Commode Prescription for Community OTs with Clare Batkin!
Mobile shower commodes are among the most frequently prescribed pieces of assistive technology in community and aged care — yet getting the prescription right requires more clinical reasoning than many OTs expect. The wrong choice can create new risks around skin integrity, manual handling, and safe showering, while the right one can transform a client’s independence and dignity at home.
Working through a real case study, you will apply a structured eight-step AT framework to the clinical assessment, feature matching, trial, funding application, implementation, and review of mobile shower commodes. The content is grounded in best-practice AT prescription principles and draws on the clinical expertise of an experienced occupational therapist.
This course is part of a collaborative Community AT series developed by Otuition and Your OT Tutor. It is intended for occupational therapists working in community or aged care settings.
Course
2 Hours
About this course
A structured, evidence-informed online course guiding occupational therapists through every step of prescribing shower commodes – from identifying need to reviewing outcomes.
Ideal for:
Occupational Therapists working in community or aged care settings who want to build confidence in shower commode assessment, prescription, and funding applications using a structured assistive technology framework.
You’ll learn how to:
- Apply the PEO and HAAT models to systematically assess person, environment, and occupation factors for showering and toileting
- Select commode type and features based on anthropometrics, functional capacity, pressure injury risk, and environment
- Know when and how to conduct a trial, including considerations for wet versus dry trials and carer involvement
- Navigate the funding application process with confidence, including what to include in reports and how to justify each feature
- Plan for implementation, follow-up, and review, and support clients toward self-management of their AT
About your instructor
Clare Batkin
Clare Batkin is a senior occupational therapist, clinical educator, sessional academic, and owner of the clinical education business Your OT Tutor. Clare has over 17 years’ experience as an occupational therapist working with adult clients across public and private sectors, within hospital and community caseloads.
Clare is a self-proclaimed ‘OT Nerd’ who loves sharing her enthusiasm for learning, quality improvement and knowledge translation with OTs and OT students, and she has a particular interest in supporting students as they transition into new graduate therapists. She believes professional development should be simple, practical and worth it! Clare supports thousands of occupational therapists across Australia through sharing free resources, online courses, paid CPD memberships and one-on-one support.
Syllabus
4 Modules, resources and references covering
- Introduction- AT Framework & Commode Fundamentals
- Welcome and course overview
- Eight-step AT best-practice framework applied to commode prescription
- What is a mobile shower commode? Types, key features, and typical cost ranges
- When is a mobile shower commode the right solution?
- Course disclaimers and assumed knowledge
- Introducing the case study: Bill
- Steps 1-2: Identifying Need & Feature Matching
- Starting with function — what tasks are actually impacted?
- Identifying risks: falls, manual handling, pressure injury, skin integrity
- PEO and HAAT models applied to showering and toileting assessment
- Person factors: anthropometrics, transfer technique, cognition, upper limb function
- Pressure injury risk — standardised tools and clinical implications for seat and cushion selection
- Bariatric considerations and special client populations
- Environment factors: bathroom dimensions, drainage, hoist compatibility, flooring
- Occupation factors: what does safe and dignified showering and toileting require?
- Commode types, frame options, seat and cushion selection, wheel and brake configurations
- Carer capacity and its role in feature selection
- Case study: applying Steps 1–2 to Bill
- Steps 3-5 Trials, Choice and Funding Applications
- Ruling out lower-cost alternatives and planning the trial
- Wet versus dry trials — when each is appropriate and how to arrange them
- Trial logistics: who needs to be present, what activities to assess, how to record outcomes
- Funding body constraints and their impact on trial planning
- Identifying and tailoring the final prescription
- Mapping pros and cons across shortlisted options
- Documenting clinical justification for each feature
- Step 5: Writing the funding application
- Report vs letter vs form — what different funders require
- Quotes, invoices, and scripts — what to check before submitting
- Managing client expectations about approval timelines
- Case study: applying Steps 3–5 to Bill
- Steps 6-8: Delivery, Review and Outcome Measurement
- Delivery — what to check on arrival and who needs to be present
- Training the client and carer: safe use, transfers, cleaning, maintenance, and who to call
- Facilitating safe use and self-management from day one
- Follow-up and maintenance — cleaning schedules, infection control, triggers for review
- Formal review — device and person
- Standardised outcome measures: QUEST 2.0, PIADS, CATOM
- Scenarios: discharge, modification, cease, or referral on
- Complex cases — when to seek supervision and restart the process
- CPD reflection and applying the prescription worksheet to your next case
More information
Prescribing commodes can be challenging, especially when you’re balancing clinical reasoning, feature selection, pressure care needs, and funding requirements. We created this course to bridge that gap, offering practical guidance on how to assess, trial, and prescribe commodes using a structured assistive technology framework.
Drawing on clinical experience in adult rehabilitation and community practice, this course combines practical knowledge with best-practice AT principles. Our goal is to help you feel more confident in commode prescription, whether you’re just getting started or refining your approach to achieve safe, functional outcomes for your clients.
