Occupational therapists’ perceptions of occupation in practice: An exploratory study

Tommaso, Amelia Di; Isbel, Stephen; Scarvell, Jennie M.; Wicks, Alison

doi:10.1111/1440-1630.12289

Cited by 23 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Yet occupational therapists are voicing concerns about the challenges of focusing on occupation within particular practice domains and work settings. Di Tommaso et al (2016) noted that therapists in acute services often report needing to focus on impairments rather than occupations, at least in the first instance, and that they felt this distanced them from the profession. Postmodern interpretations of occupational therapy are clearly in need of review.…”

Section: Postmodernism and The Contemporary Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmodernism and beyond in occupational therapy

Greber

2017

Aus Occup Therapy J

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Section: Postmodernism and The Contemporary Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmodernism and beyond in occupational therapy

Greber

2017

Aus Occup Therapy J

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“…It is often cited that occupational therapists possess a profound understanding of the therapeutic use of occupation to enhance or enable occupational performance and engagement; however, it is clear that occupational therapists can experience difficulty with implementing occupation‐centred practice (Di Tommaso, Isbel, Scarvell, & Wicks, ; Di Tommaso, Wicks, Scarvell, & Isbel, ). Barriers to the sustained use of occupation in practice have also been researched in the Australian health‐care context, especially in acute practice settings (Di Tommaso et al, ; Wilding & Whiteford, ). Challenges include the influence of biomedical systems, the discharge‐focused nature of acute settings, the expectations of other health professionals including occupational therapists, and a lack of knowledge of occupation‐centred approaches in practice (Di Tommaso et al, , ; Wilding & Whiteford, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Barriers to the sustained use of occupation in practice have also been researched in the Australian health‐care context, especially in acute practice settings (Di Tommaso et al, ; Wilding & Whiteford, ). Challenges include the influence of biomedical systems, the discharge‐focused nature of acute settings, the expectations of other health professionals including occupational therapists, and a lack of knowledge of occupation‐centred approaches in practice (Di Tommaso et al, , ; Wilding & Whiteford, ). Despite this, occupational therapy scholars have encouraged a “renaissance” within occupational therapy, where occupational therapists should refocus their perspectives and practice to more closely align to the founding and central philosophies of the profession (Molineux, ; Whiteford, Townsend, & Hocking, , p. 61).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gray (1998) advocated that occupational therapists should utilise their expert knowledge of occupation to positively influence the health and wellbeing of the people with whom they work. It is often cited that occupational therapists possess a profound understanding of the therapeutic use of occupation to enhance or enable occupational performance and engagement; however, it is clear that occupational therapists can experience difficulty with implementing occupation-centred practice (Di Tommaso, Isbel, Scarvell, & Wicks, 2016;Di Tommaso, Wicks, Scarvell, & Isbel, 2019). Barriers to the sustained use of occupation in practice have also been researched in the Australian health-care context, especially in acute practice settings (Di Tommaso et al, 2016;Wilding & Whiteford, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Capabilities, Opportunities, Resources and Environments (CORE): Using the CORE approach for inclusive, occupation‐centred practice

Pereira

Whiteford

Hyett

et al. 2020

Aus Occup Therapy J

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Background/Aim Occupational participation is often claimed as a human right and determinant of health by occupational science and therapy scholars. Yet, maintaining occupation at the centre of practice is a challenge. The Capabilities, Opportunities, Resources and Environments (CORE) approach provides a mechanism for occupational therapists to address this challenge by viewing their practice through an inclusive lens, and enacting inclusive, occupation‐centred occupational therapy. This paper presents applications of the CORE approach via three case narratives. The aim is to increase occupational therapists’ understanding of how to apply the CORE approach and to facilitate research‐to‐practice knowledge translation. Methods The CORE approach is introduced and applied through three case narratives, each highlighting one of the CORE elements within the context of the broader approach. Findings The narratives contain critical reflective case narratives on the application of the CORE approach in the context of three different practice settings in Australia based on the authors’ experiences. Practice settings include working within the National Disability Insurance Scheme, in a secure forensic mental health facility, and in rural community health. The forensic health case narrative documents findings from the authors’ research which applied the CORE approach as an analytical tool, providing an additional layer of analysis of the identified themes from the original study. Conclusion This paper provides occupational therapists with a practical understanding of how to apply the CORE approach through diverse case narrative examples. The practical “how to” questions that guided the development of the case narratives can be used by occupational therapists and occupational therapy students in individual or group critical reflection to support development and application of socially inclusive and occupation‐centred praxis. If occupational therapists are to claim expertise in enabling occupation and social inclusion, then using the CORE approach is vital to designing and implementing inclusive, occupation‐centred interventions.

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“…Increasingly research papers, commentaries and viewpoints which consider occupation in curriculum design and as a threshold concept have featured in the Australian literature or been written by Australian academics (Fortune & Kennedy-Jones, 2014;Rodger, Turpin & O'Brien, 2015;Tanner, 2011). A 2016 study found that occupational therapy graduates lacked confidence, and in some cases, were unwilling to implement occupation-based approaches in practice (Di Tommaso, Isbel, Scarvell & Wicks, 2016). This study highlighted the impact that university-based educators have on students' perceptions of the use of occupation in practice and found that educators predominately taught impairment focused interventions rather than occupation-based practice, leading to confusion in students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uncovering educator perspectives of occupation‐centred education in Australia: A qualitative study

Tommaso

Wicks

Scarvell

et al. 2018

Aus Occup Therapy J

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Background/aim Occupation and an occupational perspective of health and wellbeing are required to be taught in accredited occupational therapy programmes internationally. Current research into occupational therapy education has commonly focused on curriculum design and the experience of students and their developing skills for practice. Little research has focused on the perspectives of educators and in particular their own reflections and beliefs on the use of occupation in occupational therapy education. The aim of this study was to uncover Australian educator perspectives of occupation in occupational therapy education. Method This study utilised a qualitative research framework. Eight occupational therapy educators and practice education coordinators completed semi‐structured interviews. Educators ranged in experience from two to over 20 years in the university sector. The interview transcripts were transcribed verbatim, forming the data for analysis. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis was used to analyse the dataset. Results Three themes emerged from the data: occupation is our framework; the balance between practice education and occupation‐centred education; and educators changing the focus. Overall, educators believed that the ‘occupation for health’ philosophy and its application are important foundations for education. However, educators provided varied responses on how to teach these concepts to students. Conclusion Gaining educators’ opinions on the importance of occupation in education is beneficial for ensuring consistency throughout occupational therapy curricula. Theoretical models were endorsed by educators to foster occupation‐based practice. Educators must continue to innovate within the profession for occupation‐based approaches in practice and education to be strengthened in the future.

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Occupational therapists’ perceptions of occupation in practice: An exploratory study

Abstract: Workplace expectations and limited power to influence practice are impeding graduates from authentically applying occupation in practice. Insights from recently graduated therapists about occupation have the potential to inform future directions of occupation-based practice.

Cited by 23 publications

References 27 publications

Postmodernism and beyond in occupational therapy

Postmodernism and beyond in occupational therapy

Capabilities, Opportunities, Resources and Environments (CORE): Using the CORE approach for inclusive, occupation‐centred practice

Uncovering educator perspectives of occupation‐centred education in Australia: A qualitative study

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