Recognition of occupational therapists by the Community General Support Center staff through Quantitative Text Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to enhance regional collaboration through identifying how occupational therapists are recognized by Community General Support Center staff in Hyogo prefecture. A questionnaire and free descriptions were used and the results were analyzed by KH Coder. The center staff recognized OTs in three ways:“person”, “occupation”, and “life”. Moreover, the results showed that OTs are professionals who support dementia patients and the life patients wish, which is different from both other rehabilitation professionals and the standardized OT definition. This study reconfirmed that OTs are viewed as supporting not only activities of daily living, but also general lifestyle.