Abstract
The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process—Fourth Edition (OTPF-4; American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020) states that every occupational therapy evaluation includes (1) the occupational profile and (2) the analysis of occupational performance. The OTPF-4 states that as the first step in the evaluation process,
developing the occupational profile provides . . . an understanding of the client’s perspective and background. . . . During the process of collecting this information, the client, with the assistance of the practitioner, identifies priorities and desired targeted outcomes that will lead to the client’s engagement in occupations that support participation in daily life. Only clients can identify the occupations that give meaning to their lives and select the goals and priorities that are important to them. By valuing and respecting clients’ input, practitioners . . . can more effectively guide interventions. (AOTA, 2020, p. 21)
Consistently conducting and documenting the occupational profile is the first step in improving the quality of occupational therapy services and demonstrating the profession’s distinct value to other health care providers, reviewers, and payers. The profile demonstrates occupational therapy practitioners’ commitment to clients as collaborators in the occupational therapy process and facilitates client-centered practice. In addition, the occupational therapy evaluation and reevaluation Current Procedural Terminology ® codes established in 2017 require the inclusion of an occupational profile.
To assist occupational therapy practitioners in conducting an occupational profile with each client, AOTA has developed the Occupational Profile Template, which can be used across practice settings and areas. The template can be printed and completed by hand during the evaluation, or it can be incorporated into an electronic medical record.
The PDF version is a single-page form that is better to use for printing (if the document is being completed by hand) or for using digitally to attach to documentation. When using Adobe Acrobat Reader, the text size is responsive, and the one-page limit will be maintained. This version was tested with Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from https://www.adobe.com/reader. Not all features, including responsive text, will work with other software.
The Word version is better to use when the length of the document is not important, and you prefer to have all text the same size. When using this version, the fields expand to create multiple pages, but the text size is uniform. This version was tested with Microsoft Word; other software may not work as intended.
Occupational profile examples based on actual clients in a variety of settings are available on the AOTA website. Each client is unique and their profile will reflect that, but these samples show how your colleagues are using the AOTA Occupational Profile Template. Information on using the Occupational Profile Template in electronic health records is also available from AOTA. AOTA welcomes clinical feedback on the template at
Refer to the OTPF-4 for detailed definitions and a description of the occupational therapy process, including the occupational profile.