Patients’,Caregivers’,and Parents’ Perceptions of Occupational Therapists

METHOD: This qualitative study explored patients’, caregivers’, and parents’ perceptions of occupational therapists through an online survey of open-ended questions using SurveyMonkey (San Mateo, CA). For this study, approved by our university’s institutional review board, we used a purposive sample of convenience. Participants included individuals age 18 yr and older who had received occupational therapy, caregivers of individuals who had received occupational therapy, and parents of children who had received occupational therapy. Participants were recruited with permission from a closed fibromyalgia and pain Facebook group, the Disabled Parenting Project listserv, the open Disabled Parenting Project Facebook group, and Twitter and through the sharing of other Facebook groups. These recruitment methods ensured participation was voluntary. Researchers did not collect any identifiable information or IP addresses.

Qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory until saturation was reached. A team of three researchers and data collection from multiple sources ensured rigor, trustworthiness, and triangulation. Data were also reviewed by an experienced qualitative researcher.

RESULTS: Themes emerged showing that participants were generally satisfied with their occupational therapists. The common themes that emerged included the therapists’ patience and knowledge, patient centeredness, needs improvement, willingness to learn, and empathy and understanding. Participants reported how these qualities applied to the occupational therapists providing services. Lastly, patients expressed how their occupational therapist affected their quality of life, and the main theme that emerged was that the therapists helped them to live their lives to the fullest. As a qualitative study, one limitation is that the results are not generalizable beyond the participants studied.

DISCUSSION: This study provides some insight to occupational therapists into how one group of patients, caregivers, and parents view them and the services they provide. This evidence will further allow occupational therapists and rehabilitation facilities to improve their client-centered practice while gaining more positive feedback about their skills and reliability. Additionally, these results can inform future qualitative researchers to further study the patient, caregiver, or parent occupational therapy experience and provide additional guidance and input to improve their relationships and outcomes.

CONCLUSION: Overall, most therapists had the qualities that patients, caregivers, and parents in this study desired, though there were exceptions. Patients, caregivers, and parents in this study expressed that occupational therapy promotes living life to its fullest, though sometimes patients found occupational therapy frustrating. This study lays the groundwork for future research in an effort to improve patients’, caregivers’, and parents’ relationship with their therapists.