1.3 Client Assessment and Intervention
Effective September 2015; Revised June 2022
Standard
A regulated member of ACSLPA selects and applies appropriate screening/assessment procedures, analyzes/interprets the information gathered to determine diagnosis and implements appropriate interventions to deliver quality services that correspond to clients’ priorities and changing needs.
Indicators
To demonstrate this standard, the regulated member will:
a) Use an evidence-informed approach, sound professional judgment, client priorities and needs, and knowledge of both the functional impact of client limitations and the environmental context within which the client resides to determine appropriate screening/assessment procedures, interventions, and measurable outcomes.
b) Implement culturally and linguistically appropriate screening/assessment procedures and interventions within their professional scope of practice and the limitations of personal knowledge and competence.
c) Ensure contraindications to proposed screening/assessment procedures and interventions are identified, managed and documented.
d) Conduct screening/assessment procedures ensuring accurate administration, recording, scoring, interpretation and documentation of results.
e) Use critical inquiry, including information regarding the client’s societal context, social determinants of health, considerations regarding the functional impact of client limitations, and sound professional judgment in the collection and interpretation of formal and informal assessment results to obtain a diagnosis and determine interventions.
f) Monitor effectiveness of interventions, modify approaches and implement alternatives as needed.
g) Ensure the optimal use of available resources for assessment procedures and interventions.
h) Counsel, educate and facilitate clients’ participation in their health care services including management of their own care post-discharge.
i) Implement discharge planning (e.g., referral to other health care providers, client education) and discontinue treatment when appropriate.
j) Advocate for clients as appropriate to obtain required resources and services.
Expected Outcomes
Clients can expect that the regulated member will appropriately select, apply and interpret screening/assessments and interventions, and that services are delivered in a competent, effective and safe manner.
Glossary
Advocate refers to “to support or argue for (a cause, policy, etc.)”
Assessment refers to “the rehabilitation process for gathering in-depth information to identify the individual’s strengths and needs related to body function, body structure, activity and participation, to understand the individual’s goals and then to determine appropriate services and interventions based on these. It is initiated when there are questions about a client’s needs and how best to meet these needs. It includes both formal and informal measures ranging from administering standardized assessment tools to observing a client in a specific setting or listening to family concerns.”
Client refers to “a recipient of speech-language pathology or audiology services, and may be an individual, family, group, community or population. An individual client may also be referred to as a patient.”
Competence/competent/competency refers to “the combined knowledge, skills, attitudes and judgment required to provide professional services.”
Evidence-informed refers to “using the best available information combined with information gathered from clients regarding their background, needs, values, etc. and the professional judgment of the provider in clinical decision making.”
Intervention/intervention strategy refers to “an activity or set of activities aimed at modifying a process, course of action or sequence of events in order to change one or several of their characteristics, such as performance or expected outcome.” In speech-language pathology and audiology, intervention is a term used to describe the various services provided to clients, including but not limited to individual and group treatment, counselling, home programming, caregiver training, devices, discharge planning, etc.”
Quality services refers to “services in the health care system as measured by accessibility, acceptability, appropriateness, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety factors, including cultural safety and freedom from racism/discrimination.”
Regulated member refers to “an individual who is registered with ACSLPA in any of the regulated categories of membership prescribed by ACSLPA Bylaws, the Health Professions Act and our Regulations.”
Screening refers to “a high-level needs identification process that gathers salient information that is sufficient enough to guide the professional in making recommendations to the individual or for the population”.