Occupation-focused practice: From enigma to action
Brock Cook1, Robert Pereira 0 ,2, Matthew Molineux0 ,3
1Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 2Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 3Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia
Introduction
While multidisciplinary team members share some knowledge and skills, it is important to recognise the unique contribution of each profession. A team-based approach to service delivery can lead to effective service provision and quality care. Within multidisciplinary teams, the lack of professional identity can sometimes cause occupational therapists to adopt a range of roles or duties, regardless of their relevance to occupational therapy (Fortune, 2000). In reality, working within multidisciplinary teams can lead to role identity confusion, role overlap, role blurring and role ‘violation’ (Wilding & Whiteford, 2009). One of the mistakes the profession has made is to try to justify the use of any intervention method by arguing that as long as the aim is an occupational outcome then it is occupational therapy (Molineux, 2011).
Objectives
This paper critically interrogates some of the tensions and dilemmas which have impacted on adopting an occupation-focused practice ethos. It does this through a review of the literature and sharing examples from practice. This will lead to an identification of some of the challenges to operationalising an occupational perspective in practice.
Practice Implications
This paper challenges occupational therapists to critically reflect on the extent to which their own practice is grounded in an occupational perspective. In addition, it focuses on dispelling myths and challenging status quo practices by promoting occupation as means and ends in occupation-focused practice. Finally, it provides an emancipatory agenda where occupation is at the core of contemporary and future practice.
