Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) from the perspective of Ayres Sensory Integration®

Abstract

Introduction: The Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) method has been standing out within Occupational Therapy when implementing its evidence-based practice and, for this reason, it has had great notoriety in Brazil and in the world. To ensure the quality of the services provided, Ayres Sensory Integration® training programs follow some minimum standards, including the use of the Fidelity Measure© and the interpretation of evaluation data to inform clinical reasoning, which can be carried out through the Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM). Objective: Since DDDM is a tool that is still little discussed in Brazil, it is proposed to present its main contributions to the clinical and professional reasoning of occupational therapists and to the generation of evidence. Method: This is an integrative and narrative literature review with a quali-quantitative approach, the sample period being the years from 2012 to March 2022. Among the 22 titles found, 13 scientific articles were included in this Review. Results: DDDM proved to be a safe and viable tool for use in clinical practice in ASI®, with several contributions such as: client-centered practice, generation of hypotheses, development of personalized activities and intervention, elaboration of appropriate goals for each case and quantification of intervention effectiveness. Conclusion: It is a tool that supports evidence-based practice as well as guides the clinical reasoning of occupational therapists through a focus on the use of data-based decision making.