A survey of the current state of “occupation-based practice” and examination of related factors: A WEB-based questionnaire

Abstract

A survey was conducted to promote occupation-based practice (OPB) through clarifying both the current state of (OBP) on a national scale and its cross-disciplinary perspective. The survey developed by the authors included basic information on the participants' “degree of knowledge about OBP,” “willingness to learn about OBP,” “degree of implementation of OBP,” “intention to implement OBP,” and “recognition of the need for OBP”. The results revealed that 89 of 188 occupational therapists (46.7%) had knowledge of OBP, and 83 of 188 (43.6%) were using it daily, accounting for less than half of the total. On the other hand, 85.6% of occupational therapists were aware of the need for OBP, indicating that there is a gap between OBP awareness and implementation status. There were no significant differences in OBP implementation or awareness by practice field, and logistic regression analysis identified intervention timing and knowledge of OBP as factors significantly influencing OBP implementation. Knowledge of OBP, in particular, had a significant impact on OBP implementation, and it was found that the type of practice area influences the implementation of OBP in geriatric occupational therapy. Furthermore, it is clear that occupational therapists who intend to implement OBP are well aware of its importance. These results suggest that providing opportunities for education and learning about OBP, including undergraduate and postgraduate education, will help promote OBP by deepening knowledge of OBP and forming a belief in OBP.