Population-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy

Abstract

As occupational therapists develop their roles in promoting the health of populations, it is important to understand the nature of population-based practice. Seventeen occupational therapists engaged in population-based practice participated in semi-structured interviews that explored major aspects of their practice. Qualitative descriptive analysis was used to summarize results. The population-based practice of participants was primarily at the community level and focused on health teaching and coaching, and collaboration and consultation. Four topic areas within population-based practice were identified (with respective themes): characteristics (bigger impact, respond to specific needs of communities, and emphasize prevention), preparation (community engagement within occupational therapy education, education beyond occupational therapy, and networking and leadership experiences), challenges (difficulty obtaining funding, resistance, and time consuming), and benefits (doing more within the scope of practice, and positive client impact). These themes can inform the work of occupational therapists engaged in population-based practice.

Keywords:

• Occupational therapy
• population health

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Kia Voorhees and Casey Brown for contributions to data collection and analysis.

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Maria Atala

Ms. Maria Atala and Ms. Mackenzie Bennington received their Master of Occupational Therapy degrees from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA. Until her retirement, Dr. Domholdt was Director of the School of Health Sciences and Interim Dean of the College of Health at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA.