Literature review on professional identity of occupational Therapists in japan -Through scoping review-

Abstract

BACKGROUND：Recently it has been pointed out that the specialties and roles of occupational therapists（OTs）have become diverse and unclear. It may lead to an identity crisis of the OTs. Therefore, a number of studies regarding the professional identity of OTs（OTPI）were conducted in these years. OBJECTIVE：In this study, a scoping review was conducted to identify the current status and issues of OTPI in Japan. METHODS：To ensure validity, three OTs conducted a scoping review-based analysis using the Ichushi Web and CiNii Articles databases. RESULTS：It is only in these years that research on OTPI were conducted since 2018, therefore, this field of research seems to be new. The OTPI definition emphasizes the importance of an individual’s professional sense and identity being influenced by interactions with professional groups. The studies on diverse participants with varying experience levels and workplace environments suggest that those factors have impact on OTPI. In several studies, reliable scales for young OTs in the field of physical disabilities have been developed. CONCLUSION：The reviewed literatures gave some details of the relatively recent emergence of OTPI research in Japan. These literatures all emphasized the importance of interpersonal interactions in OTPI formation. However, in this study, a comprehensive definition of OTPI proved difficult to formulate due to the diversity within occupational therapy professions. Ongoing verification efforts, including in-depth subject analyses and longitudinal studies, are essential for further development of reliable scales.