Ranka, J. (2006, October). Effects of information processing impairment on everyday tasks in people with AIDS Dementia Complex. Paper presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society of HIV Medicine, Melbourne.
A common and clinically important complication of late HIV-1 infection is AIDS Dementia Complex (ADC). Research conducted outside medicine has focused on identifying the type of neuropsychological or information processing impairment present. Correlations of neuropsychological profiles with measures of function have produced a preliminary staging of the disease. Little is known, however, about the exact impact on the functional capacity of people as they perform meaningful everyday tasks in typical performance contexts.
The purpose of this paper is to describe a study in progress that seeks to identify and describe the impact of information processing impairment on task performance in real-world contexts in people diagnosed with ADC using an ecological measurement model.
Twenty men between the ages of 25-45 who are diagnosed with ADC, living in a home environment in the Sydney metropolitan area and currently being seen by an occupational therapist are being recruited. The instrument being used is the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis. The PRPP System was selected because it is a reliable, criterion-referenced measure that has been used successfully to identify the impact of information processing impairment on everyday tasks in other studies. Consenting participants are being assessed performing two self-selected tasks that pose difficulty and are desired goals. Performance is rated in terms of how well a person performs a task to expected levels according to set criteria. Information processing is assessed in terms of the impact impairments make on task performance. This occurs through the use of behavioural descriptors. Descriptors are verbs that denote observable dimensions of the perceive, recall, plan and perform aspects of information processing. Performance of each descriptor behaviour is scored according to set criteria ranging from no difficulty to definite difficulty. When data collection is complete, the results will be analyzed using traditional statistical models as well as Rasch analysis methods.
Identifying the impact of information processing impairment on real-world performance of tasks using a criterion-referenced measurement model will enable occupational therapists to more specifically tailor therapy to the individual performance needs of clients as they live and age with HIV/AIDS.