Occupational Therapy in Mainland China: Status, Challenges, and Future Directions

Changing Perspectives of Local Therapists Eight Years after the Implementation of an Occupational Therapy Service in a Unique Himalayan Cross-Cultural Setting

“…Besides, government-sponsored health insurance was introduced even to remote areas [ 28 , 31 , 38 ]. Starting from institutions such as Hong Kong Polytechnic University [ 39 ], the first OT departments were implemented at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre [ 40 ] and Medical University Kunming [ 31 ]. These initiatives were supported by foreign OT experts who held training sessions in a few hospitals [ 41 ].…”

“…Not until 2018, China was accredited as a member by the WFOT and OT was recognised as a profession by the Chinese government [ 43 ]. Despite all these efforts, OT services are still lacking in most Chinese hospitals [ 29 , 33 , 39 , 44 ].…”

“…First and most important, crucial knowledge about OT is essentially lacking. Next, training facilities are minimal [ 31 , 39 , 45 ]. An essential condition as a structured education programme only is available in very few institutions [ 29 , 31 ].…”

“…Many OTs are rehabilitation practitioners and learned the job by training after examples that were limited in skills and number of OT techniques [ 31 ]. Secondly, the professional identity of being an OT is practically unknown [ 39 , 44 ]. OT does not receive appropriate attention from society because the concept does not resonate with the Chinese understanding of healing [ 45 ].…”

“…OT has been developed in the Western worldview and is based on the assumption that patients' independence is the essential aim [ 1 ]. In contrast, interdependency and roles in communities are much highly rated in Asian and Chinese societies [ 3 , 14 , 39 , 46 ]. Activating techniques of OT are in contrast to traditional Chinese beliefs of being passive in order to get healed from an injury or disease [ 32 , 45 ].…”