Case study research: Building the occupational therapy evidence base one case at a time

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy research methodology
• Evidence-based practice in healthcare

Background:

• Healthcare evidence generation increasingly requires diverse methodologies beyond randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Occupational therapy practice often involves complex interventions not fully captured by traditional research designs.

Observation:

• A critical discussion of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy is presented.
• The viability and application of case study research within occupational therapy are explored.

Findings:

• Case study research effectively captures the contextual nuances and complexities inherent in occupational therapy practice.
• Aggregating findings from multiple case studies can significantly strengthen the occupational therapy evidence base.

Implications:

• Occupational therapists are encouraged to adopt case study research for practice-relevant and meaningful inquiry.
• Journal editors should recognize and prioritize high-quality case study research to advance occupational therapy literature.