Cultural influences on occupational therapy practice in Singapore: a pilot study

Abstract

Over the past decades, numerous occupational therapy frameworks have been published and adopted in the West but there is little discussion of their applicability to Singapore. The purpose of this study was to examine the relevance and applicability of occupational therapy frameworks in Singapore. Data were gathered from nine highly experienced occupational therapists. Audio-taped semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Qualitative methods were used in identifying five themes--independence, applicability of client-centred practice, concepts of occupation/activity, client's areas of concern, and application of occupational therapy models to practice. The themes were discussed in the context of three broad areas: (1) the potential discrepancy between occupational therapy's philosophical base and clients' values, (2) mismatch between the occupational therapists' prescription of activity and the meaning of activities to clients, and (3) the potential conflict between the occupational therapy approach and the corporate culture in Singapore. One of the important results from the study was that in Singapore culture, clients generally did not believe that achieving independence was important and they expected to be taken care of by their families. Further research with a larger sample is necessary to explore how culture and societal values impact on occupational therapy practice in Singapore.

The cultural brokerage work of occupational therapists in providing culturally sensitive care

“…The diverse values can create discrepancies in expectations and priorities because individuals are situated within different social positions (Galambos, 2003;Yang et al, 2006). For example, many socio-structural forces, including ethnicity, immigration, poverty, and gender, shape client culture (Lo, 2010).…”

Occupational therapy and culture: a literature review

“…These concepts are not meaningful in a universal way but have been used as if they were (49). Given the same influences on rehabilitation theory and OT development, there is an unaddressed need to cover rehabilitation requirements of very diverse clientele in terms of culture worldwide (31,33,34,(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(47)(48)(49)(50)52,54,55,(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)68). These Western influences could determine a certain dominant culture within the discipline or show a class-specific character in the professional knowledge (48).…”

“…For OT, this has been supported by the Western thinking underlying the knowledge construction for the discipline since its beginning. This is presented as a fact, and also as an issue that requires deep and critical analysis (31,38,44,48,60). Culture is highly relevant for theory development in OT and in policy development because it determines perceptions of health, illness, and occupation (45).…”

“…A third force emerges from the tension between tradition and modernity, for example in terms of values. This implies the understanding of how and which aspects of culture (s) can be preserved in an increasingly globalized, technological, and diverse world (35,36,(39)(40)(41)45,50,60). Thus adaptability concerning knowledge and practice becomes a main issue of consideration.…”

“…These interventions must be adjusted to the contexts of practice (40,46). According to the articles, the way in which power relationships are established between OTs and clients should be included in the analysis as well as in therapeutic strategies, especially when culture is involved (31,32,38,39,43,44,50,54,56,58,60). If not, clashes or dilemmas with regard to culture can appear in therapeutic relationships (39,55,57,67).…”