A global profile of occupational therapy and primary care: Results from the World Federation of Occupational Therapists survey.
Andrew Freeman, Susan Brandis, Deshini Naidoo and 6 others
PMID 40191144WHAT IT FOUND
Most countries report occupational therapy in primary care, but access is uneven.
High-income nations provide more assistive technology and adolescent services. Funding relies heavily on government, yet shortages and lack of role recognition persist globally, limiting consistent service delivery.
Key findings
0165.1% of responding member organisations reported that occupational therapy is provided as part of primary care services in their country or territory.
02Government public funding was the most frequent source of financing for occupational therapy primary care services, with a weighted mean of 3.62 on a 4-point scale.
0378.0% of member organisations reported a shortage of occupational therapists for primary care services in their country or territory.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was skewed towards high-income countries (55.9% of responses), which may bias global frequency estimates. Definitions of primary care varied significantly across respondents, with some using 'primary care' and 'primary health care' interchangeably, potentially affecting data comparability. Data relied on self-report by member organisations, which may impact accuracy regarding the actual state of services. The response rate of 59% limits the generalisability of the findings to the entire global profession. Chi-square tests were not calculated due to unmet assumptions, limiting statistical comparison of frequencies across income groups.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings represent the clinical reality for every patient in every country. The data is heavily skewed by high-income nations (55.9% of respondents) and relies on organisation-level self-reports rather than patient outcomes, so it describes the policy and service landscape, not individual therapy effectiveness.