Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine occupational therapy support in facilities accredited to operate nutrition support teams (NSTs) and to obtain information for promotion of occupational therapy in NSTs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a web-based questionnaire was performed to compare NST-certified facilities of the Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism with NSTs that did and did not have support from an occupational therapist (OT).

Results: The OT-assisted facilities had significantly fewer total beds (P < 0.001) and longer stays (P = 0.03). The non-OT-assisted facilities provided more occupational therapy support to patients compared to the OT-assisted facilities. OT-assisted NSTs provided occupational therapy support that included “needs and demands,” “psychological aspects”, and “cognitive functions”.

Conclusions: OTs frequently participate in NSTs in small and medium-sized hospitals at which patients are often hospitalized for long periods of time. OTs may be able to provide higher quality and more specialized occupational therapy support by participating in NST activities.