Investigating the provision of occupational therapy services: A case study

The World Health Organization has identified occupational therapists as integral human resources on health care teams, yet in many contexts, occupational therapy services are not adequately provided. One example is occupational therapy in mental health care in Saskatchewan.

This study aimed to uncover what is known about the case of occupational therapy in the context of mental health services in Saskatchewan.

An instrumental case study design was employed, applying a critical interpretive approach and thematic analysis to examine 40 publicly available documents.

Three main themes (with subthemes) were identified: access (representation, funding, rural communities), awareness (comprehension, value, collaboration), and advocacy (leadership, education).

This study illuminates how restricted access to, limited awareness of, and ineffective advocacy for occupational therapy impacts mental health services in Saskatchewan and provides a replicable process for other contexts where occupational therapy is underrepresented.