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The meaning gap in occupational therapy: finding meaning in our own occupation
Fran E Aiken1, Anne M Fourt, Isabella K S Cheng
1Occupational Therapy Services, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4N 3M5. maiken@rogers.com
Background:
Occupation is a core concept of our profession, yet little is understood about how therapists use occupation in clinical practice.
Purpose:
This study explores frontline clinicians' experience with occupation-based practice in a large academic health sciences centre.
Methods:
A qualitative constructivist study was conducted using thematic analysis, following in-depth interviews with 12 occupational therapists.
Findings:
Participants described the existence of two realities: Occupational therapy as they felt it should be practiced and as it actually is practiced. When the two were incongruent, participants experienced a meaning gap, which was expressed through four themes to reveal that a personal sense of occupation guides practice and transforms the meaning of the job.
Implications:
The exploration of personal occupational meaning through conscious self-reflection and co-creation of meaning with clients and their health care teams may serve to bridge the meaning gap.
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