Sustainable Practice in Occupational Therapy: An Exploratory Survey of Israeli Practitioners' Knowledge, Challenges,...

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Health systems
• Sustainability science

Background:

• The World Federation of Occupational Therapists highlights sustainability in occupational therapy.
• Sustainability is formally acknowledged but inconsistently integrated into health and social care systems in Israel.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Israeli occupational therapists' perceptions and application of sustainability principles.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to integrating sustainability in occupational therapy practice.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, exploratory study design.
• Online survey with open- and closed-ended questions distributed via email and social media.
• Descriptive statistics and directed content analysis of data from 111 participants.

Main Results:

• Social equity was the most prioritized sustainability principle (78.4%), followed by economic prosperity (41.4%) and environmental integrity (31.5%).
• Key barriers included lack of knowledge (21%), time constraints (15%), insufficient organizational support (14%), limited professional influence (11%), and absence of incentives (11%).

Conclusions:

• Israeli occupational therapists acknowledge the importance of sustainability.
• Enhanced education, resources, and institutional backing are crucial for embedding sustainability into occupational therapy practice, aligning with global trends.