Knowledge Gaps Regarding Indigenous Health in Occupational Therapy: A Delphi Process.

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Health
• Occupational Therapy
• Reconciliation Studies

Background:

• The occupational therapy profession is called upon by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to engage in reconciliation with Indigenous populations.
• Addressing Indigenous health requires understanding and addressing knowledge gaps within the profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and prioritize knowledge gaps among occupational therapists concerning Indigenous health.
• To inform the development of a survey instrument for assessing occupational therapists' knowledge in this area.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi process involving 18 occupational therapists from an Indigenous health network.
• Literature review to identify potential themes for survey development.
• Three rounds of consensus building with statistical analysis (Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc testing).

Main Results:

• Identification of 10 priority themes related to Indigenous health knowledge for occupational therapists.
• Establishment of three statistically distinct hierarchical tiers of these themes.
• Consensus achieved on themes crucial for survey development.

Conclusions:

• The prioritized themes provide a foundation for research into occupational therapists' knowledge of Indigenous health.
• This work can inform the creation of educational resources to support occupational therapists in responding to the TRC calls to action.
• The findings facilitate a structured approach to enhancing occupational therapists' capacity for reconciliation.