Developing Client Self-Advocacy in Occupational Therapy: Are We Practicing What We Preach?
Laura VanPuymbrouck, Emily M Chun, Elizabeth D Hesse and 2 others
PMID 38571573WHAT IT FOUND
Most occupational therapists say self-advocacy is very important but do not write it into client goals.
Instead, they address it indirectly by teaching communication skills and educating clients on their rights. Few therapists learned specific intervention strategies during their education.
Key findings
01Seventy-four point six percent of surveyed therapists could define self-advocacy, but only eighteen point eight percent reported learning specific strategies or interventions for it during their education.
02Although seventy point three percent of participants rated addressing self-advocacy as very important, seventy-five point four percent did not include it in long- or short-term treatment goals.
03Therapists primarily addressed self-advocacy indirectly through teaching related skills like communication (seventy-six point six percent) and educating clients on rights (fifty-one point one percent).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used snowball sampling, which may introduce bias and limits the generalizability of the findings. The sample size was relatively small (n=138) and geographically limited. The survey questions were developed by the research team and not standardized, so participants may have interpreted them differently. The sample was primarily white and female, which may not represent the full diversity of the profession or the client populations served.
Declared interests
The text does not report any funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that therapists who rate self-advocacy as important are actually delivering targeted interventions. The study shows a disconnect where most therapists do not write self-advocacy into goals, instead addressing it indirectly through communication skills training.