International Occupational Therapy Research Priorities

Abstract

Occupational therapy is a global profession represented by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). International research priorities are needed for strategic guidance on global occupational therapy practice. The objective of this study was to develop international research priorities to reflect global occupational therapy practice. A Delphi study using three rounds of electronic surveys, distributed to WFOT member organizations and WFOT accredited universities, was conducted. Data were analyzed after each round, and priorities were presented for rating and ranking in order of importance. Forty-six (53%) out of 87 WFOT member countries participated in the Delphi process. Eight research priorities were confirmed by the final electronic survey round. Differences were observed in rankings given by member organizations and university respondents. Despite attrition at Round 3, the final research priorities will help to focus research efforts in occupational therapy globally. Follow-up research is needed to determine how the research priorities are being adopted internationally.

Learning from consumers: An eDelphi study of Australian mental health consumers’ priorities for recovery‐oriented curricula

“…All Delphi studies call for a judgement as to what constitutes consensus and the consensus level applied here is consistent with Delphi literature (Sumsion, ; World Federation of Occupational Therapists et al ., ). However, readers should note that the existence of a consensus in this sample does not mean that these priorities are the ‘right’ priorities.…”

“…Consensus was set at 70% consistent with other Delphi studies (e.g. World Federation of Occupational Therapists et al ., ) and three survey rounds were needed to reach this level of consensus. Round one provided stimulus material about recovery, recovery‐oriented practice capabilities and occupational therapy, and then asked open ended questions about the priorities for recovery‐oriented occupational therapy curricula, and personal experiences of a practitioner who had been particularly helpful for participants’ recovery.…”

A systematic review and narrative synthesis of occupational therapy-led interventions for individuals with anxiety and stress-related disorders

“…This review suggests that occupational therapy interventions that focus on selfmastery and assist individuals to participate effectively in daily life have potential to improve symptoms of anxiety when measured over the longer term and should be considered by occupational therapists in practice when working with individuals with anxiety and stressrelated disorders. The professional role of the occupational therapist is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2011) and there is growing urgency for high quality research into occupation-based or occupation-focused interventions in all areas of health care (Mackenzie et al, 2017) and for those with anxiety and stress-related disorders particularly.…”

Knowledge translation in the context of the Asia Pacific region

“…The WFOT have developed a list of research priorities to guide research efforts for members of the international occupational therapy community (World Federation of Occupational Therapists et al ., ). There was a remarkable consensus relating to the importance of the final eight research priorities developed across the 87 WFOT member countries who contributed to the Delphi process.…”