INTRODUCTION

Over the last years the Swedish Social Insurance Agency has implemented and evaluated a national assessment tool with the purpose of a secure and equivalent process in assessing work ability within sickness insurance. An application with structured work tasks was created for the observation based instrument the Assessment of Work Performance (AWP). Social validity investigates whether an assessment is acceptable and socially appropriate.

OBJECTIVE

Investigate social validity, content validity and utility of the application of the Assessment of Work Performance (AWP).

METHOD

This was a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews. A convenience sample was conducted and the occupational therapists who agreed to participate applied the application at their work. Those who had used the application (n=15) was interviewed and data was analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

The results indicate that the application provides valuable information since clients accepted assessments and assessors found work tasks suitable for a diverse group of clients. Improvements were suggested, for example expanding the application with more work tasks to choose from.

CONCLUSION

It appears to exist social validity, content validity and utility for the application. This study investigates social validity, a psychometric property unusual to investigate in vocational rehabilitation. It is important since an assessment with a non-socially valid instrument can be inappropriate and irrelevant for clients. When an assessment is acceptable and relevant for clients, the complexity of assessment results can be reduced. Therefore it is essential that occupational therapists as well as other professionals ensure quality and acceptability when assessing work ability.