Affiliations: Discipline of Occupational Therapy, The University of
Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Judy Ranka, Discipline of
Occupational Therapy, The University of Sydney, East St. (PO Box 170),
Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 9351 9207; Fax: +61 2 9351 9197;
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to review what is known
about return to productivity roles for people who have HIV/AIDS and HIV
Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), to highlight gaps in knowledge and
practice for assisting people with HAND to engage in productivity roles, to
describe an occupational therapy assessment system that overcomes some of the
limitations of current research and practice, and to demonstrate the clinical
utility of this instrument for use with clients who have HAND. Participants: The participant in this study is a man with HIV Associated
Dementia (HAD), one sub-type of HAND. Methods: The real-world
impact of HAD on productivity role participation was assessed using the
Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis, an
ecological assessment method. Productivity tasks assessed were those associated
with this man's desire to become a volunteer grocery shopper. The assessment
took place under naturalistic conditions in a grocery store. Results: The participant demonstrated 28.6% mastery of the grocery
shopping task. Performance was impacted on primarily by errors of accuracy and
timing. Reasons for these errors centered on the participant's difficulties in
applying cognitive strategies to perceive, recall, plan and perform the task. Conclusions: The PRPP System of Task Analysis shows promise in
being able to identify errors in task mastery and the underlying cognitive
strategy application errors that impact on mastery in people with HAND.
