EXPLORING INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Background: Occupational therapy is concerned with a range of health and social care issues that affect engagement in meaningful occupation. There are diverse research activities necessary to support the profession... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Occupational therapy is concerned with a range of health and social care issues that affect engagement in meaningful occupation. There are diverse research activities necessary to support the profession internationally. The aims of this project were to i) identify the current range of international research priorities relevant to occupational therapy, and ii) identify a list of international occupational therapy research priorities relevant across the membership of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT).
Method:
A newly established project group was convened at the 2014 WFOT Council meeting consisting of delegates from each continent represented within WFOT. Following ethics approval, a survey was distributed amongst the WFOT Member Organisations and WFOT approved educational programs to gather information about existing research priorities. These were coded and thematically analysed. A Delphi process, using two rounds, was implemented to reach consensus about occupational therapy research priority areas.
Results:
Responses to the initial survey were received from 23 WFOT member organisations and 28 universities. Research priority themes that emerged included: targeted areas of occupational therapy practice, outcome measurement and occupational therapy education, practice and professional issues. A total of 40 research priorities were identified.
Conclusion:
The identification of research priorities for occupational therapy worldwide reflects the current research trends and future needs of the occupational therapy profession.
Application to Practice:
A statement of research priorities will assist WFOT in providing support to occupational therapists worldwide, and facilitate better research collaborations between WFOT members to increase the global visibility and contribution of occupational therapy.