Occupational therapists as contributors to health promotion

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to explore the views of occupational therapists concerning their competences in health promotion, and their perceptions of how they apply these competences in their daily work. The study also elicited their views on the contributions that occupational therapists could make to health promotion if given the opportunity. Methods: Data were collected in five focus-group discussions with 24 occupational therapists. These discussions were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim; data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The main findings are that the informants took an individualized salutogenic approach in their work and rarely engaged in health promotion on a systemic or societal level. They believed that their patients and collaborating partners, as well as public officials, remained unaware of their competences in health promotion. Conclusions: The findings of this study could enrich the discussion among occupational therapists on how they could make a more significant contribution to health promotion on a broader level.