Sharing the agenda: pondering the politics and practices of occupational therapy research

Abstract

Client-centred principles appear to require occupational therapists to undertake collaborative research and to ensure that research agendas are informed by clients' priorities. Commitment to client-centred principles demands concerted efforts to identify and address potential barriers to meaningful client participation in the occupation of research. However, it is argued that if researchers and disabled people collaborate, and pool their knowledge and expertise, they may achieve research that is more philosophically compatible with espoused professional values; and that collaborative research may also inform more relevant and useful client-centred clinical practices.

Feasibility study of a single-blind randomised controlled trial of an occupational therapy intervention

“…The provision of a detailed study protocol, training, and regular meetings seemed to establish adherence. This is in line with Hammel et al (43), who recommend initial training and on-going supervision in order to ensure adherence to complex interventions. As mentioned earlier, challenges of data collection included following standardised testing procedures and documenting results completely, which indicate the need for evaluating and supporting the documentation procedures in the beginning of the study (e.g., after three cases) and regularly during the study (e.g., evaluate…”

Client-centred practice in occupational therapy: Critical reflections

“…However, clientcentred practice in occupational therapy is usually framed in terms of clinical practice, with little apparent concern for howor whetherthe profession's espoused client-centred philosophy influences its research practices such that occupational therapy research is consistently informed by, and relevant to, clients' lives, values, and priorities (8,49,50). Therefore critics' contentionthat rehabilitation research has largely been undertaken without consideration of the issues that matter to disabled people [e.g.…”

Occupational therapy and culture: a literature review

“…This supports earlier ideas concerning the diverse expressions of culture in connection to occupation, which adds additional ambivalence to the global professional discourse. This ambivalence and some frailty in professional identity are not new concerns in OT, but have been expressed in different ways over time (8,23,71,72).…”

“…It may be possible to follow both ways in a profession that is continuously expanding. Regardless of which way is chosen, political, social, economic, and ethical issues should be addressed (16,18,23,73). At this point, awareness of the forces concerning the understanding of culture for OT should be prioritized for consideration.…”

“…If these issues are not perceived or respected, potentially risky cultural situations could affect OT practice, at least in terms of ethical, therapeutic, or procedural concerns (21). An awareness of these potential risks is especially relevant for OT practice and its development in increasingly diverse societies, as well as in political involvement in OT as a globalized profession (6,11,18,22,23). This trend of bringing globalization into the discipline has been challenged by the need for local perspectives and other considerations of people's needs on a more complex level, adding diverse agents acting with and on the inherent complexity of the discipline (4,11,18,24).…”