Indigenous perspectives on health: Integration with a Canadian model of practice

The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommend change within the Canadian health care system, respecting and valuing Indigenous health and healing practices. Adjusting the lens through which occupational therapists practice to incorporate Indigenous views of health and wellness is one potential change.

This critical interpretive synthesis of the literature incorporates Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness into the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E) framework, strengthening that model to better serve all peoples in Canada.

Integrating Indigenous worldviews can add to the CMOP-E the importance of balance among physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health; the inseparability of person, community, and land; and understanding occupations as dimensions of meaning. These are incorporated in a proposed integrated model (ICMOP-E).

Effectively integrating Indigenous perspectives may be an important first step in a longer journey toward engaging more respectfully with Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness.