NBCOT OTR flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Manual muscle test grade 3

The client moves the joint through full available range against gravity but tolerates no added resistance. Grade 2 completes range only with gravity eliminated, and grade 4 accepts some resistance.

AROM versus PROM

Active range of motion comes from the client's own muscle contraction and indicates muscle and tendon integrity; passive range, produced by the examiner, reflects joint, capsular, and soft tissue mobility.

Interrater reliability

The consistency with which two or more different examiners score the same client using the same instrument. It matters when multiple therapists will administer or interpret an assessment.

Standard error of measurement

An estimate of the typical error in an obtained test score, expressed in the test's own units, used to build a confidence interval around a client's observed score.

Minimal detectable change

The smallest score change that exceeds measurement error, so the change likely represents real client change rather than random fluctuation. It is used to judge whether progress is genuine.

Modified Ashworth Scale

An ordinal 0-4 scale grading resistance during passive movement to quantify spasticity: 0 is no increase in tone and 4 is a rigid limb in flexion or extension.

Rancho Los Amigos levels

Eight levels describing recovery after traumatic brain injury, from level I with no response through level VIII with purposeful, appropriate responses, used to guide cognitive and behavioral expectations.

MoCA cognitive screen

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores cognition out of 30; a score below 26 commonly suggests impairment and prompts further evaluation, though education and culture may affect scores.

Stereognosis

Identifying a familiar object by touch without vision. Impairment with intact light touch and proprioception suggests a cortical, parietal lobe sensory deficit rather than peripheral nerve damage.

Berg Balance Scale

Fourteen balance tasks scored to 56 points; a score of 45 or below in older adults is associated with increased fall risk and need for assistive devices or supervision.

Two-point discrimination

The minimum distance at which two simultaneously applied points are felt as separate, testing innervation density. Normal distance varies by body region, with fingertips being most sensitive.

Brunnstrom stages

Six stages of motor recovery after stroke, from flaccid paralysis at stage 1 through emerging and then voluntary synergies, movement out of synergy, and near-normal coordination at stage 6.

Resting hand splint position

Wrist at about 20-30 degrees extension, metacarpophalangeal joints at 30-45 degrees flexion, interphalangeal joints in slight flexion, and thumb abducted, to prevent deformity in a flaccid hand.

Posterior THA hip precautions

After a posterior-approach total hip replacement, avoid hip flexion beyond 90 degrees, adduction across midline, and internal rotation, usually for 6-12 weeks, to prevent dislocation.

Blocked versus random practice

Blocked practice repeats one task before switching and supports early acquisition; random practice interleaves different tasks and produces better retention and transfer of the learned skill.

Errorless learning

A training method using strong cues so the client avoids errors during practice. It is preferred for people with severe memory impairment who cannot reliably detect and correct their own mistakes.

Spaced retrieval training

A memory technique in which the client recalls a target fact at progressively longer intervals, beginning with seconds and expanding as recall succeeds, to build durable memory.

Energy conservation techniques

Pacing activities, sitting for grooming and cooking, using a rolling cart, alternating heavy and light tasks, and resting before fatigue to complete daily occupations without excessive exhaustion.

Constraint-induced movement therapy

Restraining the less affected upper limb and shaping tasks with the more affected limb. Candidacy usually requires about 10 degrees of active wrist and finger extension.

Sensory desensitization

Applying graded stimuli such as light touch, textures, vibration, and tapping to a hypersensitive area, starting below pain tolerance and progressing, several times daily after nerve injury.

Stand-pivot transfer

A transfer in which the client stands, bears weight through the legs, and pivots on the feet to the target surface, used when the client can stand but cannot step.

Medicare Part B therapy

Outpatient therapy coverage requiring a physician-certified plan of care and services that are skilled, reasonable, and necessary; claims use CPT codes and the 8-minute rule for timed units.

Jimmo v. Sebelius

A 2013 settlement clarifying that Medicare covers skilled therapy needed to maintain function or slow decline, not only therapy that produces improvement, when services require professional skill.

COTA supervision

The supervising occupational therapist evaluates the client, interprets results, and sets goals and the plan, while the certified assistant implements intervention and reports progress to the therapist.

SOAP note

A documentation format with Subjective client report, Objective measurable findings, Assessment of progress and clinical reasoning, and Plan for the next visit; entries must be timely and accurate.

Medicare plan of care certification

The physician certifies the therapy plan and recertifies it at least every 90 days; the plan states diagnosis, goals, and the type, frequency, and duration of services.

Eight-minute rule

For timed CPT codes, minutes of skilled service are totaled and divided by 15; one unit generally requires at least 8 minutes, and remaining minutes of 8 or more count as another unit.

Principle of veracity

The ethical duty to be truthful and accurate with clients and colleagues. It underlies honest documentation, clear disclosure of evaluation findings, and informed consent discussions.

Informed consent

The client's voluntary agreement to evaluation or intervention after receiving information about purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives; the client may refuse or withdraw at any time.

Mandated reporting

Practitioners must report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable children or adults to designated state authorities, typically within a specified time, regardless of practice setting.

NBCOT recertification

Certification renews every three years and requires 36 professional development units earned through continuing education, professional activities, or service, with specific category minimums set by NBCOT.

Levels of evidence

A hierarchy ranking study designs by risk of bias: systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials rank highest, followed by cohort studies, case-control studies, case series, and expert opinion.