# Occupational Therapy Acute Care Self-Efficacy Scale (OTACSES): Development, Test–Retest Reliability, and Precision

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new tool to measure occupational therapy students' confidence in acute care settings and shows it is reliable and precise.

## Contribution

The OTACSES is a novel, reliable self-efficacy scale for acute care occupational therapy students.

## Key findings

- The OTACSES subscales showed excellent internal consistency and test–retest reliability.
- The scale demonstrated acceptable precision for measuring meaningful changes in self-efficacy.
- Preliminary data suggest clinically meaningful changes in scores for abilities, knowledge, and total scores.

## Abstract

Introduction: Delivering occupational therapy services in the acute care setting requires certain skills and abilities to ensure safety and effectiveness among a variety of medically complex populations. Presently, no standardized tool exists to assess OT students' self-efficacy in this context. In this study, we developed the Occupational Therapy Acute Care Self-Efficacy Scale (OTACSES) to assess OT student self-efficacy in acute care contexts and tested its test–retest reliability and precision in first-year OT students.

Materials and Methods: Researchers developed the scale items based on literature, expert interviews, and a student population. The OTACSES was then administered to 47 OT students to assess the internal consistency of “abilities” and “knowledge” subscales. Following the process of item reduction, the scale was readministered a week later after a no “intervention” control period. Student test and retest data were analyzed to assess reliability and precision.

Results: The finalized knowledge and abilities subscales demonstrated excellent internal consistency. Further, the total and subscale scores demonstrated excellent test–retest reliability and acceptable precision. Finally, changes of five, three, and seven points in the abilities, knowledge, and total scores, respectively, can be assumed to be “meaningful.”

Discussion: The OTACSES is a reliable and precise tool for measuring students' self-efficacy in the acute care setting. We present preliminary data on clinically meaningful change. Further research focusing on the tool as an outcome measure of the efficacy of acute care-relevant OT education and its appropriateness for use among practitioners is needed.