabilitation specialists develop a treatment plan that supports the individual's recovery and return to their previous level of functioning.

Elder care settings

This test can also evaluate an older adult's abilities and limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, and grooming. This can help caregivers develop a care plan that supports the individual's independence and quality of life.

Who is this Functional Assessment PDF for?

Various practitioners can use the Functional Assessment PDF template in multiple settings. 

Here are some examples of professionals who may find this helpful resource:

Healthcare providers

Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers may use the Functional Assessment PDF to evaluate a patient's physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning. This can help them develop a care plan addressing the patient's needs and goals.

Rehabilitation specialists

Occupational therapists, physical therapists, and other rehabilitation specialists may use the Functional Assessment PDF to evaluate an individual's abilities and limitations following an injury, illness, or surgery. This can help them develop a treatment plan that supports the individual's recovery and return to their previous level of functioning.

Occupational health professionals

Occupational health professionals, such as industrial hygienists and safety engineers, may use the Functional Assessment template to evaluate employees' ability to perform their job duties safely and effectively. This can help them develop accommodations or modifications that support the employee's success in the workplace.

Geriatric care professionals

Geriatric care professionals, such as geriatricians and social workers, may use this resource to evaluate an older adult's abilities and limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs). This can help them develop a care plan that supports the individual's independence and quality of life.

Are Functional Behavior Assessments the same?

They are similar, but this type of Functional Assessment focuses on examining a person's challenging behaviors and the environmental factors (and others) that may be influencing them. These challenging behaviors tend to disrupt a person's ability to function as they should and accomplish what they need to do daily. To examine these, professionals will conduct applied behavior analysis and tests to cover all bases.

Just like the Functional Assessment, we have a template for Functional Behavior Assessments. You can use it to identify problem behaviors, what triggers them, how intense they are, how frequently the patient exhibits these behaviors, for how long at a time, and what their impact is.

We have a template similar to that of the Functional Behavior Assessment. It's called the Functional Analysis Screening Tool. It is also meant to assess problem/challenging behaviors, but it's meant to be used as a reporting tool by someone acquainted with or who has a relationship with the person who has problem behaviors. Think of it as an information-gathering tool geared towards obtaining relevant information from people who know the patient so you can assess problem behaviors using other people's perspectives.